D&C 64

June 2021 | ISSUE No. 64 | Price 350 RSD

08 MAY

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

9772466380002

EUROPE DAY TRADITIONALLY

MARKED IN STARI DVOR

A PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION STRATEGY IS OF KEY IMPORTANCE MILAN MARINOVIĆ

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

I WRITE FOR EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD JELENA LENGOLD Writer

STRENGTHENING THE INNOVATION POTENTIAL IN SERBIA PhD IVAN RAKONJAC

Managing Director, Innovation Fund

Italy

GREEN WE GO, CHANGE WE MAKE

MARTIN LUTHER FOR THE SECOND TIME AMONG SERBS

H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE

Reportage by Robert Čoban

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea S P E C I A L

E D I T I ON

United Kingdom The

FOCUS ON

H.E. CARLO LO CASCIO Italian Ambassador to Serbia

H.E. SIAN MACLEOD British Ambassador to Serbia

We will always have...Venice! was once a big problem for the remaining population of Venice (the number of inhabitants fell from 174,000 to 52,000 from 1951 to 2019) today, at the time of the pandemic, no longer seems so terrible.

Until the early 2000s, most visitors would come and stay in Venetian hotels for only a few nights, setting aside a couple of days for exploring the city apart from the well-known landmarks and discovering the local life and culture. In recent years, in addition to a staggering annual increase in the number of visitors, the way people visited the city changed - many tourists now come to Venice on a daily/hourly trip, like cruise ship passengers, thus dramatically modifying social, logistic, economic and touristic aspects of the city.

The people in Venice were especially annoyed by the tens of thousands of cruise ship passengers who flooded the city every day - having breakfast and lunch on a boat while spending about ten euros in the city on a handful of souvenirs or a piece of pizza.

Then came the pandemic and the shop, cafe and restaurant owners started yearning for such tourists, but to no avail since there were no guests in sight.

However, the good weather and the opening of the Architecture Biennale brought thousands of tour-

ists to Venice (it seems that most of them were Italians) and for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the outdoor areas of cafes and restaurants were packed throughout the city.

Even the famous Vogalonga regatta took place, during which hundreds of boats, small and big and gondolas took part, thus celebrating the 1,600th birthday of the city and its merger with the sea.

Judging by the scenes from the Serenissima, life is returning to Europe. It remains to be seen in the months ahead what will life look like and whether we will love and hate the same things again with the same passion as before the pandemic.

06

20

32

MILAN MARINOVIĆ

PhD IVAN RAKONJAC

Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

Managing Director, Innovation Fund

08

24

FOLLOW US TO STAY UPDATED

WEB

FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN

TWITTER

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 NEVENA KUVELJIĆ Journalist nevena.kuveljic.cpg@ gmail.com 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

”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

4

FOREWORD

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

t was my first trip to Italy since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic - Venice, the Architecture Biennale, which is taking place this year instead of last year. As I walk between the Giardini and the Arsenal, I pass through a typical Venetian street where clotheslines are stretched between the houses. A flag with the inscription "NO to big ships" hangs from a window featuring a crossedout drawing of a cruise ship. What

I

CONTENT

A PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION STRATEGY IS OF KEY IMPORTANCE

VIVA LA GUERRA! Politics

10

STRENGTHENING THE INNOVATION POTENTIAL IN SERBIA

2021 SUMMIT OF BRDOBRIONI PROCESS NEMANJA PURIĆ

61

ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY – EVER MORE IMPORTANT

DIGITAL INNOVATION AND HOW TO COOK IT - SERBIAN CUISINE

PROF.DR. BORIS CIZELJ Head, ECPD Economic Diplomacy, Lobbying and Negotiations Program, Belgrade

PROF. DR BOJAN LALIĆ

GREEN WE GO, CHANGE WE MAKE

The Faculty of Technical Sciences Novi Sad

H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE

28

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

14

NEW BALANCED ECONOMIC POLICY PARADIGM DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ Professor at FEFA, Former Minister of Finance

Researcher and associate Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade

68

I WRITE FOR EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD JELENA LENGOLD

DOES MARKETING KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT US AND HOW DOES IT WORK? LAZAR BOŠKOVIĆ Digital communication consultant

Writer

70

WE NEED THE FLOW OF IDEAS AND ARTISTS ANDREI COLCERIU Principal dancer at the Serbian National Theatre Ballet

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

by byNevena Žikica Milošević Kuveljić

A Personal Data Protection Strategy is of Key Importance This will be the first such comprehensive document of strategic importance in the segment of personal data protection and it will define the obligations of state bodies in the protection of this human right

MILAN MARINOVIĆ Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

ducation of young people on the topic of personal data protection has a crucial impact on the effective and comprehensive protection of personal data in society as a whole because young people are the ones whose personal data are jeopardized because they are the biggest and most active users of online content," Milan Marinović, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, says.

“E

We can agree that the abuse of personal data is strongly pres-

6

ent. Has anything been done since the beginning of 2020 to date to change this situation in a positive sense?

— In terms of personal data protection, in the period from 1 January 2020 to 25 May 2021, regarding the protection of personal data,

ties (33), health care institutions (28), local self-government bodies (20), public companies (18), banks (13) and others. The most common reasons for initiating supervision were personal data security (48.1%), online and electronic communication (8.2%), video sur-

posed temporary or permanent restrictions on data processing and in 2 cases he ordered the harmonization of processing operations with the provisions of the relevant law. In addition, 4 criminal charges and 7 requests for initiating misdemeanor proceedings were filed. Since the beginning of the implementation of the relevant law, 2,064 checklists have been sent to the data handlers to assess the risk of processing personal data at their premises, while 32 handlers have submitted the checklist to the Commissioner on their initiative.

251 handlers did not submit the completed checklist to the Commissioner even after the Commissioner's urgency. Based on these checklists, the Commissioner draws up an annual oversight plan. As of 1 January 2020, a total of 249 complaints have been filed with the Commissioner due to the violation of personal data, of which 237 were resolved. Because the implementation of the new law began only on 22 August 2019 and, in connection with, there is the need for all society members – data handlers and data processors, on the one hand, and citizens whose data are processed, on the other - to better educate themselves about the rights and obligations under the law, the Commissioner held 32 training sessions covering that segment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great changes in all segments of society. Did the same

AS OF 1 JANUARY 2020, A TOTAL OF 249 COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED WITH THE COMMISSIONER DUE TO THE VIOLATION OF PERSONAL DATA, OF WHICH 237 WERE RESOLVED the Commissioner initiated a total of 465 supervisions, of which 233 regular, 231 extraordinary and 1 mixed. The object of the supervision were data handlers, mostly companies and small business owners (231), state administration bodies (60), provincial authori-

veillance (4.2%), the unique master citizen number (JMBG) (3.9%), data processing in the health sector (3.5%) and others. After the inspections, the Commissioner issued 95 corrective measures, of which he issued 87 warnings to data handlers, in 6 cases he im-

happen in personal data protection and if it did, to what extent?

Have there been any violations and what has been done to prevent further violations?

— Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commissioner has paid special atten-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

tion to the protection of the data of infected persons. Thus, even before the beginning of the declared state of emergency, he issued a statement warning the media not to publish personal data of persons suffering from the coronavirus, and during the state of emergency, he also issued an appeal regarding the protection of student health data and a press release on personal data processing during a state of emergency. Despite the above, several cases of personal data violations were recorded, the most drastic of which was the exposure of the COVID-19 Information System and the relatively easy access to data on patients living on the territory covered by one particular health care institution. Thanks to the fast and efficient intervention of the Commissioner, there were no negative consequences and the mentioned data were not compromised.

The first generation of students of the Faculty of Security, majoring in management of personal data protection, was awarded certificates based on cooperation with the Commissioner's Office.

Are there plans to hold training sessions at other educational levels as well?

— In cooperation with the Faculty of Security, we managed to train 55 people who have acquired the title of personal data protection manager following a short study programme that lasted 6 months. Although, this is an exceptional accomplishment, it is also only the first step in educating a require number of experts in this field who are very much in demand. As an illustrative example of how great this need is, I would just like to mention the fact that the Personal Data Protection Law prescribes an obligation to appoint persons for personal data protection for about 30,000 data handlers and data processors in the Republic of Serbia. To date, only just over 3,300 of them have fulfilled and even not all of them designated a person who has the know-how and experience in this field as their personal data protection officer, which is a legal obligation. This demonstrated how pronounced the need for such specialized experts will be in the time to come. For that reason, the Commissioner will gladly respond to the calls for cooperation from other higher education institutions.

Why is it important to educate young people on the topic of personal data protection?

— Education of young people on the topic of personal data protection has a crucial impact on the effective and comprehensive protection of personal data in society as a whole because young people are the ones whose personal data are jeopardized because they are the biggest and most active users of online content. In order for

— In cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Commissioner has begun working on passing the Personal Data Protection Strategy, which should be applied in the period from 2021 to 2028. This will be the first such comprehensive document of strategic importance in the segment of personal data protection and it will define the obligations of state bodies in the protection of this human right. We

pointment for the Office?

— With the recent appointment of the Deputy Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has significantly helped both the functioning of the Commissioner's Office and me personally. Namely, before the Deputy was appointed (the Commissioner, although entitled to having two deputies - one for each area of human rights for which

WE NEED THE STRATEGY TO PROTECT THE PERSONAL DATA OF CITIZENS IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE

he is responsible - had not had a deputy for more than a year), the Commissioner was the only authorized signatory of all acts issued by the Commissioner's Office. There are thousands and thousands of such documents issued in the space of just one year.

This, in itself, shows how much workload the Commissioner has in a situation when there is no deputy, which, especially in the current situation caused by COVID-19, greatly complicated the work and hindered the normal functioning of the Commissioner's Office. Now, after the deputy was appointed, the situation is much easier to handle, especially if we take into account the fact that this is a person who has been working in the Commissioner's Office for over ten years and who is a personal data protection expert. Thanks to the appointment of deputies, we can fully commit ourselves to drafting the Personal Data Protection Strategy, preparing amendments to certain regulations covering this area and free access to information of public importance, and creating a more efficient way of educating all relevant entities.

the education of young people not to be spontaneous and disorganized, I proposed that personal data protection should be included in the curricula of elementary and high schools as soon as possible.

I am confident that my proposal will be accepted and that we will be able to acquaint young people with their rights but also obligations when it comes to the protection and security of their personal data. The fact remains that young people easily give up the right to protection of their personal data for the sake of being able to use certain online content, download an application or video game, etc., as well as that they often publish information about themselves on social networks without thinking first about the consequences.

Hence, there is the need for them to be aware of all the consequences that may arise as a result.

need the strategy to protect the personal data of citizens in all areas of life, and the first task that the strategy envisages is the analysis of all regulations that contain topics relating to personal data processing and their harmonization with the Personal Data Protection Law, which is a legal obligation that must be fulfilled as soon as possible. Furthermore, the strategy should ensure normative regulation of certain types of personal data processing that the existing law did not regulate at all, such as processing of personal data through video surveillance, processing of citizens' biometric data, the relationship between digitalization, artificial intelligence and personal data protection, and protection of personal data in emergencies, such as the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

What benefits does the Personal Data Protection Strategy bring for citizens and when it will be implemented?

In March, the Commissioner's Office appointed a personal data protection deputy commissioner. How important is this ap-

7

POLITICS

by Žikica Milošević

Viva la Guerra!

The war-parties are prevailing ust when it seems that a problem or a couple of them are about to be solved, a new avalanche of conflict, destruction, mistrust and hatred erupts again in the Middle East. Paradoxically, all those people who advocate for conflicts share the same views, and the only ones who are against conflicts are people who had previously built bridges.

This brings us to an interesting question asked by many analysts from Israel to the Arab world, from Russia to America, from China to Europe - are parties in the war in collusion or just enjoying watching peace efforts collapse, people in the Middle East radicalizing, and becoming closer to their options?

But let's start over yet again!

There are two currents in Arabs and Muslims with one advocating reconciliation with Israel and leaving the Palestinians "in the lurch" with what they already have. It is a "punishment" for the previous behaviour of the Palestinians who refused to go with offered solutions, and got even worse ones as a result, but are also "tired" from endlessly dealing with the same thing for 70+ years.

Many people in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and elsewhere think and have more in common with wealthy Israel than with their poor brothers in Palestine. They share the same way of life, similar-looking cities, are focused on tourism (the Saudis too), etc. Also, they are united in distrusting Iran which has been at odds with Israel since the Islamic Revolution.

This "lack of love" has been reciprocated from the Israeli side, and the Sunni kingdoms in the region do not like the Shiite nature of Iran. However, there are many logical ambiguities here, because Azerbaijan, although Shiite, is in favour of Israel, and many Sunni countries like Iran.

In the latest shuffling of cards, four reconciliations "threatened" the peace in the Middle East. The first is the Abraham Agreement, where the UAE and Bahrain decided to recognize Israel and vice versa, which was followed by Morocco and then Sudan. It was ru-

J

8

WHEN EVERYONE GETS RADICALIZED, IT WILL BE EASIER FOR THE MORE RADICAL OPTIONS TO WIN THE ELECTIONS

moured that both Oman and Saudi Arabia would follow the principle. On the other hand, it seemed that there would be de-escalation in the proxy war in Yemen. Third, with the arrival of Joe Biden to the office, it seemed that much more effort would be made to bring Iran to the negotiating table and renew the nuclear agreement with this country, which was signed by Obama and torn apart by Trump. Fourth, with the election loss, Benjamin Netanyahu had to pass the baton for putting together a new government to Yair Lapid, who, as we like to proudly point out, originates from Novi Sad. He could create a government on a precedent, namely include parties of Israeli Arabs,

and so that they can finally participate in the state government to which they pay taxes and whose documents they have. Fifth, it seemed that Hamas was left without funding from abroad and it would have to cede its negotiating position to the "good old" Fatah, from the West Bank.

And then Jerusalem was shaken by an attempt to evict Arab families from the Arab part of the city of Sheikh Jarrah to expand the Jewish settlement, followed by clashes between extreme members of both nationalities around the Al-Aqsa Mosque which spilt into the streets of Israeli cities, culminating in Israel being bombed from the Gaza strip and then retaliating against Gaza.

Even the building that housed Al-Jazeera and some other media outlets was demolished, after Israel’s alert. When back in 1999, the building that housed Radio and Television of Serbia was bombed to the ground, NATO called it a "legitimate target". Now we are waiting to see if Al-Jazeera’s offices were also considered a "legitimate target".

So what happened? According to some, Hamas turned to Iran, even though Iran is a Shiite country, to the dismay of all haters of Iran. That is why many Gulf countries show indifference towards Gaza. Lapid is at a disadvantage because now his coalition with the Arabs is on shaky legs. Netanyahu is calling for new elections.

Palestinians and Israelis like each other even less than a month ago. Observers got involved in everything. Kosovo supports Israel with Kosovars tweeting "May Allah save Israel!" which is absolutely inconceivable. Of course, as a consequence of the Washington Agreement from September 2020, Israeli flags were hoisted in Banja Luka and Palestinian flags in Sarajevo. Support on social media is heating up, people are arguing, and worldwide protests in favour of Palestinians are taking place, even in Belgrade. For the first time, Serbs in Serbia do not demonstrate openly their pro-Israel behaviour and now smile when they see the Palestinian flag.

This is the consequence of the Washington treaty. Serbs in the Republic of Srpska act as if they would die for Israel. Bella Hadid has donated her dresses to the Palestinian cause (her father is originally from there).

Everyone is arguing, the reconciliation parties are despairing, Putin is calling both sides to come to Moscow for talks, Biden is caught between a rock and a hard place, political parties in favour of war are prevailing... When everyone gets radicalized, it will be easier for the more radical options to win the elections. Elections in Palestine have also been postponed.

Again! Now, we will never know who would win and whose goal was for these elections not to be held. While people are dying...

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

by Tanja Banković

Green We Go, Change We Make While seeking a quick transition to green growth, Korea is trying to become a fast mover, if not the first mover, and to share its experiences as a bridge connecting developed and developing countries by joining international joint efforts such as P4G H.E. HYOUNG-CHAN CHOE Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

ith a sense of urgency for leadership and accelerated actions to meet the goals set by the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, the inaugural P4G summit was held successfully in Copenhagen in 2018. This year, the Republic Korea hosted the 2nd Summit with the slogan “Green We Go, Change We Make” and under the main theme “Inclusive Green Recovery towards Carbon Neutrality.” We spoke with H.E. Hyoung-chan Choe, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Serbia. about this important topic as well as about cooperation between our two countries.

W

Your Excellency, how would you assess overall cooperation between our two countries?

— Even though Korea and Serbia are geographically located far away each other, our two countries have significantly developed ever-stronger relationship by deepening and widening cooperation in various fields such as political, economic, and cultural areas over the past three decades.

As we have developed the relationship more favorable, there are no outstanding political or diplomatic issues for our two countries to seriously engage with. In particular, we have recently been witnessing a significant upward trend in economic cooperation.

Korea’s direct investment in Serbia is expanding not only in volume, but also in scope.

While we grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea and Serbia haven’t stopped helping each other even during those difficult times. Last year while international flights were suspended, Serbian government made a few flights available for stranded Korean nationals to go back home and get reunited with their family. Korean Government was also very pleased to donate $300,000-worth of medical equipment including test kits. This year, I myself visited several municipalities and health-

10

AS GOVERNMENTS SEEK FOR RECOVERY PACKAGES, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS TIME AROUND, WE PURSUE “GREEN RECOVERY” THAT WILL HELP US BUILD BACK ECONOMY IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER care centers in Serbia to provide protective masks for their imminent use. I hope our friendly relations will be even more strengthened based on mutual respect and cooperation in the years to come.

What are the main pillars when we are speaking about our economic cooperation, and is there any sectors in which we can improve cooperation?

— I think the main pillar of our economic cooperation lies in the expansion of investment by Korean companies to Serbia. During a relatively short period of around 10 years, Korean investment accumulated to $200 million with the employment of around 7,000 Serbian people. Last April, another Korean investor, Kyungshin

Cable, has successfully begun operation of a newly-built factory in Smederevska Palanka, which we expect will contribute to growing employment and economy of the region. It is evident that Korean companies are looking into Serbia as a potential destination of overseas investment as Serbia remains ready to offer support and incentives more than any other parties do in the region.

In this regard, it was very timely and meaningful for the Serbian government to recently host an online workshop inviting Korean companies to give them a better understanding about the investment environment of Serbia.

As we discussed at the workshop, in addition to the manufacturing sector, the scope of econom-

ic cooperation can be expanded to the new prominent areas such as R&D, Smart City, renewable energy etc.

Korea hosted P4G Summit. What is P4G? — P4G, which stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, is a global platform to develop solutions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN member states and the Paris Climate Agreement. In particular, P4G aims to address solutions on the five sectors of SDGs -food, water, energy, cities, and circular economy-which are closely related to climate change with the participation of governments and international organizations as well

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

At the same time, however, rapid economic development mainly based on fossil fuel caused air pollution and steady increase of average temperature. Then, we realized that it was not the right path and we need to change course to go green even if it was a daunting task.

In line with this acknowledgement, Korea announced “Green New Deal” strategy together with “Digital New Deal” strategy last year to recover its economy from the COVID-19 pandemic in a greener way and to achieve the goals of Paris Agreement.

as business partners and civil societies in the private sector.

Governments propose policy directions and provide initial funding; companies carry out direct actions through investment; and civil societies come up with innovative ideas and conduct monitoring. With such global public-private partnership, P4G develops practical cooperative projects and responds to the imminent threat of climate change by supporting many countries, particularly the developing ones.

As the host, what are Korea’s major goals to achieve by hosting the summit?

— The year 2021 will be a special year for the international society in its endeavor to overcome climate change crisis. At the end of 2020, countries officially submitted their ten-year goals to reduce greenhouse gases by 2030 in accordance with the 2015 Paris Agreement. Therefore, 2021 will be the first year when countries embark on the implementation of their own goals to respond to climate change.

Seoul summit provided an opportunity to tighten the bonds of the international community for the sake of the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, and take actions rigorously to build back better and greener in the post-COVID world. We also hope that the Seoul summit will serve as a stepping stone towards the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) which will be hosted by U.K. in November.

How many projects are active now? Please show us some examples.

— There are more than 50 P4G partnership projects on-going in many developing countries in the world focusing on the five sectors of SDGs. If I take one example, a project named ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator) is being implemented in Latin America. As public transportation system is the major source of air pollution in many mega cities in Latin America such as Sao Paulo, Brazil and Medellin, Colombia, these cities introduced electric buses with the support of P4G partnership. Since ZEBRA has been launched only recently, electric buses account for only less than 1% of all public buses in Latin America. With this project, however, more electric buses will

Is there any room for cooperation between Serbia and your country in this topic?

— The governments of Korea and Serbia signed a “MoU on Environmental Cooperation” in 2018 to promote long-term cooperation in the field of the environment including nature protection, climate change, air pollution, waste and chemical management and water quality. Based on our com-

OUR TWO COUNTRIES MAY EXPAND COOPERATION BY EXCHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION AND EXPERTISE, FACILITATING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, OR IMPLEMENTING JOINT PROJECTS be operating on the road and this project is expected to contribute to tackling global warming by reducing carbon emissions across Latin America.

Why do people talk about pandemic when they talk about economic recovery? Do you think there are any correlations between the outbreak of COVID-19 and climate change?

— According to the Harvard School of Public Health, there is no direct evidence that climate change is influencing the spread of COVID-19, but it insists that many of the root causes of climate change also increase the risk of pandemics. For example, deforestation is the largest cause of habitat loss which forces animals to migrate and potentially contact other animals or people and share germs. Therefore, our actions to respond to climate crisis will also

help to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and that is why the Harvard School of Public Health strongly suggests that climate change and global health policy shouldn’t be treated as separate issues.

As we struggle to overcome the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, we need to understand that this is an opportunity for us to reset what we have been doing wrong by going “green.”

Korea is one of leading economies in the world. Why is Korea so active in addressing the green growth agenda?

— Korea used to be a country that exerted all efforts focused on accomplishing industrialization and economic development goals. As a result, Korea became one of the leading economies within rather a short period time from a devastated state caused by the Korean War.

mon recognition towards climate change, our two countries may expand cooperation by exchanging environmental information and expertise, facilitating technology transfer, or implementing joint projects as prescribed in the MoU. As far as I understand, Serbian government also set “Digital Transformation” and “Green Deal” as its policy priority and set a goal to produce 40% of energy from renewable sources by 2040. It is also encouraging that the National Assembly of Serbia adopted the new “Law on Climate Change” and “Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Source” to better respond to climate change. As we tackle with climate change, it is expected that there will be more Korean companies who are interested in investing in sectors related to environmental protection such as industrial waste management or renewable energy projects in Serbia.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION What do you think we can do individually to join the global campaign to tackle climate change?

— I think everyone knows the importance of de-carbonization. We may help reduce carbon emissions by practicing simple things in our daily life such as reducing and recycling garbage, saving water by shortening shower time, and using an eco-bag in a market. And, I’m personally very pleased to have attended the “Green Serbia” tree-planting campaign organized by Color Media Communications. It is a small step individually, but if combined globally, it would be a great step towards a better future for our next generation.

11

INTERESTING FACTS

NATIONAL DAYS

Vaccination Against COVID-19 fter the shocking revelation that Pfizer paid for certain scientists to claim that AstraZeneca's vaccine causes blood clots, we have become aware of a real vaccination war at hand. However, it seems that AstraZeneca is winning in the field since the populaton in nearly all countries that have almost reached herd immunity have been inoculated with this vaccine.

Namely, all countries and territories to which the British gave this vaccine are practically vaccination champions with Gibraltar coming out on the top. Everything is open in Gibraltar and this spring it's all about bar hopping and parties.

Seychelles has also realized that everything hinges on tourism, hence the country has vaccinated almost the entire nation and is

A

now open to foreign tourists. Israel, one of the best organized nations in the world, has vaccinated almost all citizens except orthodox Jews, and everything is open there too. The British take care of themselves and their colonies such as the Cayman Islands where everything is as it should be in a tax and tourist paradise. The US is making great strides in vaccination too.

Uruguay and Chile are unexpected champions of South America, and the population of Bahrain and the Emirates (countries that value their living standard too much to lose it easily) have all been vaccinated with Chinese vaccines. After a great start, Serbia started to slow down a bit, with Hungary charging ahead of it. The two well-organized Prot-

JUNE

12

RUSSIA

Russia Day

estant countries, Finland and Estonia, are slowly catching up, as are France and Germany. However, the most unusual situation has happened in Bhutan. In one week, they vaccinated the entire adult population. After being given 800,000 vaccines from India in January, the Bhutanese king and the government asked Buddhist priests to tell them when to start vaccination and in which way. The priests consulted astrology and picked March 27 as the date for the first vaccine to be administered to a woman born in the Year of the Monkey. The woman, called Ninda Dema, was inoculated at 9:30 because astrologers said so. In just seven days, 85% of adults in Bhutan received the vaccine and the population now has herd immunity.

17

ICELAND

Republic Day

24

MALTA

ational Day N (St John the Baptist)

25

CROATIA

Statehood Day

25

SLOVENIA

Statehood Day

28

UKRAINE

Constitution Day

29

VATICAN

National Day

30

THE CONGO

Independence Day JULY

01

CANADA

Canada Day

03

BELARUS

Independence Day

04

UNITED STATES Independence Day

05

ALGERIA

Independence Day

05

VENEZUELA

IN PRINT AND ONLINE Subscribe now for comprehensive coverage of diplomacy, politics, business and society in Serbia

Independence Day

09

ARGENTINA

Independence Day

13

MONTENEGRO Independence Day

Call us or send us request on: Email: pretplata-dc@color.rs Phone: +381 11 4044 960

12

14

FRANCE

Bastille Day

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

MILKA VOJVODIĆ Current Senior Vice President, becomes Delta Holding CEO As of June 1st, Delta Holding will have a new management structure – Managing Board and Executive Board take over managing role in the company from the president of the company and Board of Directors.

Miroslav Mišković, outgoing president of Delta Holding, from now on takes the role of Chairman of the Managing Board. In his new role, Mr. Mišković plans to abandon operational management of the Company and direct his extensive knowledge and experience towards three areas he considers crucial for Delta Hodling’s development and development of the society as a whole.

Delta Holding operations will be overseen by the

Executive Board, which will be chaired by new CEO Milka Vojvodić, long-time Senior Vice President of Finance and Economy. Executive Board will consist of the company’s vice presidents and CEOs of Delta Holding member companies.

Milka Vojvodić, the new Delta Holding CEO, graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade.

She has been with the Company since its foundation in 1991. She held the positions of Chief Financial Officer, Delta M CEO, Assistant to Delta M Group CEO for economic relations, and has served as Delta Holding’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Economy for many years.

ZAFIRIS LAMPADARIDIS New General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Belgrade He started his career in 1994 in the construction industry and has had the opportunity to be engaged in a number of large-scale industrial construction projects in Greece, the power generation field of engineering as well as working within an international environment. He joined the hospitality industry in 1999 when he started working at Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki.

Since then, he has been moving around in various hospitality and gaming industry assignments in Greece, Poland, Romania and over the last 10 years in

Belgrade, Serbia.

From 2017, Zafiris was engaged as General Manager of Mercure Belgrade Excelsior where he put great commitment and made many contributions in opening and running the first Accor hotel in Serbia.

Zafiris is replacing Michael Shannon, the former General Manager of Hyatt Regency Belgrade after a successful career with Hyatt. We sincerely thank Michael Shannon for his vital efforts and achievements and wish Zafiris the best of luck in his new role.

MARIJA PANTELIĆ Mercure Belgrade Excelsior Announces the Arrival of its new General Manager Mercure Belgrade Excelsior hotel is delighted to announce the addition of Ms. Marija Pantelić to its growing inbound team!

Ms. Pantelić brings almost 13 years of experience in hospitality industry, and when nominated for the position of the General Manager of Mercure Belgrade Excelsior, she was working as Area Guest Experience Manager SEE in Accor.

“What really makes me happy and gives me special strength is that I was given the opportunity to prove that a woman can lead a team and be an inspiring leader. Together with my teammates, we

will do our best to continue promoting Accor’s initiatives and bringing ALL ambition to live on local level.

At Accor, we respect each other, we appreciate our guests, we develop together, we stand for bringing guest dreams to life and we have fun doing it” claims Ms. Pantelić, while pointing out how honored she is in taking over the GM position.

With mixed feelings, Mercure Belgrade Excelsior team also express its warmest thanks to its former General Manager, Mr. Zafeirios Lampadaridis, for his great commitment and contribution in opening and running the first Accor hotel in Serbia.

JACEK OLCZAK New Chief Executive Officer of Philip Morris International At the Annual Shareholders Meeting on May 5, Jacek Olczak was appointed new CEO of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM). Mr. Olczak, previously the company’s Chief Operating Officer, was also elected to the Board of Directors. André Calantzopoulos, who served as the Chief Executive Officer from 2013, was appointed Executive Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Olczak, 56, began his career with PMI in 1993.

He started in finance and general management positions across Europe, including as Managing Director of PMI’s markets in Poland and Germany and as President of the European Union Region, before being appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2012. He held that position until 2018, when he became PMI’s Chief Operating Officer. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Lodz, Poland.

13

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

INVESTMENTS IN MODERNIZATION AND ECOLOGY PROJECTS

CLICK ON ICON 

EPS Investments for Energy Independence

WEBSITE

By planned investments in maintenance, rehabilitation and modernization, EPS has maintained and improved its capacities odernization and development are a priority in the operation of Electric Power Industry of Serbia, with approximately EUR 2 billion worth development projects during the last five years. In 2020, investments reached almost half billion euros, a series of previously initiated investments continued, and completely new projects are soon to be initiated.

By planned investments in maintenance, rehabilitation and modernization, EPS has maintained and improved its capacities. Ecology projects confirm the decision that the power plants should fulfill all environmental criteria. The goal is that, in the upcoming decades, Serbia has a stable and reliable electricity generation, ensured energy independence and completely maintained EU environmental standards.

During the last 15 years, EPS has invested EUR 1.4 billion in major overhauls, amounting to EUR 2.5 billion along with minor overhauls and projects. Solely by the rehabilitation of units and hydro units, i.e. efficiency improvements, we have gained new capacities and new “green” megawatts.

It all totals to 200 megawatts.

- Without the construction of replacement capacities, EPS shall not be able to secure enough electricity in the upcoming decades, since it is expected that the mean electricity utilization shall rise by approximately 0.9% annually until 2040. This means that 6.5 billion kWh more of electricity shall be needed in 2040, i.e. approximately 3 TWh more in 2030 comparing to 2020 – says Vladimir Marković, EPS assistant director and Key Investment Projects Director. – EPS is working on strategic and planned modernization of plants in order to ensure the stability of electricity supply, which is the main precondition for the normal functioning of the coun-

M

14

EPS IS WORKING ON STRATEGIC AND PLANNED MODERNIZATION OF PLANTS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE STABILITY OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY try, i.e. of its economy and citizens. New renewable sources projects are well underway, but it should not be overseen that the key to the energy stability of Serbia lies in the modernization and technologically advanced coal utilization. We need just the right combination of how, to what extent and by which dynamics to utilize the resources Serbia has.

Without coal, the experts say, Serbia has no resources nor potentials to ensure energy stability and independence. Even with the increased generation from and the prospective generation from gas, thermal capacities need to remain the dominant ones. On the contrary, there will be a lack of en-

ergy and we shall import electricity that is significantly more expensive. This would threaten the economy and citizens of Serbia.

This is why EPS is ready to achieve the transition towards a cleaner electricity generation by increasing the capacities from RES, as well as by the projects which make coal cleaner so as to comply with the national and EU environmental laws.

- Serbia is already completely dependent on the import of coal, significantly dependent on the import of petroleum, while the only sector in which our country remains independent from import is the electricity sector – owing primarily to its own natural, mining

and water resources. Our country is eight in the world when it comes to coal reserves, with only large countries ahead of us, such as Russia, China, SAD, Australia, Germany, Turkey and Indonesia – says Nenad Šijaković, an engineer and energy projects expert. – The only country sharing similar situation to ours might be Poland, being on the tenth place on the abovementioned list of lignite reserves, which means the best option would be to look up to that member state of the European Union and the Visegrád Four, and follow its steps when it comes to decarbonization and NECP, i.e. the national goals relating to energy strategic development, but having in mind the fact that we are a small and impoverished country which must not easily give up its own energy sources and thus become completely energetically dependent.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

In recent years, Electric Power Industry of Serbia has invested around 500 million euros in projects for air, water and soil quality improvement. The reconstruction of electrostatic precipitators in all thermal power plants has been completed, which has significantly reduced the emissions of particulate matters, i.e. PM particles. So far, 97 million euros have been invested in that. The result is 2.5 times less emissions of particulate matters. EPS is not dormant when it comes to ecological projects, since the total investments in planned projects amount to more than 1.2 billion euros. Until 2025, EPS investments in environmental protection will bring the reduction of emissions of sulphur-dioxide by 90%, NOx by 45% and particulate matters by 95%.

Around 650 million euros are foreseen for air quality protection, through construction of the flue gas desulphurization systems and primary and secondary measures for reduction of NOx emissions in thermal power plants.

Flue gas desulphurization systems are the most expensive and technically the most complex projects. EPS has finished the construction of the plant in Kostolac B TPP, worth 96 million euros and guarantee measurements have shown a significantly lower SO2 emissions compared to valid European standard of 200 milligrams per cubic meter. The most valuable 217 million euros project, the realization of which is ongoing, will provide the flue gas desulphurization system for TENT A. At the end of the last year, a cornerstone was laid for the desulphurization plant in Nikola Tesla B thermal power plant, worth 210 million euros. This plant will reduce sulphur-dioxide emissions by around 20 times. Desulphurization system will also be implemented in the remaining two units in TENT A, as well as the units in Kostolac A TPP and the new unit Kostolac B3.

One of the most important construction sites is Kostolac, where a new 350 MW unit is being built.

The value of the project amounts

IN RECENT YEARS, ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY OF SERBIA HAS INVESTED AROUND 500 MILLION EUROS IN PROJECTS FOR AIR, WATER AND SOIL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT to 618 million dollars and it is being realized in cooperation with Chinese partners, based on an interstate agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the National Republic of China. EPS will get a modern, efficient unit fulfilling all domestic and European ecological criteria and will increase the safety of Serbian power system on a long-term basis by generating approximately 2.2 billion kWh per annum.

When it comes to the development of EPS, the focus is on investments in new hydro projects, which fulfils the obligations related to increase of the RES share.

- Jointly with Electric Power Industry of the Republic of Srpska, after three decades of waiting for

the project, EPS participates as a foreign investor with 51 % ownership in the construction of three new 180 MW HPPs on Drina – says Vladimir Markovic, assistant director of EPS and Key Investment Projects Director. – The project is thoroughly prepared, respecting legal and technical procedures, national laws and international standards. More than 30 years old idea has now moved from the standstill.

Construction of HPPs Buk Bijela, Foča and Paunci contributes to sustainable economic growth, social development and environmental protection. These three HPPs will provide renewable base electricity and serve as a supplement to other variable RES.

Modernization of hydro capacities also continue. The largest HPP in Serbia, Đerdap 1, will increase its capacity by around 10% and extend its lifetime by 40 years through the unit rehabilitation. The plan envisages the last, sixth phase for this year. Following the rehabilitation of the last unit, EPS Danube gem will generate clean, “green” electric energy, with the capacity of 1140 MW. Total investment in this project will exceed 180 million euros. As soon as the rehabilitation of the first Đerdap HPP is finished, rehabilitation of all 10 units in Đerdap 2 HPP should start. Thus, EPS will get around 50 new MW of power for electricity generation on the Danube river.

BOTH WIND AND THE SUN EPS also doesn’t fall behind when it comes to projects related to wind and solar energy. The construction of the first EPS wind farm, with a capacity of 66 MW, is being prepared in Kostolac. The value of the project is around 100 million euros and 20 wind turbines will be erected in closed mines and landfills of Kostolac TPPs-OCMs branch. The plan is to build a 9.95 MW solar power plant on the area of around 15 hectares of the

landfill of a former mine pit Cirikovac, in the vicinity of Petka settlement.

The estimated value of the project is around 11 million euros. Work on development of the project for the solar power plant of higher capacity, 97.2 MW, at the existing ash and slag landfill, Kostolac Middle Island, is also underway. EPS plans to invest around 84 million euros in this solar power plant.

15

READ THIS ON WEB

ANALYTICS

New Balanced Economic Policy Paradigm Global financial crisis of 2008 led to demands for thorough examination of market institutions and economic policies associated with slower growth performance, declining real incomes, and increasing inequality. The Covid-19 pandemic elevated this criticism further as it unleashed a crisis of monumental proportions causing widespread economic disruptions, concerns about environment, technology and common goods, and mounting risks for businesses and individuals

DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ Professor at FEFA, Former Minister of Finance

he international policy responses to Covid-19 pandemic considerably broaden the conventional policy agenda both in terms of the size and scope of fiscal interventions supplemented with monetary easing and the use of unconventional instruments (such as asset purchasing).

The new policy advice included new measures for post-pandemic revival of the supply side, normalization of labor markets through job-retention, and worker reallocation and retraining schemes in light of the challenges posed by the ensuing fourth industrial revolution in general and automation in particular.

It recognized longer term concerns regarding adverse impact on the environment and climate change, need for selectivity in supporting economically viable firms, addressing growing inequality issues and a dire need for international cooperation on vaccinations and public health issues in general.

But it stopped short of addressing the causes and systemic consequences of excessive globalization and unregulated capital mobility, insufficient provision of local, national and global public goods, as well as important linkages between economics and other social sciences in harnessing democracy and human well-being. In other words, it predictably failed to move beyond neoliberalism offer a new economic policy paradigm for the future.

Historically, economic policy paradigms changed infrequently and, almost always, as a result of three factors: • Existence of theoretical alternative (new school of thought) in

T

16

NEOLIBERAL POLICY PARADIGM AIMED TO RECONSTRUCT ECONOMIC AND POLICY CONDITIONS PREVAILING DURING SECOND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION response to weaknesses in existing theories; • Real crisis that could not be addressed within existing paradigm or, simply, a need to address an emerging economic problem (industrialization, urbanization, economic growth etc.); and • Political support embracing the new theory and related policy interventions.

Liberal economic policy paradigm, which ruled during the 1870-1930 period, was pivoted on

ideas of laissez-faire, free flows of goods, capital and labor, national and international macroeconomic stability, and balanced general government budgets. The period of prosperity lasted only until WWI. In the 1920’s the liberal ideas were challenged by the reintroduction of trade barriers, while the Great depression showed that markets will not self-correct in response to the crisis.

This opened the way for Keynesian policy paradigm based on active role of the state in reach-

ing full employment through aggregate demand management. It gained acceptance with the New Deal and came to dominate the economic policy making of the so called post-WWII consensus which underpinned rebuilding the world economy in the 1950’s, and the postcolonial economic development efforts in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The dominance of Keynesian policy paradigm gradually weakened over time and ran out of steam after the 1972 collapse of the original Bretton woods system of fixed exchange rates guaranteed by the Gold Standard, slower economic growth, and declining macroeconomic performance (stagflation) both in advanced economies and developing countries.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

Conservative victories of M. Thatcher in the UK and R. Regan in the US opened the door for the new neoliberal policy paradigm to enter the economic policy arena. With this, all three ingredients of the policy paradigm shift were met: there was a real economic problem demanding solution (stagflation, protectionism, stalled economic reforms); a body of alternative theory and set of neoliberal policies has been fully developed; and political and institutional support to legitimize the policy change ex ante and defend the results/outcomes ex post has been secured through electoral victories in leading countries.

Neoliberal policy paradigm aimed to reconstruct economic and policy conditions prevailing during second industrial revolution (the “Golden age of capitalism”) characterized by: unlimited entrepreneurship; unregulated and flexible labor market; macroeconomic stability; free flow of labor, goods and capital; absence of significant state ownership; absence of market regulation (including financial markets); and the absence of economic strategies and industrial policy.

Selective neoliberal memory did not recall that A. Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the USA and the first minister of finance, favored “infant industry protection” and introduced tariffs of 45-55% which lasted from independence till modern times.

Likewise, the state often owned substantial land and natural resources, infrastructure, real and financial assets, and it actively advanced education, health, and infrastructure, and create conditions for private sector investment (crowd-in).

Prevailing social conditions were also very different. Widespread entrepreneurial drive and desire to participate in a unique march of the second industrial revolution suppressed all reservations regarding the lack social safety or labor protection. Predatory and monopolistic behavior of commercial enterprises were not effectively controlled by the laws or moral norms. The dark side of the original liberal world view almost completely faded over time in favor of unprecedented global progress in industrialization, urbanization and modernization.

This explains why neoliberal policy and reform programs, known as the Washington Consensus, advocated: massive pri-

18

vatizations, price liberalizations (irrespective of market imperfections); liberalization of foreign exchange rate, foreign trade, and capital flows; deregulation of labor markets; relaxation of environmental standards; under-provision of public goods (health, education) and social services; and radical deregulation of the banking and financial sector, relaxation of supervisory and fiduciary controls, and interest rate liberalization.

supervisory effort to control open and hidden risks of the increasingly complex financial sector.

With a relatively long delay, the economic profession has come to question and critique the failed performance of neoliberal policy agenda and demand a major theoretical and policy paradigm shift in economics to better respond to the present needs and challenges through greater reliance on experimental data and behavioral economics, as well as the use

THE ECONOMIC PROFESSION HAS COME TO QUESTION AND CRITIQUE THE FAILED PERFORMANCE OF NEOLIBERAL POLICY AGENDA In terms of macro-policies, the neoliberal approach placed strong emphasis on price stability and tight fiscal policies, but in reality opted for lower taxes leading to fiscal deficits and public debt build-up.

Between 1980 and mid-1990’s, new neoliberal policy and reform agenda had many commendable achievements at the national and global level including: improved price stability; free trade and globalization of economic activities; and free movement of capital. But it also created huge income and wealth inequalities within and across countries, and deep labor market disruptions caused by automation and real income stagnation.

It directly caused the 2007 Global financial crisis due to a deliberate lack of policy, regulatory and

of empirical results in measuring inequality and key economic outcomes.

The most prominent initiative along these lines comes from leading economists in top US universities: Naidu (Columbia University), Rodrik (Harvard University), Zucman (UC Berkeley), and Acemoglu (MIT). After decades of disappointing results, they claim, it is now clear that neoliberal policy framework has failed economists and all social scientists, and, more importantly, has failed the society. As a way out, they suggest a concept of “inclusive prosperity” to improve the quality of policy recommendations across a wide range of key economic issues (including labor markets, public finance, international trade and finance). It is based on a new

vision for economic policy as a genuine alternative to the market fundamentalism that is often – and wrongly—identified with economics.

Their approach offers to correct many neoliberal “errors of commission” such as a trade-off between efficiency and equality, i.e. the need to sacrifice equality for growth (efficiency); or the negative impact of minimum wages on employment, as neither of these claims is supported by empirical evidence or good economics. Over time, the inclusive prosperity initiative is expected to generate a growing body of new theoretical and empirically tested proposals that would address real life policy problems without resorting to theoretical stereotypes with predictable recommendations which may or may not offer plausible and defendable solutions.

In conclusion, the new innovative approaches in the design of expansionary fiscal support measures and accommodating monetary policy in response to the pandemic, clearly go outside the traditional separation of fiscal and monetary policy, and violate the full independence of the central bank as seen through the subordination of monetary expansion to the fiscal support, as well as the use of government asset (permanent) purchasing actions to provide free monetization of fiscal deficit.

The new policy paradigm offers a way of balancing reliance on markets and state actions, and overcoming inherent policy limitations in the treatment of: local, national and global public goods; excessive globalization; and unregulated financial markets and full (unconditional) capital mobility. It provides a stronger basis for integration with other social sciences, especially in the coherent treatment of poverty, inequality and other consequences of proposed economic policy interventions. The potential theoretical and empirical advances within the inclusive prosperity framework initiative provide an opportunity to substantively expand economic policy framework beyond neoliberalism, by harnessing principles of democracy and human well-being fully consistent with sustainable development goals through balanced conduct of economic policy, efficient and adequately regulated markets (as needed), and responsible and transparent state actions.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

DIGITAL IN INNOVATIONS SERBIA 2021

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

by Nevena Kuveljić

STRENGTHENING THE INNOVATION POTENTIAL IN SERBIA

Investing in science, education and innovation is investing in our future, and we are aware that without a strong connection between science and the economy, there is no social and economic progress IVAN RAKONJAC PhD Managing Director, Innovation Fund

he goals of the Innovation Fund (IF) is to improve technological and research innovation capacities, both in the economy and in scientific research organizations. This type of investment in research and development in companies is a necessary prerequisite for the development of a knowledge-based economy. Similar programs exist in all European countries and are funded not only at the national level but also under European support programs for SMEs. Serbian Government is improving the institutional framework for supporting the innovation ecosystem.

T

The pandemic has shown that every crisis is also a chance for all those who can quickly adapt to the new situation, which is an innovation in its own way...

20

How developed are the innovations in Serbia and how favorable is our social and economic environment for their development?

— The path from idea to realization of innovation is full of challenges and on that path the state has a significant role. As innovation is also a risk, the state has a mandate to participate in the sharing of that risk, all for the sake of socio-economic growth. Thanks to the mechanisms created by the state, support programs for the development of innovations, incentives and grants for individuals, teams, young and already developed companies are available to the private and academic sector today.

One of the challenges facing our economy is how to attract investment in the knowledge industry and encourage Serbian compa-

nies to develop innovations. Since 2018, the state has offered a package of tax incentives intended for companies engaged in research and development, through an increase in the deduction for research and development costs (so-called R&D costs), exemption from taxation of income from intellectual property rights IP Box, as well as tax credits for investing in startups engaged in innovation.

Is the economy in Serbia open and ready for change and innovation?

— The Serbian economy has shown that it has innovative potential and that there is the ability to translate innovative ideas into concrete products with added value and market potential. We have confirmed that Serbia creates innovations through the Innovation Fund programs. Interest in our programs is growing and the budget for the development of innovations has been also growing since 2017. So today, the IF has significant funds to support the development of innovation, for 2021, more than EUR 20 million have been allocated for innovations. The funds we invest help companies to reduce the risk due to the development of new products, services, technologies and to achieve tangible business results, as well as to hire new experts.

To what extent has the corona virus pandemic contributed to accelerating the develop-

ment and acceptance of digital innovations?

— Digitalization is a basic priority not only of the Government but also of today's society as a whole. The fact that "online life" has become a constant in everyday life speaks the most in favor of accepting innovations. However, the pandemic has not only contributed to the development of virtual solutions.

Immediately after the declaration of the state of emergency, at the initiative of the Prime Minister's Office, the Fund invited companies to apply for funds in order to implement projects that could influence the effects of the pandemic in the short term. Our economy has shown a willingness to react quickly in critical situations. In a short period of time, 12 solutions were developed and available for use, such as a disinfection cabin intended for use in public places and locations of interest, a mobile counter for non-contact temperature measurement and manual disinfection, a range of products for disinfecting rooms and objects using ultraviolet radiation...

Despite a short period of time, this invitation attracted close to 300 proposals for innovative projects.

How does the development of innovation contribute to the economic and social progress of the country?

— Innovation is the key to the development of Serbia, the main driver of change and strengthening the competitiveness of the economy.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

Tax policy, financing programs, venture capital funds, digitalization, education, are just some of the tools for stimulating innovation potential in Serbia.

We are here to provide high quality professional service in line with the experience of similar institutions around the world. The Fund's programs have been supported from the beginning with the funds of the EU and the expert support of the World Bank, after their pilot phase, thanks to the funds from the national budget, the support mechanism has become permanently available.

We have developed necessary and efficient programs through which both economy and science benefit quickly and easily.

One of the preconditions for the development of the knowledge society is the excellence and relevance of scientific research results, but also the understanding of how to translate those results into a recognizable product, technology or service and offer them on the market. Systemic support from the Government, especially through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, is focused on the development of a knowledge-based economy and support for the commercialization of innovations in the market. Also, the Government is committed to monitoring the current trends in the development of innovations at the world level, as well as creating a stimulating environment for the development of innovative entrepreneurship in Serbia, which guarantees the achievement of a technologically developed world economy. The state expressed its strategic commitment to improve the innovation and research ecosystem, as well as to the development of the economy based on knowledge and innovation in the Smart Specialization Strategy, which was created in accordance with the best European planning practice, the Industrial Development Strategy and the Strategy for the Development of the AI, which has in certain areas already surpassed human capabilities, as well as the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development.

In which area are innovations most developed and present?

— From the current practice of the IF, which has been awarding grants for 10 years according to strict international criteria, we can say that the largest number of new innovative products comes from the field of information and communication technologies (ICT), mechanics and mechanical engineering, and then

natural sciences and agriculture and food industry. However, the Fund's programs are available to all areas of science and economy. Support is provided to those projects that have a capable team, innovative potential, sustainable competitive advantage and clear development plans, as well as sufficient quality to compete in the international market.

and the programs themselves, which have enabled them to turn their ideas into products, services, or technologies, which find their application every day and conquer the market.

For that reason, the IF will work even more intensively, with larger capacities and new programs, following the needs of its beneficiaries, because their success is also our success.

Through the programs of the Innovation Fund, 991 innovative projects have been supported with a little more than 37 million euros. Which programs and projects have you been particularly proud of?

— These figures show the extent of support to date. The Fund's support is aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Serbian companies on the world market. Sensor-based device for professional pianists, software solution for optimization and control of energy consumption in

What are the further plans of the Innovation Fund? What is your focus in the coming period?

— The IF adapts its program portfolio to the requirements of the economy and the needs of the academic community and in that sense continuously improves the existing and develops new mechanisms to support technological development and innovation. We are constantly working on creating new mechanisms to encourage and develop innovation, almost every year new mechanisms are available to the econo-

buildings and plants, new technology for truffle production and processing, then mobile ECG device for detecting heart attack symptoms, ultrasonic sensor and software for detecting oil pipeline leaks, are just some of the supported projects currently being developed under our programs. Through the Fund's programs, products with high added value are developed, products that are competitive in foreign markets, as well as the capacities of companies for dealing with the development and sale of developed products.

On the other hand, through the Fund's programs, the cooperation of the economy with the scientific sector is encouraged, efforts are made to bring the economic and scientific sectors closer and to establish cooperation in the development of market-needed products. We are proud of the results achieved by companies

my or science. For example, in 2017 these were Innovation Vouchers, in 2019 Proof of Concept. In 2021, the IF will launch the Enterprise Acceleration Program and the Smart Start Program. Through the Enterprise Acceleration Program IF offers an intensive three-month mentoring program and the award of grants in the form of public-private investments in innovation development.

The Smart Start Program is a support for the development of an idea to the level of a prototype or a product of the lowest use value.

Innovation Fund programs are constantly being improved, adapting conditions to the needs of target groups for innovation development, for example, enabling teams to apply for the Mini Grants Program, as well as simplifying the project proposal submission process, for example, all application documents are submitted only electronically. 

Our funding programs will continue to contribute to increasing allocations for research and development in line with European standards

21

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE: THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING DIGITAL-FIRST

CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Jelena Ristić, Country Manager for Serbia, Montenegro and BiH, Mastercard, outlines the importance of cross-sectorial cooperation to ensure that the current digital impulse benefits the entire offline and online market in Serbia JELENA RISTIĆ Country Manager for Serbia, Montenegro and BiH, Mastercard

f the need for businesses to go digital was ever in question, the events of the past 16 months have decidedly ended the debate. In 2021, it’s more important than ever for companies to take a digital-first approach, following digital vision and anticipating the ever-evolving dynamics of customer expectations.

First and foremost, consumers – and that means all of us - expanded our e-commerce presence, with a two-digit increase in the number of new online shoppers in the country alone and numerous SMEs joining in the game. One year of pandemic brought the Serbian online market to where it would have organically been in five years, and we also have the improving user experience and top security mechanisms to thank for this momentum. Without the safety and simplicity of the digital payment process, and their seamless integration with the shopping experience, not even the most innovative product offer would be sufficient to sustain a business. Consumers are leading the real-time digital transformation and it is a sink or swim market for merchants now. Luckily, the swim portion of the equation is more easily attainable through technologies. Technologies provide the reach, capacities and security that merchants need.

Reaching the state of the sustainable digital economy – one in which businesses of any size, origin and industry can thrive, relying on the benefits of modern innovation - can only be done through a partnership between the public and private sectors, which is a mechanism that ensures the most advanced technologies and solutions that the private

I

One year of pandemic brought the Serbian online market to where it would have organically been in five years

22

sector typically develops can be scaled across the markets and with adjustment to and of regulations.

I'm particularly mentioning the latter because practice shows that business is done most successfully when the public, regulatory sector listens and is open to the real needs of businesses that stem from the variable market conditions.

NEXT STEPS Let us not also forget that technologies have a role to play in both offline and online environments.

The compatibility of tech and online is self-evident, but think of it, POS terminals and card payments which we already broadly use are technological achievements themselves, are they not? The benefits of electronic payments for merchants, banks, governments and consumers are documented so it makes sense to continue expanding them further through growing the acceptance network and leveraging the available solutions, even if they are not exclusively financial.

A case in point is Tap on Phone, an innovative solution for contactless acceptance which went global in 2019 and which we expect to see in Serbia this year. Tap on Phone is an app that a merchant downloads onto their Android smartphone or tablet, and after registering with a bank that provides this option and entering a code into the app, that device becomes a POS. In other words, there are no initial investments into new hardware or subsequent maintenance costs – the phone that is already in the merchant’s pocket becomes their ticket for a new, cashless age of business and new revenue streams. The prac-

ticality, intuitiveness and cost-efficiency of the solution make it ideal for micro-merchants such as those at open markets, florists, plumbers or couriers, so do not be surprised when soon you start tapping your contactless card or mobile phone against a merchant’s phone when paying for a kilo of apples. Finally, with the new digital fiscalization law coming to power in January 2022 which expands the list of merchants obliged to fiscalize, Tap on Phone with its unprecedented simplicity and multi-applicability adds to the state’s efforts for making money flows in the commercial sector more transparent.

Serbia, just like countries all over the world, is realising that a vibrant digital economy requires real-time movement of money to remain globally competitive. We have to take a magnifying glass to each step within the payment process and look at how we can reduce friction and improve efficiencies. Mastercard’s suite of real-time payment solutions, which integrate seamlessly with a financial service provider’s systems, enable all these use cases and more. We will continue partnering horizontally and vertically to create a system that empowers all people, businesses and governments to send and receive payments and to put their money to use however they like, agnostic of infrastructure or payment rail.

As we go from digital-first to digital-only future, capacities that we offer to public and private partners will lay the groundwork for a more efficient, safer and more accessible ecosystem where money works harder for everyone, everywhere, and that, well, that is priceless. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

DIGITAL INNOVATION AND HOW TO COOK IT SERBIAN CUISINE A good cook in a good environment with a top-notch equipment knows no limits in his creativity. It is similar with innovations, especially digital innovations. They are no longer a matter of technological progress but of human imagination, creativity and pursuit of challenges

Prof. dr BOJAN LALIĆ The Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad

ngredients we cook with… Some tend to say: we all cook using water, the only difference is some do it better than others. Water remains water – the rest comes down to the cook’s skill and the quality of available ingredients. Even a regular soup needs to present enough chances and challenges, with a single pinch of obstacles to spice things up. These days, we’ve had the opportunity to read about one of our best cooks, Branko (the founder of Nordeus in Serbia) merging his kitchen with T2. For the rest of us, this means the kitchen’s interesting menu will include new digital delicacies, right next to their classics such as Top Eleven and GTA. Serbia is a great environment for digital innovations. For that we owe our gratitude to a Serb, Nikola Tesla - for all the technology we now use to create digital miracles, competing with the human capacity to understand and respond to challenges nature presents before us. Recently, the Chinese company NetDragon that is building the first Digital Education Town in Fuzhou, addressed the Ministry of Culture expressing the interest to open the Nikola Tesla Museum at a central place in their Town. „We owe our current status to him and all our digital innovations are based on his patents“- these were the words of the NetDragon’s founder, Liu Dejian, to me. Tesla designed the kitchen for today's masters of innovation. And much more than that: he gave us the necessary cooking tools and utensils.

But let’s get back to our kitchen. For a good meal a good environment is of greatest importance. It consists, among other things, of good cooking schools - good universities.

The University of Novi Sad is one of them.

In recent conversations with the founder of Startup Genome, JF Gauthier, I had the opportunity to cross views on an innovative digital startup ecosystem created around the university environment. He compared the University of Novi Sad, which, in creative chaos, scattered over 150 startup ventures with one of the reputable worlds known

I

24

entrepreneurial universities - the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Of course, we don't try to compare ourselves to Stanford University, which is unattainable when it comes to building successful startups. I exchanged views with the prominent Stanford professor Henry Etzkowitz, who became famous for his Triple Helix model of innovation referring to setup interaction between academia, industry and government. During our conversation I realized our Academician Dragutin Zelenović spoke about this, as one of the most important factors for economic and social development, in the early 1990s, almost at the same time, if not even before Henry. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) is still the mainstream of education in Serbia, with a special emphasis on A because arts, combined with engineering, bring us gaming; and they say we are pretty good at that.

Something that makes you wannabe an entrepreneur after you try it; it makes you dream about your business A good cuisine distinct itself with a specific flavour. Gaming and Blockchain seem to be our specialties. When I visited Israel with the Minister Nenad Popović, the Minister with the business sense, I thought about a strange, almost magical way their startup world is developing. They have an unknown ingredient that annually maintains an ecosystem of over 1000 startups in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem alone. Something that makes you wannabe an entrepreneur after you try it; it makes you dream about your business. Recently, in a conversation with one of mine doctoral candidates, I recognized this ingredient in our students and young people.

In Israel, they say that 50% of the population has their own business, and 50% dream of starting the one. This became clear to me during a conversation with Chemi Peres, a

businessman and son of the famous Shimon Peres, a Nobel laureate, in the moment, at his Institute I was holding a medal of a Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armament’s in my hands – it was later awarded to many dubious persons, which indeed gave it a stale taste.

I think that veterans like Branko Milosavljević, Vladimir Mastilović, Nikola Božinović, Saša Popović and together with young AI star Jovan Stojanović also initiated the creation of that secret ingredient in Serbia. Many young people today see the digital era as a kitchen for their own innovations. All the ingredients are there, we just need to stir up these digital innovations, for the benefit of all. There is very little left to put everything in place and for the kitchen to start conquering with sophisticated solutions from the imagination of the new Tesla, Pupin, Milanković, Mileva. Another important thing to keep in mind is keeping our recipes here like recipes for bermet from Fruška gora, for ajvar and barbecue from Leskovac, for “šljivovica” from Čačak and Valjevo, for ’’peglana’’ sausage from Pirot.

A few more words about the Serbian cuisine landscape for digital innovations. We have already become a significant destination. Google Launchpad ranks us among the richest countries by the number of freelance engineers by population. We export about $2 billion in IT products. We run autonomous vehicles around the world. Serbia is located in a place from which we can easily export our products to the European Union, Russia, the countries of the Euro-Asian Union, and even to China. We can say that it is in the position of a special economic zone, a Chinese invention for the structural start of the modern economy - European Shenzhen.

So, to wrap up, we have a history of culinary digital innovations in Serbia. From the very beginning and Tesla, all the way to today’s STEAM chefs, there is equipment and environment – the secret recipe is in sight too. So, let's make Serbian Micheline star meals. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

BLOCKCHAIN - A STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Smart contracts are the foundation on which a large number of other activities and services are based that facilitate and expedite various business processes

or the last 20 years, thanks to the development of the Internet, we have been sharing information by sending emails, electronic documents, and using social networks. With the advent of blockchain technology, this exchange took on completely new forms. Whether we are talking about individuals or companies as participants, the ability to connect directly on a peer-to-peer basis and thus exchange not only information but also values was brought about by blockchain technology.

In this network of the so-called nodes, i.e. the user's copy of the exchanged "resource", is available to each of them. The information is stored in blocks that are interconnected in a chain-like system, and everything that is once stored on the blockchain platform stays there forever. Guaranteed security and transparency are the main reasons why blockchain is considered the future of modern data transmission technology and other business values. In recent years, innovators in various fields, from medicine to finance, aware of the benefits of the technology behind Bitcoin, have been looking for ways to integrate blockchain into their business. In addition to giving companies the

F

What contributes to the increasing application and adoption of blockchain technology in many industries is its decentralized nature

opportunity to reduce their costs in completely new ways, it also increases the number of activities in which they directly participate and which they can automate.

Although this term is most often associated with cryptocurrencies, it is much more than that. It supports the development of decentralized applications (dAPP) and the complex programming that underlies so-called smart contracts.

Through smart contracts, blockchain offers new potential for easy and efficient execution of a wide range of transactions and transfer of rights and assets (sale of cars, shares, bonds) without the need for a third party to get involved, such as a bank or stockbroker. If someone once owned something, that information, as well as information about the transfer of ownership, will forever remain written as a unique version of the truth for everyone.

Smart contracts are the foundation on which a large number of other activities and services are based that facilitate and expedite various business processes.

In the Telco industry, for example, smart contracts have the potential to reduce fraud losses and optimize identity management (users, devices, etc.) through instantane-

ous and automated processes.

Thanks to blockchain solutions, companies can direct and automate their supply chain and speed up the process of ordering and paying for goods, while blockchain databases, in turn, allow the analysis of customer records which are then used in choosing strategies to improve the user experience.

In terms of creating and exchanging securities, this technology makes for a better risk assessment, lower administrative costs and general acceleration of business processes. One such solution is E-bill of exchange, an e-service designed to create, transfer and manage bills of exchange as verifiable and unchangeable digital documents, developed by AIGO. What contributes to the increasing application and adoption of blockchain technology in many industries is its decentralized nature.

No person, entity or government owns or has access to the information. In a decentralized environment, information will no longer be stored in central databases, because it is stored everywhere at once, under the direct control of the user, and not the company offering the service. This nature creates an unprecedented degree of resilience, as the database is distributed to multiple locations in the network (nodes), so the blockchain can continue to work even if a node falls out of the chain of transactions (fails).

As technology develops and evolves, a large number of new opportunities are created for a wide variety of activities. With a development partner who actively monitors the application of this technology, companies that include blockchain in their business become part of a completely new ecosystem in which data manipulation is disabled and the possibility of cyber attacks is almost eliminated. As a "machine" of security, transparency, connectivity and speed, Blockchain provides companies with the basis for the application of innovative solutions and thus creates new, exciting opportunities for business growth and development. 

25

CLICK ON ICON 

FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

OUR MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR DOMESTIC STARTUPS

CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN

I am confident that the development of technology and people will lead to greater access to justice and greater comfort for clients RASTKO PETAKOVIĆ Senior Partner at Karanović & Partners

or 25 years, Karanović & Partners has been recognized on the domestic and regional market as a law firm that deals with various legal issues and needs of domestic and foreign IT companies, but also those from other sectors. The firm is also focused on startups and innovative companies that are undergoing a great growth or digital transformation. We talked to Rastko Petaković, Senior Partner at Karanović & Partners, about how a traditional profession, such as advocacy, follows and helps the digital transformation of the world.

F

Being 25 years in law business sends out a strong statement and proves that Karanović & Partners is ahead of its time. How have you managed to do that?

— That looks different from our angle. Our clients do great things and gather extraordinary people around them while startups are coming up with amazing ideas. When we started, computers just replaced typewriters and e-mail replaced a fax machine.

Today, we are using artificial intelligence in the analysis of a large number of documents. Our clients have been using AI for years and we feel like we are lagging behind. Our office is a proud member of the Digital Serbia Initiative and believe me, in meetings with other members, I feel like we are not working nearly enough. There is a saying that goes – „if you are the smartest in the room, then you are in the wrong room“. In Digital Serbia, I feel on a completely different side of the spectrum, as if I am always in 'the right room'.

At the recent virtual LegalTech Innovation Conference, you spoke about the impact of technology in the legal industry. Tell us a little more about it.

26

Technology is important, but good technology and good people – that's a winning combination.

— New technologies first begin to transform industries in which the influence of personal relationships and specialist knowledge wasn't prominent. Netflix has replaced video clubs, Spotify has replaced record stores and Amazon has transformed the entire retail sector by offering customers more comfort and solving the problem of trusting with customer reviews. Our profession is at the very other end of that spectrum. Our clients do not come to us because they found us on Google or read user reviews. They come because they have heard something about us from their colleagues, acquaintances and friends. In our relations with clients, trust, personal relationship and knowledge are key. In terms of specialist knowledge, we learn new things every day. Our profession is part of the knowledge industry. In such circumstances, where approach to people and work matter the most, new technologies come a bit slower. That is the first angle of complexity that I talked about. The second angle concerns the space in which we live. Modern technological solutions in law are developing faster in the most developed countries, that is the USA and Great Britain. There are chatbots that solve traffic and tax violations, artificial intelligence systems that give advice on tax law, etc. All this facilitates their citizens' access to justice and democratizes the complexities of the legal order. We are far from those solutions. This region is not attractive enough for developing such solutions, and

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

the level of digital literacy has not reached a critical point that would democratize the approach to legal technologies.

The technological revolution and digital transformation is present in all sectors and clients recognize you as a reliable and long-term partner. How prepared are companies in Serbia and the region to keep up with the rest of the world?

— Although I try to meet all the leading technology stakeholders in Serbia and the region, I am always glad when I hear about a new example of a fantastically implemented transformation in companies that are thus becoming globally important players. I intentionally say 'transformations', because I understand digital transformation much more broadly - it does not only mean the adoption of modern information technologies, but also a re-examination of the entire business model and the functioning of all sectors. Unfortunately, many companies still view the digital transformation as the introduction of an information system, the transition to the cloud or the implementation of extremely advanced solutions that are not fit for purpose. You wouldn't believe how often companies receive offers for "a new advanced cloud-based solution that uses AI and syncs across all devices." When you hear that, my advice is to run. Good practice for implementing digital transformation includes a detailed review of working methods, interviews with employees and clients, analysis of the legal framework, etc. It requires a lot of effort and serious business decisions. Fortunately, a large number of companies from this part of the world recognize and implement the best practices of transformation.

operate normally. My mission is to change that. Five or ten years ago, it was not easy to explain the significance of the digital revolution. Today, 9 of the 10 most valuable companies in the world are involved in technology, and everyone is slowly recognizing that and providing support for improving the legal framework. That's why I'm optimistic.

You give great support to your future colleagues through the K/andidates programme and many see it as a lifetime opportunity. How ready are the new generations for the future?

— As I mentioned above - we work in the knowledge industry. That is why this programme and all programme for learning and sharing knowledge are at the very top of our priorities. Technology is important, but good technology and good people – that's a winning combination.

Even if we assume that an Uhura or Hal 9000 will replace us all, we again see a future in which people will work with these technologies.

Each succeeding generation seems more ready for the future than the previous one. Many of our interns seem smarter and more capable than I was at their age.

You combine innovation, knowledge and curiosity in every segment and you are the first law firm in the region to create content in the form of podcasts. Who are they for?

— For anyone who finds them useful. From my point of view, since I conceived the idea and enjoy the role of presenter and editor, I felt as

if I had gained knowledge and experience during my work that I wanted to share with others. Since the beginning of my career, I have been doing extremely interesting jobs in which I have become acquainted in detail with numerous industries, from telecommunications to agriculture, from the chemical industry to video games and media. Both our clients and friends, who are guests of our podcast, want to share knowledge and experiences with us, as well as thoughts about the future. I received messages of support from acquaintances that I highly appreciate, from the world of science, startups, technology, etc. I hope that some episodes of the podcast will serve as inspiration for a great idea.

What is the future of the legal industry going to look like?

— I see two key trends - both in the direction of further convergence of people and technology and the development of hybrid solutions. On the one hand, I expect a wider application of new technologies, primarily AI, and partly blockchain solutions. On the other, the development of people within new hybrid occupations such as "legal engineers", that is lawyers who understand algorithms or engineers who know legal theory. I am convinced that the development of technology and people will lead to greater access to justice and greater comfort for clients. In that sense, everything remains the same - as long as we are following our clients and meeting their needs, we are moving in the right direction. 

We work in the knowledge industry. That is why this programme and all programme for learning and sharing knowledge are at the very top of our priorities

In the documentary „Uspeh odavde – priče ljudi iz IT sektora“, you talk about creating a successful digital ecosystem and the obstacles that stand in the way. How close are we to a solution?

— If there is a will to overcome the problem, we will overcome it. There are fewer and fewer obstacles on that path and I am extremely proud of all the things we have done under the auspices of Digital Serbia. Talented people live and work in this part of the world and great ideas are born here. But our legal framework is not always their ally - that is why successful domestic startups are often forced to register their business in a western country to continue to

27

READ THIS ON WEB

ANALYTICS

DOES MARKETING KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT US AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Internet was created as a military communication project to be used in case of a nuclear war. The digital cameras in the phones are a spinoff innovation from the space programme. And digital innovations in the world of marketing have emerged... Well, you'll find out how now LAZAR BOŠKOVIĆ Digital communication consultant

t the China-CEEC Conference on Innovation, which took place in Belgrade, in late 2019, shortly before the huge worldwide chaos erupted in our lives, I had an informal conversation with Chinese digital industry officials. This is what I heard: “Why are we developing all these digital technologies like smart cities in China? AI, IoT, 5G... Which other way can we use to control China's population of 1.4 billion?!“ Dystopia? No, the harsh reality.

How to exercise control using marketing or rather how to communicate with 7.5 billion people on our planet? This is the highest number of possible clients you can get. True, some companies want more customers, but other habitable planets are resisting that idea for now.

A

Smart devices are networked digital devices used for interaction with other similar devices, with or without a user command

28

DO OUR "THINGS" REVEAL OUR "BEHAVIOUR"?

Marketing communication professionals have just got used to including the Internet of Things (IoT) in their digital marketing strategies, and they have already been greeted by the IoT's extended hand, that is the Internet of Behaviour (IoB).

While the IoT is based on hardware that exchanges data with each other over the Internet, software that integrates this data into meaningful information and improves User Experience (UX) works for the IoB. And for profit.

With the help of the IoT, companies have persuaded us to use their wearable technologies such as small gadgets built into clothing items and accessories that monitor user

activities and UX. Now, these IoT devices (smartwatches, smart glasses, fitness trackers and other wearable devices) are used for the IoB, where technology, data analytics and behavioural science are used to increase sales. Despite these companies claiming they are protecting privacy, this is done through constant digital monitoring of human behaviour, but also of the basic life functions of the individual (heart rate, temperature, eye movements, etc.).

IS "SMART" “INTELLIGENT” ENOUGH? Smart devices are networked digital devices used for interaction with other similar devices, with or without a user command. Some of them do not provide a sufficient level of privacy and cybersecurity for users. As the next generation of smart devices, today we have intelligent devices which use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to adapt their relationship with the user to different situations and learn from past experiences. In short, they know better than us what we have been doing and what we might want to do/buy in the future.

The predictive analysis provides an accurate prediction of the next purchase and is based on the use of Big Data, collected through interactions with customers. Personalization then allows an online shop to show each individual customer the most acceptable offer, customized content, product recommendations and additional options based

on their preferences, geographic location, market trends, demographic group and previous purchases. All of this is aligned with current promotions and discounts, thus providing a personalized Customer Experience (CX), as if the customer is in a store where the vendors know them personally.

IS "SOCIAL" A REPLACEMENT FOR "FRIENDLY"?

For omnichannel marketing, it is important to overcome the boundaries between the digital and the real world, in which social media (SM) play a huge role. Nowadays, SM are increasingly becoming a place for e-commerce, which is carried out through two parallel processes - Social Commerce and Social Shopping - which are not the same, contrary to popular belief.

Social Commerce is a subset of e-commerce and is performed on SM platforms where the whole process takes place - from advertising products/services to payments. The goal is to convert potential customers into customers on SM, without going to the company's online shop.

Social Shopping is the communication and cooperation of customers through social networking which imitates former experiences from the offline world, i.e. those old joint purchases with family members, friends or colleagues. There are also conversations before and during the purchase, recommending products/services and group discounts, but with the use of digital advantages of SM and the desired CX. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

FACILITATING ORGANIZATIONS TO EXCEL IN WHAT THEY DO

CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

From one small office with one employee, over these 20 years we have developed and grown into what TMS CEE is today - a company with 25 employees and over 2,000 satisfied clients

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN

KRUNA GAVOVIĆ Marketing and Academy Director at TMS CEE and CEO at The Lean Six Sigma Company CEE

xactly twenty years ago, TÜV Bayern Sava Representative office Belgrade has started to exist. It was the forerunner of today’s TMS CEE. With Kruna Gavović Marketing and Academy Director at TMS CEE and CEO at The Lean Six Sigma Company CEE, we talked about the path of development of TMS CEE, but also about her personal path of success.

E

tant it is to invest in their employees and their work-life-balance.

This year we also became a certification partner of GSES - Global Sustainable Enterprise System, which is a leader for ESG RATING & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE. Our extensive experience in the fields of certification, ESG and CG has enabled this significant partnership, which only few certification bodies currently possesses in the world.

For TMS, it is a step towards the latest and highly valued trends in company rankings. Our and GSES’s clients will be able to receive these exceptional services and join the club of the most successful companies.

TMS CEE is celebrating 20 years of business in Serbia. What can you say about this period and today?

— Our company has changed a lot in these 20 years. From one small office with one employee, over these 20 years we have developed and grown into what TMS CEE is today - a company with 25 employees and over 2,000 satisfied clients. Today, we provide certification services under both German (DAkkS) and Serbian (ATS) accreditation, and we are able to adapt the services to the requirements and needs of the clients both in the country and abroad.

Trends related to certification have also changed significantly – back to twenty years ago, there were just several certification bodies in Serbia, but today that number is many times higher. Also, the number of different standards has increased significantly and the requirements for standards are very complex today.

Beside that TMS is the certification body for exclusive Family Friendly Enterprise certification, TMS has also become a certification body for GSES - Global Sustainable Enterprise System. Can you tell us a bit more about that type of certification?

— That's right. For years, we have been the proud holder of an exclusive license for Family Friendly Enterprise certification, which has been a highly demanding type of certification in the last years, because many companies have become aware how impor-

For years, we have been the proud holder of an exclusive license for Family Friendly Enterprise certification

It must be a great challenge to work in multiple positions - as Marketing, PR and Academy Manager at TMS and as Director of The Lean Six Sigma Company CEE. How do you achieve that?

— It is more of a challenge than I ever could imagine – marketing of the portfolio of several hundred services under the strictest standards of communication and corporate compliance of a huge international company. In TMS line of business, there is no such a thing as the flat uniform marketing communication.

On the other side, The Lean Six Sigma Company from Rotterdam developed itself into the leading global provider of Lean and Six Sigma trainings. TLSSC is active in more than 25 countries across the globe and offers 17 different Lean and Six Sigma courses in the native language of each country.

Our ambition is to facilitate organizations to excel in what they do and our focus is on knowledge transfer through training, workshops and coaching. 

29

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

E-PEKAR - A PLATFORM FOR THE MODERN BAKING INDUSTRY

Lesaffre has launched a unique E-pekar (E-baker) platform, the first of its kind in our country, to educate future bakers MILENA OBRADOVIĆ Marketing Manager at Lesaffre Serbia - Oriental & Central Europe Zone

e talked to Milena Obradović, marketing manager at Lesaffre, about how important is for this traditional profession to be digitized and follow the latest trends.

W

Although baking is considered one of the traditional skills, Lesaffre is very innovative in this segment. By launching the first bakery platform in Serbia, E-pekar (E-baker), you have managed to combine tradition and innovation. How did you come up with this idea and who are its end users?

— The E-pekar portal is designed to promote the baking industry in a contemporary and interesting way and improve and develop better relations with future production managers in the industrial sector, but also with existing and future bakers. The platform is also intended for technology students and high school students, who have the opportunity to learn something new and improve their existing skills through webinars and video content. Lectures cover making bread and different types of pastries. By participating in lectures which are given by technologists and other lecturers from the industry, course participants have the opportunity to improve their knowledge and receive a certificate upon completion of the course.

Out of 60 projects, E-pekar, the first baking platform in Serbia, won the award in the category ‘Disrupt Innovations that Marked 2020’. Did E-pekar meet expectations and what are the users' impressions?

— We are proud that the e-pekar plat-

30

form won the Digital Award in the Digital Image category given by Lesaffre globally. We are also the winner of the Disrupt Awards in the Industry and Production category for the most successful innovator in 2020. These awards are an additional incentive for us to be even better and more innovative. Furthermore, it means a lot to us that the portal has disseminated practical knowledge to users and their impressions are extremely positive. So far, we already have 300 registered users, and nine video lessons for professional bakers, as well as four webinars for technology and high school students. New video lessons and webinars are coming soon.

It is important to follow market trends and the demands of the modern consumer

You have been investing a lot of creative effort in promoting the baking industry, particularly since 2016 when you launched the Pekarijada competition for the best professional bakers and young bakers in Serbia, which encourages young people to choose this profession. How innovative is baking today?

— Innovations in every business, even in the baking business, are necessary. It is important to follow market trends and the demands of the modern consumer. In this regard, at the end of last year, we launched two new, revolutionary products - Durum wheat and Rye sourdough. The research we conducted showed that these are two favourite flavours of bread. We im-

proved them by adding an acerola-based enhancer for long-lasting freshness, so we got a specific flavour (from sourdough) and product without E-additives that has long-lasting freshness (thanks to our acerola-based CL enhancer). We are constantly improving our products and that is why we stand out on the market.

Last year, you organized a unique hybrid event in honour of Pekarijada, that was attended by both the jury and previous winners.

What are your plans and expectations for this year?

— We are proud of Pekarijada and everything we achieved with it.

Given the circumstances in 2020 and the impossibility of organizing any events, we wanted to gather all of Pekarijada's participants and the jury in one hybrid event to exchange experiences. We also had the opportunity to test new Lesaffre products and get the first impressions. The plan is to continue in that spirit. Building and strengthening customer relations are key when it comes to B2B business, so we are continuing in the same fashion. We are looking forward to the time when we will be able to organize a new Pekarijada. The experience with the pandemic has taught us to master digital communication tools, with the goal of being closer to the customer and in doing so, pushing the envelope in the baking industry. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

WITH DIGITALIZATION TO MORE EFFICIENT BUSINESS

As a result of making the most of digital communications, Mlekoprodukt has modernized its business in a short period and raised communication with its consumers to a higher level BOJANA MOMČILOV

Mlekoprodukt's Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

igitalization and innovations in campaign management marked the previous period in the Mlekoprodukt Company, the Serbian subsidiary of the international group Savencia Fromage & Dairy. The process of digitalization of communications in the company during the past period has been swiftly completed. Not only have internal communications been switched to digital network, but Mlekoprodukt's team has shown that it is possible to run extremely effective market campaigns on fully digitalized platforms. We talked about the challenges and successes achieved in that process with Bojana Momčilov, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, who said that Mlekoprodukt made a very quick decision to completely transfer communications and campaigns such as Biser Nutri Academy #PositiveFood into digital form in changed business circumstances. „We used digital communication channels to reach a large number of people and encourage healthy eating habits, and that proved to be a very important strategic move,“ Ms Momčilov points out.

D

Your innovative project, Biser Nutri Academy #PositiveFood, is a great success, although it was not initially conceived on digital platforms.

How hard was it to switch to the new format?

— During the implementation of the Biser Nutri Academy #PositiveFood project, we used all the advantages of digital technologies and managed to push the boundaries in education on

Digitalization has actually helped us better define our messages and communicate more easily

the topic of healthy nutrition of children. The Biser Nutri Academy #PositiveFood was initially designed as an educational campaign about the healthy, responsible and balanced nutrition of children through fun, play and song. Originally, it was a kind of caravan that toured larger cities in Serbia with a team of experts, an ambassador, a children's choir and a chef. However, having become a completely digital campaign, the Biser Nutri Academy #PositiveFood began to broadcast on social media in the form of a culinary show, which combined healthy and delicious recipes with the advice of doctors, a paediatrician and a nutritionist. The response and achieved results were beyond all our expectations. The number of our followers on social media broke all records. We try to maintain and improve communication with our audience through on-

line conferences, with funny content, games and tips on proper nutrition.

Your company is known for its exceptional commitment to corporate social responsibility and you are one of the first companies in Serbia to strongly commit to CSR programs. Has the digitalization process affected the way you maintain the level of social responsibility and communication with the environment, but also with your employees?

— Throughout the process, digitalization has actually helped us better define our messages and communicate more easily. Recently, the Savencia Group held a digital forum with over two hundred participants from more than a hundred countries.

A whole week during the forum was dedicated to the sustainable development program and socially responsible business, which is implemented in our group under the title Oxygen. At the forum, Serbia presented the Biser Nutri Academy #PositiveFood, which was extremely well received. The digital concept of the campaign we set up here was used as an example of good practice in promoting healthy and responsible nutrition. Also, since our campaigns are translated into English, everything we do becomes easily and permanently available to audiences outside Serbia. Mlekoprodukt also has the WorkPlace platform for internal communications which took on its full meaning and gained use-value while becoming an indispensable channel for information exchange. 

31

CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

2021 Summit of Brdo-Brioni Process A new opportunity for old problems of regional cooperation NEMANJA PURIĆ Researcher and associate Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade

reat expectations - this is how the title of the famous book can describe the preparation for the recently held presidential summit in Brdo kod Kranja under the auspices of the Brdo-Brioni Process. In 2020, the meeting was postponed, and this year it was the jubilee 10th summit. The process itself, one of the many initiatives of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, is conceived as a periodic presidential summit of EU candidates and potential candidates, as well as the presidents of Slovenia and Croatia who, as heads of countries that are particularly interested in the Western Balkans' membership in the EU, initiated the process in 2013.

The EU enlargement policy, in addition to the enlargement itself, as the most important result of the accession process, is also the Union's instrument for the comprehensive economic, political and institutional transformation of the countries included in the process. Its most important dimension is its evolutionary nature, which allows it to adapt to the peculiarities of the region in which it operates, as well as to the political changes that have occurred during the long process of accession to the Union. Successful regional cooperation as a prerequisite, first of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, and then of the EU accession process, is the product of evolution and adjustment of conditions with the view of creating lasting peace in the Western Balkans.

The Brdo-Brioni Summit is an ambitious project primarily because it creates an opportunity for an independent initiative by the participants (which is not common in other initiatives that are strongly controlled by the Union).

However, all these years, like other regional initiatives, the presidential summit has shown the weaknesses of the comprehensive process of the EU accession,

G

32

THE MAIN ISSUE ADDRESSED BY THE DECLARATION IS INSISTING AGAIN ON THE EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE OF THE WESTERN BALKANS and we can see that, better than ever, on the example of the last meeting.

Of course, a substantial number of non-papers that the public learned about in the weeks that preceded the summit cast an even stronger spotlight on this meeting. Analyzing the declaration as well as the negotiations related to the declaration, we can see that the meeting was strained by the insistence of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, on the part that highlights the change of borders only following United Nations decisions, which is not acceptable for Koso-

vo President, Vjosa Osmani.

The summit produced no clear results regarding this issue, which was expected at this moment anyway because no interested party wants to participate in the document, neither declarative nor legally binding, which deals with this issue. On the other hand, the initial ideas presented in non-papers for the purpose of deliberation, lost their meaning due to their inflation, but also their media treatment.

Consequently, the final content of the declaration is the lowest common denominator, which is expected for a consensus-based

document. The main issue addressed by the declaration is insisting again on the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

The European perspective of the Western Balkans was validated for the first time at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki in 2003, and since then, at the Summit in Sofia 2018, the Summit in Zagreb in 2020 and all summits of the Brdo-Brioni Process. Thus, the commitment to the process has been highlighted many times, but the result has unfortunately been lacking.

Given the length of the process, as well as the state of enlargement fatigue in both the Union and the Western Balkans, we can say that it is now only declarative and that the summit is a great opportunity to reaffirm and present the consensual commitment to European integration as a result of the meeting. To sum up, the declarative commitment to the integration process will not bother anyone, and everyone will be satisfied with what has been achieved.

In that sense, the only novelty is the insistence of the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, that the Western Balkans be viewed as a whole in the accession process.

This brings us back to the convoy approach, which is a departure from the insistence of countries that their case should be viewed independently from other countries in the accession process (socalled regatta approach). This certainly affects the countries that lag behind in the process but bearing in mind only the declarative commitment to the process, as well as the now permanent fatigue of the Enlargement Policy, this is not a game-changer.

The results of the meeting can be assessed as modest, which was also expected, especially having in mind the Covid-19 pandemic, but also more importantly, the crisis of the Union's Enlargement Policy, which was not overcome even by promoting the new methodology. Therefore, in the given circumstances, can the mere holding of the meeting and the now traditional (declarative) commitment to the European future for the region be considered a success?

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

D I P L OM AC Y

&

C OM M E RC E

P R E S E N T S

United Kingdom The

FOCUS ON

VICTORIA, VICTORIA The first postage stamp was created in the U.K. It was designed in May 1840, and it featured Queen Victoria. Now all the stamps feature the current monarch.

A NEW BABYLON London houses more than 8 million citizens who communicate via different languages. It is estimated that more than 300 languages are spoken in the city.

LLANFAIR… WHAT, WHAT? Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyr ndrobwlllllandysiliogogogoch is the longest name of any city in the world, actually a village in Wales. To help you, in Welsh, W is actually pronounced O.

A NATION THAT EMBRACES The typical food in the U.K. is roast beef and Yorkshire beef, but the Brits have voted Chicken Tikka as their national dish. The Chicken Tikka is actually an Indian recipe.

BACHELOR OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Oxford University is the oldest higher education institution in the U.K. Until 1877, it’s lecturers were not allowed to get married. That’s the origin of the academic title “Bachelor”.

READ THIS ON WEB

Deepening and Broadening Cooperation Photo: Marina Lopičić

We are actively working with the Serbian government and other local partners on joint projects designed to enhance regional stability and security, prosperity and trade

I N T E RV I E W

he UK and Serbia share a long history of cooperation, with bilateral relations first established 184 years ago. My ambition upon arriving here as UK ambassador in Belgrade was to make our present day relationship stronger and more forward looking. I am pleased to say that political leaders in both countries support that same ambition.

T

Bilateral relations between the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom are good, as is the cooperation between the two countries. How can these relations improve further?

— Our countries share some common challenges, for example when it comes to the online world and, say, digitalisation of public services. In other areas the UK can bring experience of having addressed challenges that Serbia is now facing, for example in the sphere of energy and the environment. I hope that cooperation in the fields of science and technology will become increasingly important in our relationship. Climate change and the global pandemic have shown how critical scientific cooperation is for a successful global response. The international team at Oxford University that developed the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine included some young

scientists from Serbia.

The UK has been a significant contributor of technical support and capacity building projects through our Good Governance Fund to bring about positive change to the lives of ordinary citizens. We have supported the Serbian government in implementing projects surrounding cadastre reform, e-Bebe…

I am also proud of the transformative ‘21st Century School’ programme implemented by the British Council. It is fantastic to see so many girls among the students developing innovative uses for their new coding skills: the women scientists of the future.

In the modern world, trade is an integral part of international relationships; promoting trade and investment is an important role for modern embassies. Our trade resources in the region have doubled in the last two years and we are looking at more strategic cooperation on the trade front.

This goal is supported by PM Johnson’s appointment of Martin Vickers MP as the Trade Envoy for the WB, as well as the successful (re)launch of the BSCC here and in London.

UK’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance, has last year doubled its country cap for Serbia to £4bn for various infrastructure projects, and I see great potential for cooperation for example in energy, environment, and transport.

H.E. SIAN MACLEOD British Ambassador to Serbia

Both the UK and Serbia can both be proud of our vaccine roll-out programmes

We might for example single out rail as an ambitious development point – and one where I take a personal interest having first visited Belgrade by train in the 1980s! As a country with the oldest rail network and the oldest underground in the world, the UK is well positioned to provide support. We are confident that we can bring unique expertise and experience to major projects like the Belgrade Metro.

What were your biggest challenges at the beginning of your term and what results would you like to single out after being the British ambassador to Serbia for nearly two years now?

— I arrived to Belgrade just before the pandemic started, so the biggest challenges I have faced so far are linked to that. Keeping my staff and their families safe and my Embassy working has been top of my agenda. The past year and a half has shown how resilient and creative we can be in the face of incredible uncertainty and disruption to normal regimes. Like everyone else, I have had to rely on technology to talk to people – and I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would have liked.

I am grateful though for the practical support we have received throughout from the Serbian Foreign Ministry, most recently with COVID vaccinations. )

SPECIAL EDITION

35

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Even as we tackle the pandemic, we know that climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our planet.

I am very glad that this has risen up the Serbian agenda and that Serbia has set out an ambition to tackle environmental problems and decarbonise the economy.

Tackling climate change and protecting the environment needs an international effort. Later this year the UK is due to host the major UN Climate Change Conference COP 26 in Glasgow. The UK is already leading the way and has committed to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to phasing out new petrol vehicles by 2030. Our Government has committed to creating and supporting up to 250,000 “green jobs” in the UK. Greening our economies and building a lower carbon future is a regular topic of discussion in my meetings with Serbian Government, and it was on the agenda for the recent bilateral Strategic Dialogue between senior officials from both capitals.

Our two countries have recently signed the Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement. How does this agreement contribute to the development of further trade relations?

— The agreement sets out both countries’ ambitions for a future relationship, including the strengthening of political, economic, security and cultural ties, and reaffirming the UK’s support for governance reform in Serbia that will safeguard its competitive business environment and open, democratic society.

Our bilateral trade has doubled over the past 10 years, and we are strongly committed to building on this. Trade Minister Graham Stuart recently visited Serbia and met with Serbian Ministers to discuss potentials for strengthening our relationship. This was a first visit by a UK trade minister to this country in the last twenty years, and I think that send a pretty clear message on how committed we are to deepening our economic ties with Serbia.

Government reforms have been instrumental in creating a more attractive environment for international investment. Big UK companies such as Unilever, AstraZeneca and JCB are having success here, but there is much room for growth.

We need to work together. The UK needs to encourage British investors to consider Serbia as a place to do business. Serbia needs promote itself to UK investors and to continue working on reform so that investors can be confident that this is a law governed, stable and predictable business environment

36

SPECIAL EDITION

en measures to offset the negative effects on employees and companies, and made £1.5bn available to support museums, galleries, theatres and other cultural institutions.

I am neither a scientist nor a forecaster – but I can see that vaccination is making a big difference in the UK. As our Government moves in stages to re-open our economy, scientists and medical professionals are sensibly warning us of the need to remain cautious. So it may be some time before life returns fully to ‘normal’ – but with care and adaptation we are learning to live and work more safely in the meantime.

where their business can flourish and bring benefit to local communities.

The Serbian government has recognised the importance of infrastructure development in attracting investment.

The UK is committed to supporting this through knowledge sharing and capacity building, UK company expertise and UK Export Finance backing.

How well are Serbia and Great Britain fighting the coronavirus pandemic? What will recovery from the pandemic look like and when will life return to normal?

— The pandemic has presented Governments and healthcare systems with

serious challenges. The challenge is enormous. The development of vaccines against COVID has been done at absolutely remarkable speed. Normally a new vaccine would take many years to develop but some of these vaccines, for use against a completely new virus, were available in under a year.

Both the UK and Serbia can both be proud of our vaccine roll-out programmes. The Serbia e-vaccine registration has been very impressive.

Over 40 million people in the UK have now had their first vaccine and over 2.5 million in Serbia. The UK is one of the largest national donors to the international COVAX mechanism: we have given £548 million to provide vaccines to the world’s poorest countries. Furthermore, the UK pledged that it would match every 4$ donated to COVAX by other international partners with additional £1 in UK funding, up to £250 million.

As far as the wider impact of the pandemic is concerned, it really has had massive shocks on economies around the world. Like many others, the British government has undertak-

I have especially enjoyed cycling along your great rivers and visiting some of your beautiful nature reserves, most recently Obedska Bara

You have been living in Belgrade for nearly two years. What are your impressions of Serbia and Belgrade, in particular?

— I first visited this region as a student many years ago, so it is an enormous pleasure to be back here. I am also proud that I am the first woman British Ambassador in Belgrade. Despite the pandemic, I have still managed to see a bit of the country.

I experimented with recording a podcast The Online Diplomat when I couldn’t get out and about. I enjoyed it and would like to pick it up again once time allows, but my days have got very busy as the world gets back to work.

I managed to go to some concerts and art galleries in my first few months. But there is obviously a lot more culture for me to get out and see as the situation becomes easier!

In the meantime I have tried to get to know more Serbian books and films.

I haven’t yet read anything that I like quite as much as Ivo Andric’s The Days of the Consuls - which was already one of my favourite books before I came to Serbia.

THE UNITED KINGDOM READ THIS ON WEB

New Chapter in Our Relations

The Agreement secures preferential trade access between the UK and Serbia with significant savings for business to support jobs and the wider economy

I N T E RV I E W

he UK and Serbia recently have signed a Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement to ensure trade can continue and grow between the two countries.

We spoke with Dr David Landsman, Chairman of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, about how the two countries will strengthen political, economic, security and cultural ties, and reaffirms the UK’s support for governance reform in Serbia.

T

On the 1st of January, Brexit actually and finally happened. Besides it will reshape the UK-EU relations so far, it will reshape Serbian-British economic relations. How would you assess our overall relations today?

— Speaking from the perspective of the Chamber and so speaking about economic relations, I think the prospects are very strong. That’s essentially because we all know that so far we have not realized the full potential for businesses either from Serbia or the UK, but that the conditions are now in place for businesses, with the support of the governments, to seek out and realise new opportunities.

Brexit makes a big difference. Now Britain and Serbia are both in the same category as non-EU countries. For British business, there is every reason to

38

SPECIAL EDITION

Dr DAVID LANDSMAN Chairman of the BritishSerbian Chamber of Commerce

Strong cooperation and improving infrastructure means that we as a Chamber and our partners can present a very convincing story to British business

look for opportunities in countries like Serbia, which are in Europe but not in the EU, now that there is no special reason to focus on EU countries.

So British companies can look at Serbia’s geographical position, a talented workforce, rapidly-improving infrastructure, Serbia’s trade deals with both the EU and countries like Russia and Turkey, as well as public investment plans – and see opportunities they may not have seen before.

On the other side, Britain is a large and sophisticated market for Serbian products – from food and drink to manufactured goods – as well as increasingly an investment destination for ambitious tech companies. In short, we have some way to go but the prospects are very good.

The UK enforces the swift and successful vaccination rollout, which was proven to be the crucial thing for the recovery of the economy. Can we expect the British economy to be one of the leaders in 2021 and 2022?

— It's always been good to see Britain and Serbia at the top of the European vaccinations lists. The numbers speak for themselves: Britain is on track for very strong growth this year. The worst fears about the impact of Brexit have not been realized, by a long way. And Britain is well placed to take advantage of the “shocks” to the economy from both Brexit and the pandemic in a way which can leave the country stronger.

So it’s a good time for innovative businesses to be looking at Britain.

Your connection to Serbia dates back to 1997. What do you think about Serbia’s role in this region? Where do you see potential for the cooperation`s growth?

— So much has changed since 1997.

I remember early on in my time as Chairman of the Chamber, I met Mr

Marko Čadež in London. What struck me most was not his role as President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, but that he was also President of the WB6 association of Chambers.

The fact that the Chambers, the businesses and the governments of the countries of the region are working closely together is hugely important for the attractiveness of the region to foreign investors.

The work towards a “mini-Schengen” sends a very positive signal about regional cooperation. Obviously the regional market is so much larger than that of any one country, and that makes it much more appealing. Strong cooperation, improving infrastructure and other investment means that we as a Chamber and our partners can present a very convincing story to British business. And obviously many of the routes to working in the region pass through Serbia.

What does the partnership, trade and cooperation agreement signed

by Serbia and Great Britain bring and is this a new chapter in the relations between our two countries?

— The agreement is of course a necessary step to ensuring that British and Serbian companies can enjoy broadly the same rights and opportunities as they did before Britain left the EU. So Britain has had to negotiate such agreements with many countries, which explains the delay in concluding the agreement with Serbia.

We and our members were very concerned about this and we pressed both Governments hard. But the good news is that the deal is now done. Not only is the deal important in itself, but it is a symbol of the two countries’ readiness to work together. Alongside the double taxation agreement and investment protection agreement, it is something we can build on for the future.

We Offer a Premium Product and Premium Service to the Market

There are people in this country who are quite aware of the value they get for the money invested in some of the vehicles from the JLR range, and who are looking for both a premium product and a premium service because one cannot do without the other

e talked with Ostoja Mijailović, the CEO and proprietor of British Motors, about how he decided to sell luxury cars in a country that has had unstable economic conditions for a long time.

"Economic circumstances in Serbia have been unstable for a long time, but car lovers in our country certainly know how to recognize the quality and style that suits their sensibility.

The culture in our region is peculiar, with a touch of the Oriental East, the Soviet East and the West, which has its own idiosyncrasies. I think that Jaguar Land Rover, as a brand of enormous power, was not adequately presented in our country until a few years ago,” Mr Mijailović says.

W

What is the current situation in the automotive industry? What results did your company accomplish in 2020 and what are they like in the first five months of this year? Can you see an improvement?

— It is already old news that numerous activities, primarily related to direct marketing and promotion at the largest trade fairs, have been paralyzed due to the pandemic. This affected the entire industry and caused stagnation to a certain extent. Under the given circumstances, we have managed to find our way to our clients and maintain the level of business. Even more than that, we have implemented the

plan to expand and open British Motors West in Čačak, as a regional dealership, thanks to which we are closer to our clients from that part of Serbia.

We are still expecting a significant improvement because, in the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, the JLR range will have two completely new models - Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. People have been inquiring a lot and are interested in the availability of new models.

You opened a new authorized Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Čačak recently. Are you planning any more business ventures?

— We have showrooms in Belgrade and Podgorica, as well as a new service and sales centre in Čačak. The plan with JLR is to build a large showroom in Novi Sad next year. Vojvodina absolutely deserves such a service and showroom. I believe this will be a complete success for both the clients and us.

What sales and after-sales benefits do you offer to your customers?

— British Motors provides a so-called 360-degree service. In one place and under one roof, the client can purchase vehicles, service and finance them through leasing or fleet management and pay insurance. After-sales benefits relate to the premium segment, primarily availability and serviceability. The only concern our client have is which trip to go on with their car.

C O R P O R AT E

OSTOJA MIJAILOVIĆ CEO and proprietor of British Motors

All services are performed under the auspices of a single business system, which is a significant factor that instils additional trust in our customers

You are a successful businessman, even when times are tough. You started your own business as a young man.

You now have six companies, which employ about 700 people. What are your business principles? What is your reasoning like in times of crisis?

— I entered the world of business too early. I was only 21 when I opened a small car service. I see this humble beginning as a precious experience that taught me a lot. For me, there are three key factors of success.

The first is definitely people. I am proud that my companies today are run by professionals who have graduated from the most prestigious colleges in the world; people who have abundant experience in the areas in which they are in charge. They are very creative and dedicated to doing their job.

The second is personal commitment and presence in all companies. I work 10-12 hours every day as I am a workaholic by nature. I like strategic planning as well as setting goals for all my colleagues and together with them, I look for a way to achieve them. Today, I do not operationally manage any company, which was my goal, i.e. to build a system that will work.

The third factor is perseverance.

When you decide to do something, you have to believe in it indefinitely and be persistent to the end. Managing 5 or 700 people is not different. The only difference is in the way you think. It's the same with the crisis. The most important is the ability to see the circumstances and then, to paraphrase Hannibal, "either find a way or make one."

SPECIAL EDITION

39

THE UNITED KINGDOM READ THIS ON WEB

Serbian Market has a Great Potential

Serbia has a well-educated workforce, that one of the reasons why inward investors come to Serbia these days

I N T E RV I E W

he British Serbian Chamber of Commerce sees a wide variety of sectors with potential. These include several infrastructure sectors - transport including rail and road, green energy. We talked about further economic relations between Serbia and UK with Richard Robinson, BSCC Executive Director in Belgrade.

T

RICHARD ROBINSON Executive Director BSCC Belgrade

You have abundant experience as a director of the British Chamber, as well as from working in finance. How would you rate the Serbian market and the cooperation we have with the UK? — At the British Serbian Chamber of Commerce (BSCC) we see the Serbian market as having great potential in a wide variety of sectors. Now the new UK-Serbian Partnership Trade and Cooperation Agreement has come into force companies in both countries can plan with more certainty and we anticipate growth in bilateral trade. One of the consequences of the UK leaving the EU is that many UK companies are reviewing their export plans and considering exporting to the West Balkans and Serbia for the first time.

In which segments can economic cooperation improve? Which economic sectors have the potential for the further development of cooperation?

— The British Serbian Chamber of Commerce sees a wide variety of sectors with potential. These include several infrastructure sectors – transport including rail and road, green energy (which fits in with the UK Government’s Chairmanship of COP26 in Glasgow later this year). The UK government is providing further support with its recent increase in funds and guarantees available through UK Export Finance.

Other important sectors for the

40

SPECIAL EDITION

We are working to promote links between the IT sectors in both countries

BSCC include us supporting Serbian food producers wanting to break into the UK market and UK branded goods manufacturers increase sales to Serbia. We are also working to promote links between the IT sectors in both countries, whether it is helping Serbian Tech start-ups establish in the UK or UK companies establishing in Serbia and gaining access to the expertise here.

What can Serbia do to further improve the environment for doing business and thus attract more British investments? What do British investors insist on before investing, what can Serbia offer them, do we have enough educated workforce and what do you think of the conditions for doing business here?

— The BSCC is committed to support the Serbian government improve the business environment. Businesses cannot thrive without a reliable and predictable environment and the strong rule of law. As an indication of the current improvement, Belgrade topped Emerging Europe’s 2021 listing as the city with most economic potential (and 9th overall climbing 15 places since the 2020 listing).

As our focus has been on supporting bilateral trade, we have been making representations to both governments on behalf of our members. On occasion we work closely with and through other organisations. We are members both of the Foreign Investors Council in Belgrade and also of the British Chambers of Commerce Global Business Network. We maintain good relations with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) and the Serbi-

an Development Agency (RAS). Overall, Serbia has a well-educated workforce (one of the reasons why inward investors come to Serbia these days).

How much were British companies in Serbia affected by the Covid-induced crisis and did the companies contact you with special requests?

— Of course, UK companies in Serbia were affected by the pandemic. They also supported the nation by providing a range of support to state bodies and NGOs. One of the complications of the last year has been the frequent changes in rules covering travel between the UK and Serbia. We have been continually updating our members on the latest regulations for both countries. The success of vaccination programmes in both countries has made it slightly easier to travel at present. But we will continue to brief our members on any further changes whenever necessary.

What challenges will the UK and Serbia face this year and do you think that the end of this crisis is near? What do you think the future of British-Serbian relations will be like?

— The pandemic will continue to affect the commercial and economic relationship between the UK and Serbia even as societies adjust back somewhat. Despite that, I believe that the opportunities to strengthen the bilateral commercial relationship will grow: the new trade agreement will settle down and enable trade to increase and encourage further inward investment. At the British Serbian Chamber of Commerce, we will continue to look after our members and promote opportunities as they arise.

READ THIS ON WEB

Ferry Agent a Leader in the UK Market

CLICK ON ICON 

Of the total trade between the UK and Serbia, Ferry Agent’s share in transport services is over 40%

C O R P O R AT E

rofessional approach to clients and superior transport services have made Ferry Agent a leader in the UK market for 15 years. Some of the renowned companies such as Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Air Serbia, ITN Group, Alumil and many others have been using the company’s seravices for more than a decade. Furthermore, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia has included Ferry Agent, which specializes in providing logistics services and organizing transport to and from Great Britain, in a club of successful small and medium-sized enterprises. We talked to Ferry Agent’s director, Stevan Gadol, about the company’s successes, challenges and new plans.

P

Ferry Agent has been in business for 16 years. What were your biggest challenges along the way and what results are you most proud of ?

— We overcame the first challenge in 2014 when we cooperated with a partner from Great Britain who had a logistics centre and from whom we rented a warehouse in the northern part of London. This has helped us to gather smaller shipments in one place. As a result, we launched our own service and provided better quality transport, thus enabling us to occupy the lead-

STEVAN GADOL Director of Ferry Agent d.o.o.

Our team of 12 people generates a total turnover of 10 million euro per year, which is impressive

ing position in the British market. The challenge was to find as many clients in Serbia as possible who import goods from Great Britain. Given that we had previously been briefly involved in the sale of tickets for the Ferry ship, that transports trucks and passengers between France and England, we already knew 90% of the carriers travelling to the UK to whom we could offer our transport service.

Now, after 16 years of business, Ferry Agent comprises a successful team of 12 people, and it generates an annual turnover of 10 million euro. Through diligent and dedicated work, we have been gradually increasing the number of our clients while the company's turnover grew rapidly. We are especially proud of the fact that we have been cooperating with almost 80% of our current clients for more than 10 years which testifies to our approach to clients, the quality of our services and successful business. I would also like to underline that of the total trade between the UK and Serbia, our logistics company’s share in transport services is over 40%.

Why do clients put their trust in you?

— Working for a logistics company in England had a big influence on how I run my business today. I applied their business principle that the client is always right in my business as well.

Your approach to clients is of crucial importance, as is understanding their needs and offering them what they want. Sometimes we even shipped the goods by plane at our expense to respect the client and the promised deadline. Everything is based on professional relationship and respect for the client.

In addition to having a good approach to your clients, top-notch services also set you apart from the competition. Tell us more about that.

— We specialize in groupage transport from Great Britain to Serbia and vice versa. We have regular daily departures in both directions and that is what sets us apart from the competition. We provide transport of all types of goods from flammable and frozen to ordinary commercial products. All goods loaded during the week will be delivered by the end of the following week at the latest. I would also like to point out that when the client entrusts us with transporting their goods, we completely take over further communication with their supplier so that the importer does not have to think about the shipment at all.

I would especially like to underline that Ferry Agent is the only logistics company in Serbia that has additional ALL RISK insurance, so the goods are additionally insured beyond the mandatory CMR insurance, which has very limited coverage, and which is also another advantage of working with us.

We are also working on implementing online tracking of goods soon so that our customers know the whereabouts of their shipment at all times.

How has Ferry Agent been affected by the coronavirus pandemic?

— Transport was difficult and the movement of goods slowed down a bit during the pandemic. We recorded a 30% decline in April last year, but the state aid arrived at the right time, thanks to which we managed to bridge that month. Although we had a difficult year, we accomplished positive results in 2020, as well as recorded growth compared to 2019.

SPECIAL EDITION

41

THE UNITED KINGDOM READ THIS ON WEB

Young People Will Shape Relations Between the UK and Serbia

It is encouraging to see that, in recent years, Serbian businesses are focussing on higher valueadded products and services that have appeal in the UK market

I N T E RV I E W

he United Kingdom and Serbia share 184 years of history. Our bilateral cooperation has doubled in the last ten years, and Serbia is the 67th country in the world with which UK has concluded a partnership and trade agreement. Serbia is an attractive destination that ranks well in economic rankings, like the World Bank's Doing Business list. Large British companies such as Unilever, AstraZeneca and JCB are successful in Serbia. We talked about the cooperation between Serbia and the United Kingdom with Jadranka Dervišević Kitarić, Executive Director of the British Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Dervišević Kitarić is the London-based Director responsible for new business development, member liaison and program implementation in the UK.

T

If you were to compare the UK and Serbian market, what would you say are the most significant differences and similarities?

— As Adam Smith reminded us in 18th Century, different countries are good at different things. For example, the UK enjoys competitive advantage in the design and manufacture of specialist machinery, biopharma and financial services. It is also important to highlight the high standards in civ-

42

SPECIAL EDITION

JADRANKA DERVIŠEVIĆ KITARIĆ Executive Director BSCC London

Serbia has much to offer the UK traveller; magnificent countryside, a fascinating history, fabulous food and, of course, the warmth of the Serbian people

il engineering and project finance. By the same token, Serbia has a comparative advantage in ICT, contract manufacturing, specialty agriculture and high-quality food. It is encouraging to see that, in recent years, Serbian businesses are focussing on higher value-added products and services that have appeal in the UK market.

To maximise its comparative advantage each country should play to their strengths. As a bilateral chamber, the BSCC are determined to bring the best from both countries for the benefit of all stakeholders. The new trade agreement makes this far easier to achieve.

British culture is so popular in Serbia. It was so during former Yugoslavia, with pop music, 'Allo, 'Allo, Monty Python Flying Circus, Only Fools and Horses... Can we enhance this cooperation and presence of British culture even more? And vice versa, to present Serbian culture in the UK? — It’s probably fair to say that the promotion of culture has not been a priority, certainly since the financial crisis of 2008. As we emerge from the Covid pandemic, tourism has enormous potential as a mechanism for cultural exchange. The economic benefits of tourism are also significant.

Serbia has much to offer the UK traveller; magnificent countryside, a

fascinating history (for example 14th Century monasteries), fabulous food and, of course, the warmth of the Serbian people. To promote Serbian food in the UK the BSCC have been active in supporting the Speciality Food Exhibition in London.

The UK, of course, is a leading tourist destination. My advice for Serbian travellers is to explore the country outside London.

How important is it to share knowledge and experiences, especially when it comes to young people?

— Young people will shape the future of bilateral relations between the UK and Serbia. The UK benefits from a world class higher education sector and attracts many talented Serbian students who act as great ambassadors. They tend to perform at a high level in elite institutions, a testament to the excellent secondary education system in Serbia.

What can we learn from each other?

How can we emulate the British way of doing business as much as possible in Serbia?

— In business, the best way to learn from each other is to work together on practical projects. ”Repetitio est mater studiorum” (“Repetition is the mother of learning”).

READ THIS ON WEB

We Create Industry-leading Solutions

CLICK ON ICON 

Our vision is not only to be the best security company but to be the best corporate services partner in a world of evolving risk C O R P O R AT E

he company remains laser-focused on its purpose-to serve and safeguard customers, communities and people in today’s ever-changing world. There is no other security company that can offer such a vast amount of resources to serve our local communities and customers.

T

G4S has been recently acquired by Allied Universal – what does it mean for G4S and the market in Serbia?

— Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company in North America, acquired G4S. In April for the total value of is £3.8bn.

Combined Allied Universal and G4S now make the 7th largest employer in the world. The company remains laser-focused on its purpose-to serve and safeguard customers, communities and people in today’s ever-changing world. There is no other security company that can offer such a vast amount of resources to serve our local communities and customers. “Our vision is not only to be the best security company but to be the best corporate services partner in a world of evolving risk. Together, we will deliver the highest value proposition to customers in the security industry,” says Steve Jones, Chairman & CEO of Allied Universal. For G4S customers in Serbia this means more security and stability, an even stronger financial position is directly connected with unmatched insurance coverage that G4S Serbia offers to its customers. We believe this is a high-priority component of our offering and also an element that distinguishes G4S products and services from the competition. In crisis situations our customers are covered by extensive insurance policies leaving the worries behind. They transfer the risk to us.

DAWID SOLD Managing Director, G4S Secure Solutions

Key element of our operations is customer centricity as we want to be a supplier of the choice who delivers not only product but creates value

G4S Serbia was recently engaged in a smart parking technology project.

What would you like to single out when it comes to the segment of smart city infrastructure and parking solutions?

— Indeed. Very often G4S is recognized purely as a company that specializes in securing objects and cash handling services. However, engineering and systems based around security infrastructure are a vital part of our business. G4S Serbia has an expert team consisting of licensed engineers and technicians who constantly take care of your electronic security systems. From project design, planning implementation and integration of complex systems through integration and maintenance, G4S Serbia is a reliable choice regardless of the size of your company or your home. Until recently parking management systems were based on solutions with modern technology based only around financial operations (parking payments).

Today, modern technology provides intelligent parking solutions that allow not only extensive levels of security but also a comprehensive real time parking management. For big city infrastructural objects such as shopping malls, hotels or commercial parking this allows increased end user satisfaction. For instance, a smart system will guide drivers directly to the free parking lot which eventually saves time. You know that feeling when done shopping and arriving at the parking level asking yourself: Where did I park my car?  Well, smart parking with an app on the smartphone will guide you directly to your parking spot. Problem solved!

Detailed control of parking utilization allows our customers dynamic pricing models and better optimization of their assets. Last but not least, by making parking experience faster, vehicles burn less fuel and emission of CO2 is

reduced in significant amounts when annual throughputs in the biggest parking area are taken into consideration.

What is the role for G4S to play in the smart cities business segment?

— Smart cities are an exciting future happening now. G4S is already contributing to smart cities' infrastructure. Apart from smart parking, we are also heavily focusing on smart buildings. Recently we have acquired a technology company that focuses on building integration systems by offering one clear interface that enables our customer to control buildings and locations from one system (remotely). What positions us strongly is also our capacity in terms of response both on the operational level when there is distress signal from our customers but also in terms of technical support. One of our core businesses is Belgrade monitoring center that operates 24/7 365 days a year. Together with technical response teams around Serbia, we can reach our customers in the fastest possible way.

Both miles and danger stay behind us.

What are your plans for the next period in regard to your company’s further development?

— We have been a long way on the transformation path from a traditional security company towards a company that integrates security with technology and big data. Key element of our operations is customer centricity as we want to be a supplier of the choice who delivers not only product but creates value. This year alone in G4S Serbia we will implement three important IT platforms that will allow the customers to have better transparency and improve customer service experience. With our internal experience and security expertise, we make what we do today better and create industry-leading solutions.

SPECIAL EDITION

43

THE UNITED KINGDOM by ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Brexit and Consequences

A N A LY T I C S

Not so terrible, indeed

e waited for Brexit to happen for years after the scheduled date, and then finally, after a few delays, it did take place. Despite jokes that the delay would last for years, that did not happen either.

Not only did the never-ending delay not happen, but the catastrophe that the ominous pundits predicted did not happen either. Of course, hardly any analysis made in advance could be objective, despite all the effort invested by an analyst. The pro-Brexit camp claimed that Brexit was an opportunity for a renaissance of the British economy, while the anti-Brexitists claimed that an instant Armageddon would emerge as a consequence.

However, the worst scenarios that happened did so out of fear, right after the referendum, while the UK was still in the EU. According to one research, the result of the 2017 referendum raised inflation in the UK by 1.7 percentage points, which led to an annual expenditure of each British house-

W

44

SPECIAL EDITION

hold jumping by 404 pounds on average. Studies published in 2018 estimated that the economic cost of voting for Brexit was between 2% and 2.5% of the national GDP. According to an analysis by the Financial Times carried out in December 2017, the results of the Brexit referendum reduced British national income by 0.6% and 1.3%, respectively. An analysis by Stanford University and the University of Nottingham economists in 2018 estimated that the uncertainty surrounding Brexit reduced corporate investments by approximately 6 percentage points and caused a decrease in employment by 1.5 percentage points.

Several studies have also shown that the uncertainty caused by Brexit regarding the future trade policy of the United Kingdom has reduced British international trade from June 2016 onwards. A 2019 analysis said that European companies reduced new investments in Great Britain. The short-term macroeconomic forecasts of the Bank of England and other banks about the

The government has been trying to conclude FTAs with traditional partners and thus annul the losses from the Common Market in the years to come, as well as silence the critics of Brexit

immediate consequences of the Brexit referendum were too pessimistic when everything was summed up.

However, in the first quarter of 2021, British exports to the EU were 18.1% below the levels of the last three months of 2020. Imports fell by 21.7%, but the overall decline in GDP in the first quarter of 2021, resulting from Brexit, was only 0.5%. Britain has accepted a free trade agreement with the EU, which is currently straining relations on the Irish island, but the government is trying to annul the negative consequences both on the political and economic level. The Labour party claims that in the next ten years, the British economy’s growth will be 4% lower than if the country had not left the EU, but the government is trying to do everything to correct that. Namely, free trade agreements are being concluded with traditional partners, such as Canada, Australia, and soon India too. No need to mention a new agreement with the United States. Each of these agreements, which would have been impossible if the UK remained an EU member, will annul part of the decline caused by leaving the common European market. With minor dissatisfaction with fishing agreements and between Ulster Catholics and Protestants, which could be avoided wisely, as well as the FTAs with Commonwealth and Anglophone countries, we could use the classic English understatement to describe the current situation: Not so terrible, indeed!.

READ THIS ON WEB

New Corporate Strategy to Help Build A Better Tomorrow

CLICK ON ICON 

Despite all the challenges that year 2020 brought, we are glad that BAT has managed to increase its market share

ational Sales Manager in BAT, Marina Petrović, has been working in the company for 13 years. She has worked in various departments within BAT on brand development, marketing campaigns and market research, and today she leads the sales department. She gained great experience and became acquainted with marketing in the company through all its areas. Nowadays, together with her team and all colleagues in the field, Marina Petrović successfully works on identifying consumer needs and efficient implementation and realization of BAT strategy in the field of traditional tobacco products, as well as new generation products.

N

How has the crisis caused by the Covid 19 virus affected your business?

How did you organize the work in the new situation?

— We are very pleased with the way our company has responded to the situation caused by the corona virus, both in terms of organization and the absolute safety of all our workers. Our main priority was to protect the health of all our employees, through respect for the epidemiological measures in the first place. We are proud to be one of the few companies where even commercialists worked from home for seven weeks after the state of emergency was declared. Also, I would like to emphasize that our employees had the opportunity to stay at home and work from there if they do not feel safe at the office. At the same time, all those who come to the office work in shifts, in order to comply recommended distance and all other safety measures.

Of course, the great responsibility of all employees contributed to all of the

above, thanks to which we successfully responded to all challenges.

What are the results of the company on the Serbian market?

— Despite all the challenges that year 2020 brought, we are glad that BAT has managed to increase its market share.

What we are proud of the fact that Pall Mall is the leading tobacco brand in the market and that it even further increased its share, reaching as much as 15 percent of the market. This year, we also continued with the innovation of other portfolios, and with leading the global trends in the tobacco industry.

C O R P O R AT E

How did the success of the products from the BAT portfolio affect the employees?

— Maintaining and increasing the number of jobs is certainly a significant indicator of success. In our company, the number of employees working on the distribution of our products has recently increased by as many as 70 people.

This is a clear sign that the strategy of the company in Serbia is at a high level and that it undoubtedly brings measurable results.

How have consumers embraced products that are an alternative to classic cigarettes? What is your further goal in the growing transformation of the tobacco industry?

— As one of the leaders in the transformation of the tobacco industry, BAT recently introduced the new Glo hyper device to adult consumers, which brings a number of novelties, but also a completely new concept that combines the unexpected. Having in mind the reactions of consumers on the market, it turned out that the combination of modern technology and to-

MARINA PETROVIĆ National Sales Manager, British American Tobacco

The combination of modern technology and tobacco, with a completely new way of consumption, is an excellent strategic decision

bacco, with a completely new way of consumption, is an excellent strategic decision. We are witnessing that all industries are racing to give consumers the opportunity to enjoy their choice in such a way that they do not have to make drastic compromises. It was the transformation that made it possible to be vegan and enjoy a delicious burger or treat yourself to a delicious dessert without sugar and calories. Also, we believe that consumers will undoubtedly start turning towards products of the new generation in the next decade.

As for further plans, our company will, as before, continue to invest in the development of innovative products, while at the same time continue developing a traditional portfolio and researching consumer needs. In fact, BAT has announced a new corporate strategy intended to help build A Better Tomorrow. As a result, by combining our passion for innovation and wish to reduce the health impact of tobacco business, we will be able to offer a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products to consumers.

SPECIAL EDITION

45

THE UNITED KINGDOM READ THIS ON WEB

CLICK ON ICON 

For a Healthy Society and a Healthy Planet

In addition to healthy people, a healthy society and a healthy planet are necessary for a healthier future

C O R P O R AT E

straZeneca employees strive to contribute in all these fields. In addition to our daily commitment to making innovative medicines available to as many people around the world as possible, we strive to help the community in which we operate and live in every way possible.

We aspire to have a healthy future and to be active participants in a healthy society, planet, and business.

AstraZeneca has built a sustainability strategy around three basic principles, which put health at the heart of our work, access to health care, environmental protection and ethics, and transparency.

We at AstraZeneca also control our impact on the environment, which is important for the prevention of some diseases and the improvement of outcomes for patients. AstraZeneca's ambition is to become "Carbon Neutral" by 2025 and "Carbon Negative" by 2030 through various initiatives including 100% electric fleet, travel reduction of at least 20%, involvement of third parties (suppliers) to reduce emissions CO2.

We must not forget the importance of ethics and transparency in the company's business. Our company aims to create a positive impact on society and promote ethical behaviour in all countries in which we operate. Areas we focus on are ethical business culture, diversity, and inclusion, human rights, employee well-being, working with third parties that have the same

A

46

SPECIAL EDITION

We actively promote disease prevention in the community and support our patients, regardless of the obstacles they may face

ethical standards as AstraZeneca.

We give special importance to a culture that is based on the values of the company: We do the right thing and We put Patients first. At AstraZeneca, we create an environment that encourages innovation and diversity of opinion, as well as psychological security, openness, and acceptance.

In terms of social responsibility activities, over 8,000 employees participated in Europe. AstraZeneca has thus helped more than 2,000,000 patients, planted over 17,000 trees, spent more than 9,000 hours volunteering, and avoiding the purchase of more than 600,000 plastic bottles.

And that the community appreciates and values that commitment, we have confirmed through recognitions.

In 2020, Corporate Knights ranked AstraZeneca highly in terms of sustainable development in competition with 7,000 companies, AstraZeneca was 56th in the overall ranking, and second in the group of biopharmaceutical companies.

We are very proud to see AstraZeneca’s inclusion in Financial Times Europe’s

Climate Leaders 2021 list as one of the most progressive companies in tackling climate change. The report highlights that we had the second-highest total reduction in core emissions in the FTSE 10 between 2014- 2019.

Our inclusion reflects the progress made to date in cutting our greenhouse gas emissions thanks to the efforts of colleagues in Europe around the world - bringing forward decarbonization plans by more than a decade through our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy. We were also one of the early supporters of the UN-backed Race to Zero, which mobilizes businesses, investors, regions, and cities behind commitments to zero emissions before the mid-century with a focus on reducing emissions rather than offsets.

Sustainability is key to our Growth Through Innovation strategy and core to our values of Following the science and Doing the right thing.

The sustainability initiatives that we have provided in Serbia in the previous year are EACH FOR EQUAL, GOGREEN, AZ FOREST, YOUNG HEALTH PROGRAMME, RACE FOR CURE, EARTH DAY.

Newest initiative SMART BENCH FOR HOSPITAL CENTERS is the newest initiative that confirms our value "We put patients first". It's a simple solution that can make a huge difference in patient convenience around hospitals. Smart Bench is chosen because it connects the digital and physical world through free wi-fi, phone charging, and an informative digital portal and it helps to create a better outdoor experience in the hospital centres for caregivers, patients, and their families. We are so proud to be a part of this project.

READ THIS ON WEB

We Offer a Unique MBA Programme The Pan-European Executive MBA has been designed specifically to integrate a holistic approach to business taking into account regional and Pan European business needs within a global system C O R P O R AT E

rof. Leslie Szamosi is a highly sought after speaker in the area of organizational change and the management of change. He is a Professor and the Director of the Pan-European Executive MBA program at CITY College, University of York Europe Campus and a Founder and Co-Director of the Laboratory for Strategic People Management. He is a member of the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and is regular evaluator and assessor of the EU funded projects.

P

What is the Pan-European Executive MBA programme?

— The Pan-European executive MBA is the evolution of our MBA program which we have been successfully running throughout our region for the last 30 years. The AMBA accredited Pan-European Executive MBA gives students the opportunity to continue working while simultaneously earning a dual degree from two world-class universities: the leading University of York, a Russell group University and the prestigious University of Strasbourg. There is no university programme in our region that gives students what the Pan-European Executive MBA programme offers.

What are the programme’s main features?

— Students study in a long-weekend mode (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) for eight units delivered in their home countries or in an online mode while engaging in three international study trips to York, Strasbourg, and Thessaloniki providing both networking and study opportunities. The programme is completed over a 26 month period.

From this year on the programme becomes even more accessible to busy executives who wish to combine work and study, as students may choose be-

tween the Executive Mode (face-to-face delivery plus 3 study trips) or the Executive Mode Blended (synchronous online delivery plus 3 study trips). The programme also includes a soft-skills development programme including leadership career development, negotiation skills, and project risk management.

How is the programme different from other MBAs? — We have developed, I think, a number of unique components to our programme. The most unique aspect is the ability now for a student to achieve a dual degree, one from a top British university, the University of York, and one from one of the most prestigious European universities, the University of Strasbourg. These are two leading Global universities that have come together to offer this very unique programme in our region. Another unique aspect of our programme is our pan-European and international perspective – we bring together managers and executives from over 18 countries through our 8 teaching locations (Sofia, Thessaloniki, Belgrade, Kyiv, Bucharest, Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku) and now our blended (online programme), world class teaching staff from across Europe and North America, and global industry experts. Other unique aspects of our programme include the Career and Leadership coaching that we offer our students which links to our belief that we need to build both hard and soft skills in today’s MBA curriculum.

Our students also have the opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues from eight teaching locations as well as students who are going to enroll in our new blended learning option. There will be three study trips for students to participate in including at York in the United Kingdom, Strasbourg in France and in Thessa-

Professor LESLIE SZAMOSI Director, Pan-European Executive MBA, CITY College, University of York Europe Campus

loniki where students from all of our teaching locations will come together to study, network, and share ideas.

Finally, students will be able to work one-on-one with a career and leadership coach to aid them in becoming the best of who they want to be!

To whom is the programme addressed?

— The Pan-European Executive MBA has been designed and tailored for individuals looking for a holistic understanding of business and current management thinking. It is intended for people looking to enhance their knowledge, advance their management skills, and develop their careers.

It has been designed for the busy professional looking for a world class educational experience to help them now and in the future.

It is intended for people looking to enhance their knowledge, advance their management skills, and develop their careers

What are the benefits for those who will attend the programme?

— There are a number of key benefits for students joining the Pan-European executive MBA. First and foremost they will be receiving two MBA degrees from leading world class universities.

The Cutting Edge knowledge delivered inside and outside of the classroom will help students advance their current and future career goals. We pride ourselves on giving students the opportunity to network not only with the students inside their particular group but beyond into the wider region. Students will have the opportunity to be taught by Leading world-class professors who are experts not only from an academic perspective but also a practical one. students will have the opportunity to be personally coached in their leadership and career aspirations. Finally, students will become a part of an approximately 4000 person MBA alumni group providing future networking and business possibilities.

SPECIAL EDITION

47

CLICK ON ICON 

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Exports from Serbia to the UK higher by 7.7% In the first three months of 2021, goods worth 86.9 million euro were exported from Serbia to Great Britain C O O P E R AT I O N

ilateral relations between the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom are rated as good. The first temporary bilateral trade agreement was signed between the United Kingdom and Serbia in March 1879. On April 16, 2021, the Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Tatjana Matić, and the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Serbia, H.E. Sian MacLeod, signed the Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom. The agreement sets a new legal basis for regulating bilateral trade, which was previously defined by the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their member states and the Republic of Serbia.

According to the data collated by the State Bureau of Statistics, in 2020, goods worth 291.4 million euro were exported from Serbia to Great Britain, which is a 10.5% decline compared to 2019. In the same period, imports from the United Kingdom amounted to 237.9 million euro, which is a 2.7% increase relative to 2019.

In the first three months of 2021,

B

48

SPECIAL EDITION

Serbia exported 86.9-million-euro-worth of goods to Great Britain, which is an increase of 7.7% compared to the same period last year. Also, in the same period, imports from the United Kingdom amounted to 50.7 million euro, which was a 15.5% fall compared to the same period last year.

THE UNITED KINGDOM'S INVESTMENTS IN SERBIA

According to the data of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) starting from 2010 and ending in 2020, the UK residents in the Republic of Serbia made investments in the amount of close to 514 million euro, which placed the United Kingdom 14th on the list of largest investors in Serbia in the mentioned period.

The NBS data are the only official data on foreign direct investments in Serbia, with the National Bank of Serbia publishing aggregate data on foreign direct investment by country of payment and industry, while official data on investment by individual companies are not available. It is important to note that data on foreign direct investments in money are obtained by the National Bank of Serbia from com-

The United Kingdom occupies 14th place on the list of largest investors in Serbia in the mentioned period

mercial banks, which means that data on foreign investments in money are obtained by country of payment, not by country of investment and largely depend on the country in which a company has bank account through which it makes payments, i.e. investments. Since the calculation methodologies for the period up to late 2009 and from early 2010 differ, data are only available for the period from the beginning of 2010. The NBS is working on the calculation of data for the period until 2010 retroactively, in line with the new methodology, and as soon as these data are available, they will be included in the economic cooperation reviews.

Some of the largest UK investors in the Republic of Serbia are British-American Tobacco, which privatized the Vranje Tobacco Industry (2013), Endava in the IT sector (2015), Agena Technology in Šimanovci (an automotive parts factory) (2005), Poseidon Real Estate in Belgrade, DS Smith packaging company in Kruševac, MidEuropaPartners investment fund, majority owner of the private health care system MediGroup (2018), and Aptiv Packard, which produces electrical installations for the automotive industry and has a production plant in Novi Sad (opened in 2015) and Leskovac (2019). In November 2019, Aptiv Packard signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Serbian government, stipulating opening one more factory, in Zaječar. The Serbian government also signed a commercial contract with BechtelEnka UK Limited on December 5, 2019, stipulating the construction of the Pojate-Preljina section of the Moravian Corridor, with a total length of 112km.

by ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

The Rapid Recovery of the British Economy Fast vaccination is crucial

ECONOM Y

t has been said many times that rapid and widespread vaccination is not only a path to lower mortality and hospital occupancy, but also facilitates economic recovery. Britain is the best proof of this claim.

Figures don't lie, as they say. It was estimated in April that the fifth largest economy in the world will have a GDP growth of 4%, while in May, the Bank of England (BOE) estimated that the GDP growth in 2021 will amount to as much as 7.25%. The indicators are extraordinary, as the decline in the first quarter of 2021 relative to the same period last year was only 1.5%, less than expected. All this can be attributed to the fast vaccination in the UK. Now, other countries that are disciplined enough, such as Finland, Germany, Spain and France, are rushing to reach the percentage of the vaccinated population that the UK has, but a few months have already been lost and this will have a crucial impact on the decline of these economies. As it turns out, whoever got the vaccines on time and believed in their effectiveness, will do great, and that also pertains to the UK and the territories under its rule (Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands and other overseas territories that have all recorded impressive vaccination numbers and have thus opened their economies).

I

Vaccine sceptics and those against vaccination have finally received a blow from which they cannot recover

We should bear in mind that the British economy had pretty serious ‘hiccups’ in 2020 and slumped by nearly 10%, which is the worst result in almost three centuries, and given the wars and devastation in the 1940s, we see that this has left even worse consequences on the economy than previously anticipated. The British decline was greater than in other large economies, primarily due to a seemingly nonchalant attitude during early lockdowns, which caused great damage and mortality.

But the development of vaccines (AstraZeneca’s vaccine is partly British) has helped the country to climb from the bottom faster than others.

Goldman Sachs is even more optimistic when forecasting a bright future for the UK as a result of vaccination and sets the GDP growth figure at as much as 7.8%. This is an even better forecast than the one for the United States, which pumped significant amounts of money into the economy and expects large growth of as much as 7.1%. However, the inoculation in the

UK is a shade faster than Joe Biden's fiscal stimulus. During the first three months, the British construction sector grew by 2.6% while production fell by only 0.7%, which is less than expected, taking into account a significant decline in demand due to Brexit and in domestic consumption. For many years, the service sector has been the most important economic branch in Britain, which has a 75% share in the national GDP. The decline in the service sector was only 2% which is due primarily because of the closure of cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels and cancellation of festivals, which all generate huge money for the UK. But with the opening of the economy first for travel and then for festivals (which is expected to take place during the summer), Britain will annul these consequences as well. Vaccine sceptics and those against vaccination have finally received a blow from which they cannot recover as ‘cruel’ statistics show that rapid and widespread vaccination was crucial for the economy.

SPECIAL EDITION

49

THE UNITED KINGDOM by ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Unusual Sports

T R A DI T ION

Or not so

hile various sports events are taking place around the world, the news about the cricket derby between England and Australia is on the front pages of every newspaper in Britain.

Sports that are popular to us, such as water polo or handball, and on which we rest our national pride, mean little in the UK. Here, the distant and exotic cricket, rugby and field hockey are the British favourite. Even tennis is played on the grass. In our country, England’s national sport, badminton, is played by children on their school trips, but you should never mention that in front of a British person in a frivolous tone.

"It's not cricket," the British would say when they want to say that something is not according to the rules, fair, sporty and gentlemanly. Cricket is generally considered to have developed in the early medieval period among the agricultural and metalworking communities in Wales. The English cricket team comprises of both the English and Welsh, unlike football where these two teams compete separately. One of the main rivalries in the game is The Ashes series between England and Aus-

W

50

SPECIAL EDITION

tralia, which has been held since 1882.

Cricket has become so symbolic of the former British Empire that in the movie “The Beach,” a black man from the West Indies thanks the English for cricket and explains how to play it on the sand. India and Pakistan have been the main rivals for a very long time, while Sri Lanka is somewhere there too. Former and current British territories called the West Indies, located in the Caribbean, are emerging as cricket superpowers. The entire Commonwealth, regardless of skin colour and wealth, from university professors to disadvantaged boys in the Himalayas, is looking forward to the World Cup. Of course, it is very similar to baseball because baseball originated from a similar game called rounders, exported to the American colonies in the 18th century. Today, cricket and baseball are two symbols - one of the Commonwealth and the other of America and Cuba.

Interestingly, many believe that rugby originated in 1823 when a man called William Webb Ellis from the town of Rugby "disregarded the rules of football, which, as its name suggests, should be a game in which play-

There is an interesting saying that goes "football is the sport of gentlemen played by hooligans and rugby is the sport of hooligans played by gentlemen"

ers plays with their feet, picked a ball (a round one) and started running with it. However, even then, football was divided into many sub-categories, but a player picking a ball with his hands in a sport called "football" was revolutionary, and therefore a new sport inevitably had to emerge. Although this story can be considered mythical, because there is little or no evidence that it really happened, this is a popular interpretation of the origin of rugby. The international rugby committee also calls the World Cup trophy "William Webb Ellis Trophy". Although American football is undeniably very similar to Canadian, Gaelic and Australian football, the Americans have never managed to make a rugby team out of their football players because the differences are too great. There is an interesting saying that goes "football is the sport of gentlemen played by hooligans and rugby is the sport of hooligans played by gentlemen". Even South Africa was not immune to British sports – the white population there is, counterintuitively, in love with rugby, while the black population favours football.

However, everything is slowly changing, and even "British sports", that are traditional to the British Isles, are increasingly becoming popular worldwide, while British kids are becoming more interested in "continental sports". But tradition never changes, otherwise, Britain wouldn’t be Britain, with tea, fish & chips and everything else that is typically British.

by ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

30 Years of Britpop

The movement that changed the world

C U LT U R E

n ten months, it will be 30 years since Britpop released his first single, "The Drowners" by Suede. At a time when popular music was predominantly American, the London group led by the androgenic Brett Anderson, instantly attracted the attention of everyone - from young musicians, critics, parents, to screaming girls.

Damon Albarn, who will become famous only a few years later with his band Blur, said that in the early 1990's everything got on his nerves: "Nirvana, Nirvana!" And not just them…

Everything was either grunge or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and Guns’n’Roses. The British seem to have disappeared slightly after "Madchester" and shoegaze. Other musicians, across the ocean, played the guitars louder, more attractive and more depressing. And then it dawned on them - we need to make music from Britain inspired by Britain!

Needless to say, this came as a shock - David Bowie was everyone’s idol, and instead of macho men with long hair, plaid shirts and torn jeans, men who looked like girls, like Brett and Damon and girls who looked like boys, like Jus-

I

tine Frischmann from Elastica, took to the stage. In 1994, Blur’s big dance-hit "Girls and Boys" will break out in all clubs, announcing a new decade and a paradigm shift from depression, rain and drugs in American Northwest and California to a completely different reality. Suede sang about love and eroticism in suburbs that looked like Eastern European ones, and Blur played with Britishness. Their hit "Parklife" features the cockney accent of a guest actor and Damon Alburn’s “mockney", as well as everything from ice cream vendors, English brick houses, bicycles, beer, tea, red mailboxes to football and whatnot. Pulp soon joined the wave by singing about the two most common problems of the British society, in the words of Jarvis Cocker "sex and class". We got anthemic songs about supermarkets, ordinary people and going to nightclubs.

Meanwhile, the northern working-class turned to The Beatles as the most important legacy of British music.

The brazen Gallagher brothers founded Oasis, and much more roughly described the poor life in Manchester,

followed by The Verve from the nearby Wigan. We got the acoustic guitar anthems sang by rough guys with a tender heart like "Wonderwall" or "Don't Look Back in Anger". Blur and Oasis even did a "showdown", similar to The Beatles and The Stones- Blur won with “the battle” with the song "Country House", but Oasis won the war. Suede responded with songs about life, love, youth, and everything else, "nice rubbish", as they said, and the whole world sang to the rhythm of Britpop. London was up in dance again since the swinging 60s, "Cool Britannia" was created, and the image with the British flag became more important than the content. David Beckham and the Spice Girls filled the tabloids, and Britpop moved to Sweden, Vojvodina, and Ukraine, where the bands grew like mushrooms after the rain. The world changed and it became more British, like 10 or 30 years ago during the First and Second British Invasion. The UK also changed and started dancing to a different rhythm. But the country’s pop culture has conquered the world forever.

In the 1990s, the world changed and it became more British, like 10 or 30 years ago during the First and Second British Invasion

SPECIAL EDITION

51

THE UNITED KINGDOM by ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

TOURISM

Stay on the British Shores!

It is nostalgia time

ummer is coming and nobody knows as yet where we will be allowed to vacation. Some countries will impose restrictions that don’t pay off, others will have restrictions that will make you anxious whether you will be allowed to get in or come back home.

That is why many people will spend their summer holidays on local coastlines. The British will be reminded of the old resorts in England and Wales.

It will be a time of nostalgia with summer vacations resembling those from the 1950s and 60s, before low-cost flights to Spain, Portugal and Greece were introduced.

Of course, anyone who is even slightly familiar with British culture has heard of Bristol, Blackpool, Torquay, Dartmouth, Hastings, Isle of Wight, Weston-super-Mare or Margate. But even many Britons, especially younger fans of Crete, Mallorca or the Algarve, never visited most of them. Let's talk

S

52

SPECIAL EDITION

about the old, beautiful, not-too-hot summer resorts in England.

Most of the British newspapers ran public opinion polls asking “In which local resort would you spend your summer?”, and by “local" we assume that they do not presuppose Gibraltar or the Virgin Islands. The results showed that Bamburgh, Dartmouth and Tynemouth were the top picks.

Interestingly, considering that they have already given up the Mediterranean sunshine, the British do not care much for the south of Britain, so the most popular resort is Bamburgh, located in Northumbria, in the northeast of the country, which will have to open new facilities this year to accommodate all tourists. Red sand and a beautiful castle on the coast dating back to 1120 and affordable prices make this place very popular.

Tynemouth is the English gastronomic capital and the place where Miss Marple, the heroine of Agatha Christie’s novels, solved those ghastly murders. Also, Dartmouth in Devon with its beautiful Dartmouth Sands beach, which we know from the eponymous series, ranks very high. In Devon, you will feel like you are in the South, so it is not surprising that the resort of Salcombe is also very popular.

Although Weymouth is the surname of the Talking Heads’ bass player, it is also the name of a beautiful town with brightly coloured building fronts. Wey-

mouth boasts several awards - it was recently declared beach no. 1 in the UK at the TripAdvisor Travelers ’Choice Awards 2017 and is also ranked the 9th best beach in Europe while the Golden Sand Belt is declared a Jurrasic Coast World Heritage site. There is no doubt that Londoners will flock to Brighton for the weekend, with the famous Pavilion built in the Indo-Saracenic style. We should also mention Southend, the unofficial capital of tourism and music. Bill Bryson readers remember Weston-super-Mare, a perfect place for people who like crowds. But if you like to have fun in a classier way, Worthing could be the place for you.

Bristol is ideal for tourists who love the Irish Sea, and the Isle of Wight is reserved with tourists with impeccable taste – this is a wonderful seaside resort featuring charming thatched cottages, tea rooms and a large selection of souvenir shops. The huts on the brightly coloured beaches line the soft sand of Shanklin Beach, all of which make this village on the Isle of Wight a brilliant destination for traditional coastline breaks.

Maybe this year, just like last one, the time has come for Brits to return to the novels of Agatha Christie and the natural attractions enjoyed by their grandparents. Maybe they will have to bring an umbrella and a sweater to the beach, but 2021 is the best year to get to know British resorts better.

CLEAN-UP OPERATION

Greece’s Bumpy Road to Financial Respectability What a recent rights issue by its biggest lender tells you hese are anxious days for Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister.

The country is due to welcome tourists from around 35 countries from May 15th, but hotel bookings are looking thin and covid-19 lingers. Unless tourism recovers, the economy will shrink for a second year.

There is some good news, though. On April 23rd S&P, a rating agency, upgraded the country’s sovereign rating to BB. (That is still below investment grade, which officials expect to reach next year.) The agency also upgraded the country’s four big banks, though all remain in junk territory because of high levels of non-performing loans. These came to about 33% of the banking sector’s loan book, before provisions—the legacy of the debt crisis of 2010-18.

Piraeus, the largest and most fragile lender, won a breathing space thanks to an unexpectedly successful capital raising on the same day. Foreign investors covered 75% of a €1.4bn ($1.7bn) offering that was more than three times subscribed. It was the largest rights issue by a European bank since 2017, says Piraeus, and will more than cover expected new bad debt this year.

Not everyone agrees that Greece is on the path to financial respectability. Some observers are worried that the government helped broker an alliance of so-called “cornerstone” investors in Piraeus: the family office of John Paulson, an American former hedge-fund manager; Telis Mistakidis, a former head of copper trading at Glencore, an Anglo-Swiss metals trader; and Helikon Investments, a small fund based in Italy.

Mr Paulson’s office increased its stake in the bank from just under 5% to 19.2% and hopes to recoup losses on its earlier investments. Together with Helikon and Mr Mistakidis, it will be able to outvote the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF), a nominally independent reposi-

T

54

THE HFSF CUT ITS STAKE FROM 61% TO 25.6% BY AGREEING TO LIMIT ITS PARTICIPATION IN THE RIGHTS ISSUE, REALISING LOSSES OF €2.6BN tory for the state’s shareholdings in the big banks. The three investors will, in effect, control the bank,says a veteran Greek banker. (Alexander Blades, a partner in Mr Paulson’s firm who sits on the board of Piraeus, says that they intend to provide private-sector oversight to help the bank succeed.)

The HFSF cut its stake from 61% to 25.6% by agreeing to limit its participation in the rights issue, realising losses of €2.6bn.

Its boss, Martin Czurda, an Austrian banker who tried to protect the HFSF from political interference, was ousted in February.

Curiously, the finance ministry then pushed through a law ab-

solving HFSF staff of any criminal charges that might arise from the capital-raising.

Greek bankers already have reason to be grateful to the government. A tweak last year to the penal code banned the public prosecutor from pursuing criminal investigations of fraud and breach of trust at banks, without a specific request from the lender that allegedly suffered damages.

Probes involving more than 300 bankers were closed; investigators say that none of the banks asked for any to be pursued.

Investors’ enthusiasm for Piraeus’s share offering could at least signal interest in officials’ efforts to clean up bad loans us-

ing securitisations. Around €31bn of securitised dud loans, some backed by state guarantees, have been sold to asset managers at home and abroad. Another round of sales of similar size is expected soon.

But it could all have been so much easier, says Miranda Xafa of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a think-tank.

In 2015 the EU allocated €25bn to fully recapitalise the banks, as part of Greece’s third bail-out programme. Only a fifth was disbursed. “With hindsight, early recapitalisation would have helped clean up balance-sheets sooner, making room for new lending to support the recovery.”

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

READ THIS ON WEB

CORPORATE

Getting an Apartment Easily and for Free

CLICK ON ICON 

WEBSITE

City Expert are the first in Serbia to offer "virtual tours" or video visualization of an apartment under construction

You have recently introduced a new service for developers of new real estate. Tell us more about it.

— Our team listens intently to the market and the needs of both buyers and developers. That is why this year we launched a new service for developers of new real estate, which in addition to standard services of renting and selling real estate with maximum legal certainty, also provides advertising and 3D modelling (rendering) of apartments. We are especially proud of our "virtual tours", more precisely the video visualization of an apartment under construction, and the fact that we are the first to do so in Serbia. In the last few months, we have signed cooperation agree-

IGOR JOVIĆ CEO of City Expert

he first Serbian online real estate agency City Expert occupies a dominant position in the real estate market due to its innovative business.

What started as an idea in 2015, today has grown into an agency with more than 10,000 sold and rented apartments in Belgrade and Novi Sad and growing business in the European Union, namely Ljubljana. City Expert is constantly improving its business, and this time around, they offer the improved service of the Credit Advisor, who provides support to clients in search of the best housing, cash loan or dream apartment, completely free of charge. We talked with the CEO of City Expert, Igor Jović, about how long it took the agency to upgrade their Credit Advisor service and what benefits does it provide to tenants, developers and banks.

T

What is the Credit Advisor service and what benefits does it bring its users?

— Credit Advisor is an improved, fully digitalized and free service provided by City Expert that will help everyone who is looking for a housing or cash loan, as well as real estate to easily, quickly and safely finds the best offer with the help of a personal advisor. Everyone who has thought about buying real estate at least once has found themselves in a situation where they are confused by banking terminology, do not know where to start or simply do not have time to spare to look for the best offer. City Expert's credit advisor solves all the above mentioned problems.

How does the City Expert Credit Advisor service work?

— Credit advisor is a service that is available on the website kreditnisavetnik.rs. After filling out a relevant form, the team of advisors personally dedicates themselves to each client and request

CITY EXPERT'S CREDIT ADVISOR PROVIDES SUPPORT, SAVES TIME, FINDS THE BEST FINANCING OFFERS FROM BANKS AND SAVES MONEY BECAUSE THE SERVICE IS COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE individually. With a simple free online application on the Credit Advisor page, clients will receive answers to all of their questions about financing and the required documentation, regardless at what stage of seeking financial services they are currently. The waiting time for response depends on the specifics of the request itself, but most often the client receives the first offer within 24 to 48 hours.

Who makes up the City Expert Credit Advisor team?

— Our team of experts consists of Snežana Vukmirović, an economist with 15 years of experience in banking and insurance, Jovana Rančić Korovljević, a licensed real estate agent with a five-year-experience in renting and selling real estate and Nikola Čobić, an economist with more than six years of experience working as a licensed real estate agent.

ments with over 20 developers who will present their projects in this way and thus reach satisfied customers more easily, transparently and safely.

Are you planning further expansion and what are your goals?

— Since 2017, City Expert has expanded its business to Novi Sad, and we can proudly say that for more than a year, we have been successfully operating in the European Union market, in Ljubljana to be more precise, under the trade name Zwelo.si. This service is completely identical to the City Expert service. Zwelo. si has been successfully reshaping the real estate market in Slovenia by offering users quality media presentations, professional photos and videos that take them on a virtual tour of the apartment.

Our mission is to become leaders in real estate sales and leases, through innovations that we implement, making the whole process faster, more transparent, safer and more affordable.

55

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN

TWITTER

CORPORATE

The Experienced Team is Our Company’s Strength Dedicated analytical approach to each job and active daily acquisition of new knowledge is what our clients get by doing business with our company

W3 doo is a production agency, which produces and brands a variety of items to order for its clients.

Having a complete understanding of and adapting to the client's needs, more precise, faster and more efficient communication with clients and modern, dynamic and efficient business management are our biggest advantages.

Our team, with over 20 years of experience in marketing and production, is the strength of our company. Very active and abundant experience, large and versatile range of partner and friendly companies that are our suppliers and subcontractors, dedicated analytical approach to each job and active daily acquisition of new knowledge is what our clients get by doing business with us.

We have successfully cooperated, and/or still cooperate with over 100 companies from various industries. These are mostly large companies, the largest or one of the largest in Serbia and the region, but we are also absolute-

I

56

ly committed to small and medium-sized companies.

IW3’s client list is impressive indeed. IW3 d.o.o.’s offer includes: Ready-made catalogue items - produced worldwide, mostly in Asia - in stock in Serbia and the EU (in large quantities)

made of selected material, and in the desired shape - All products can be branded with embroidery, screen printing, transfer, labels, special packaging, etc.

Plastic - We make 3D models according to the client's ideas, print 3D

WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COOPERATED, AND/OR STILL COOPERATE WITH OVER 100 COMPANIES FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES - tested, branded, packaged and delivered to customers if required Paper, cardboard and digital printing - We also make popular products from paper, cardboard, foil and board materials (FOREX, plexiglass, MDF...)

Textile products, footwear and accessories - Some items are already made and in stock, but they can also be made in line with customer needs - Promotional and work footwear in stock but can also be

plastic patterns, make tools and inject plastic in series Wood - We can make any product from wood according to the client's wishes (gifts, tools, shelves, packaging, etc.)

Metal - Small 3D-modelled metal products (pendants, badges, tools) - Larger metal structures, often in combination with wood or plastic (shelves, counters) You can use IW3 products for company promotion, as promo-

tional consumer gifts, promotional gifts for business partners, equipment for promotional activities, uniforms for promo teams, work equipment, office articles, employee uniforms, custom-made tools and equipment (plastic, wood, metal, or a combination thereof).

You can also include IW3 products in your range and put it in your packaging (boxes, bags, vacuum packaging, etc.).

Our company also deals with institutional branding, branding of buildings (boards, flags, shop windows, billboards), vehicle branding (cars, buses, truck tarpaulins). Branding of items is done in Serbia, but we can deliver anywhere in Europe, in addition to Serbia.

IW3 d.o.o.

E-mail: igor@iw.rs Telephone: +381 60 300 4520 Promobox: https://promobox.com/ Hidea: https://iw3.hideagifts.com/en/ catalogue/ Sol’s: http://www.sols-products.com/ ecatalogue/FR/

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

57

PEOPLE & EVENTS

07 MAY

ARKING THE 10th M ANNIVERSARY OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION IN BELGRADE

The 10th anniversary of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, was marked in a public (hybrid) event in Belgrade, gathering high representatives from the Council of Europe, European Union Delegation in Serbia, public authorities and international community to talk about the importance of the Istan-

bul Convention and to discuss key achievements and challenges in regards to its implementation.

Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of the Istanbul Convention for keeping women and girls free from violence, despite the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

H.E. Thomas Schieb, German Ambassador,Biljana Branković, Member of the Monitoring Body of the Istanbul Convention – GREVIO,Tobias Flessenkemper,Gordana Čomić, Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of Serbia ,H.E. Sem Fabrizi, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia and H.E. Virginia Pina, Ambassador of Portugal

08 MAY

THE GOOD VOICE FINAL CONCERT

The master camp, organized by the Good Voice Foundation, took place in Kaštel Ečka from May 2nd to 8th. Four camp participants - Andrej Balaž, Kata Stojanović, Veronika Mona Bogić and Kristina Marušić - were chosen at the competition to have individual interpretation classes with Nemanja Radulović. The famous violinist prepared the students for a professional career, concerts and in-

ternational competitions. Scholarships were provided by the Good Voice Foundation. The final concert of the participants of the Good Voice Master Camp was held at the Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist in Ečka, on May 8th, at noon. The concert was attended by the Minister of Culture, Maja Gojković, and the Deputy Mayor of Zrenjanin, Saša Santovac.

Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević and Maja Gojković, Minister of Culture

08 MAY

EUROPE DAY TRADITIONALLY MARKED IN STARI DVOR

Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, H.E. Sem Fabrizi, Belgrade Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Professor Zoran Radojičić, MD, and Goran Vesić respectively, hosted the reception marking Europe Day which is traditionally held in Stari Dvor every year. The guests included the President of the Re-

Goran Vesić, Zoran Radojičić, Rebecca and Sem Fabrizi, Aleksandar Vučić, Ivica Dačić and Ana Brnabić

58

public of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, numerous ministers and representatives of embassies, religious communities, the city of Belgrade and the state of Serbia. The ceremony began with the anthems of the European Union and Serbia, after which Sem Fabrizi and Aleksandar Vučić addressed the guests.

H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, H.E. Sem Fabrizi with his wife Rebecca

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

PEOPLE & EVENTS

09 MAY

VICTORY DAY

On the occasion of marking the WWII Victory Day, the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Darija Kisić Tepavčević, laid wreaths at the Belgrade Liberators' Cemetery in honour of the fallen WWII soldiers. The Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, the Speaker of Assembly of the City of Belgrade, Nikola Nikodijević, representatives of WWII veteran associations and descendants of allied soldiers also laid wreaths. Furthermore, the ambassadors and

Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia and Ivica Dačić Minister Darija Kisić Tepavčević

25 MAY

MAY

H.E. Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, Russian Ambassador , Nenad Popović, Minister without Portfolio and Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of the Interior

AFRICA DAY CELEBRATED

The group of African Ambassadors accredited to Serbia celebrated Africa Day, May 25th, which is also the Serbian-African Friendship Day. H.E. Mr. Abdelhamid Chebchoub, Ambassador of Algeria and the head of the group of African Ambassadors to Serbia, highlighted, on this occasion, the will of African countries to meet the challenges the continent is facing. He spoke about the friendship between Serbia and Africa and the support given by the former Yugoslavia to the national liberation struggles in Africa, indicating the readiness of African countries to further develop economic cooperation with Serbia. This friendship was also celebrated with the launch of a postage stamp on the theme of friendship between Africa and Serbia by the Post of Serbia.

27

representatives of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Armenia paid their respects to the fallen soldiers. Kisić Tepavčević wrote in the memorial book: "May eternal glory and thanks be to all of you who gave your life so that we could live in freedom and peace today." With the highest state and military honours, in her role as an envoy of the Serbian President, Minister Tepavčević also laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Hero on Avala.

MONTENEGRO’S TOURIST OFFER SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTED IN SERBIA

H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub

In cooperation with the Embassy of Montenegro in Serbia, the National Tourist Organization (NTO), public enterprise Morsko Dobro and local tourist boards held a promotion of Montenegro’s latest tourist offer in Belgrade under the auspices of the regional roadshow campaign. In the evening, the NTO hosted a working

dinner for Serbian media outlets at the Radisson Collection Old Mill Hotel in Belgrade, which was attended by the Mayor of Tivat, Željko Komnenović, Speaker of the Municipal Assembly of Budva, Krsto Radović, Chairman of the Board of PE Morsko Dobro, Blažo Radjenović and Director of PE Morsko Dobro, Mladen Mikijelj.

Ana Tripković Marković, director of theNational Tourist Organization (NTO)

59

PEOPLE & EVENTS

31 MAY

80 YEARS SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BELGRADE - OTTAWA

Organized by the Archives of Yugoslavia in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and the Embassy of Canada opened of the exhibition celebrating this significant anniversary in the Archives of Yugoslavia on Monday, May 31st at 12:00 and the exhibition will remain open to public until August 1st. The exhibition consists of archival documents, photographs and bilateral agreements that testify to the continui-

ty of strong ties between Serbia and Canada. Although diplomatic relations began in the 1920s, the Decree by King Petar II Karađorđević on May 30, 1941 signed in Jerusalem is considered as the official commencement of diplomatic relations between Belgrade and Ottawa when the inaugural of the Diplomatic Mission of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in Ottawa was ordered. H.E. Giles Norman, Ambassador of Canada to Serbia opened the exhibition.

H.E. Giles Norman

31 MAY

THE PIPPI PLAYGROUND OPENS IN NOVI SAD

On the occasion of the celebration of the 75th birthday of Pippi Longstocking, the Embassy of Sweden, with the support and donations of 12 Swedish companies, opened the Pippi Playground in Novi Sad, which is adapted for children with special needs. Novi Sad was chosen because, 36 years ago, the author of the novel about Pip-

pi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren, received the charter from Zmaj's Children's Games in this city, during her visit. Thanks to her visit and participation in Zmaj's Children's Games, Novi Sad was officially mentioned in the documents relating to Astrid Lindgren's work and legacy, which Sweden continues to promote.

H.E.Jan Erik Mikael Lundin and Miloš Vučević, Mayor of Novi Sad

02

JUNE

CELEBRATING WOMEN AND HERITAGE

The exhibition "Celebrating Women and Heritage", held in the courtyard of the residence of the US Ambassador in Belgrade, took place on Wednesday, June 2nd. Staged under the auspices of the wife of the US Ambassador to Serbia, Mrs. Anne Godfrey, this was an exhibition of handicrafts by members of the Ethno Network, craft associations, cooperatives and small businesses from all over Serbia. Also, on the same day, The International Women's Club

Sonia Shehryar, IWC president, Violeta Jovanović, NALED, Tamara Vučić and Anne Godfrey

60

of Belgrade held its June Coffee Morning event at the residence of the American ambassador. Members of the International Women's Club and the First Lady of Serbia, Mrs. Tamara Vučić, visited the exhibition and enthusiastically tried their hand at weaving and felting wool. The event was also attended by government ministers Zorana Mihajlović and Tatjana Matić who talked about the importance of providing support to women in rural areas.

Anne Godfrey, Violeta Jovanović, Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality and Tatjana Matić, Minister

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

ANALYTICS

Economic Diplomacy – Ever More Important While it refers to protection of national interests in international economic relations, it has recently become more important than before

Prof.dr. BORIS CIZELJ Head, ECPD Economic Diplomacy, Lobbying and Negotiations Program, Belgrade

hese are the prime reasons: (a) globalisation and increased interdependence among national economies; (b) bigger role of governments in economic processes internally and internationally; (c) intensified international economic regulations; (d) higher involvement of civil society actors in public affairs; and (e) easier cross-border communication thanks to modern ICT. The process of globalisation, and indeed closer interdependence among national economies, have reached the highest level in history: share of global GDP created through exports has increased during 1990 – 2016 from 19.4% to 28.5%, and share of FDIs in global GDP has jumped during 1990 2017 from 0.6% to 2.5%.

In these circumstances the modern economic diplomats are increasingly involved in: export promotion, attracting incoming and outgoing foreign investment, as well as in migration flows management. Consequently, Ministries engage more “non-diplomats” (particularly with business background), being aware that modern economic diplomats require a whole set of new interdisciplinary knowledge, competences and skills, which are not easy to acquire. This is being addressed by internal diplomatic academies and training centers, but to do it properly remains a major challenge. Only a few universities worldwide are covering these subjects adequately, which makes it difficult for young people interested in following this career – which by its very nature, requires also some practical experience.

These are the most important competencies and skills for modern economic diplomats:

T

ABILITY TO ACT AS PROMOTER OF THEIR COUNTRY’S ECONOMIC POTENTIAL AND INTEREST FOR STRONGER INVOLVEMENT IN GLOBAL ECONOMY • Understanding the entire context and landscape of international trade, knowledge transfer, finance and investment, and recognizing the role of key actors, standards, regulations, and institutions; • Ability to act as promoter of their country’s economic potential and interest for stronger involvement in global economy; • Understanding the changed structure of international business: global competition and strive for excellence, role of innovation and protection of IPR in digital environment, modern protectionism, global value chains, discriminatory business practices, etc.

• Capability to identify business opportunities, and facilitate

initial communication among potential partners; • Properly monitor and assess credit-worthiness of countries and evaluate business potential of sectors, individual companies and groupings; • Skills to initiate, facilitate and support networking for their country’s companies; • Facilitate or skilfully conduct international negotiations in multicultural contexts; • Skills to effectively represent their country and companies in various bilateral and multilateral communication; • Ability to lobby successfully in multicultural environments, particularly in the countries of their accreditation and in relevant

international bodies; • Mastering at least 2 major languages (English obligatory).

The European Center for Peace and Development, ECPD in Belgrade – established by the UN University for Peace – created in 2019 a Program for Economic Diplomacy, Lobbying and Negotiations, EDLN and offers specialist, master, doctoral and post-doctoral programs. Besides constantly updated programs, the main advantage of ECPD is not to be restrained to its own academic staff, but relying on an international expert pool of over 200 globally recognized specialists with rich practical experience and top academic qualifications – who coach and mentor our students intensely on an individual basis.

On 11-12 June ECPD is organising in Belgrade a course on effective and legitimate lobbying – participation is also online. Registration contact: edlp@ecpd.org.rs.

61

BUSINESS NEWS

03

01

MEETING WITH THE DELEGATION OF RIO TINTO

The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, met with the delegation of Rio Tinto led by Executive Director Jakob Stausholm, with whom he discussed current and potential projects, as well as modalities of comprehensive cooperation that would not be limited to ore exploration and exploitation, but on the wider economic development of the Macva district and the whole of Serbia.

President Vučić expressed his gratitude to the representatives of the company for their readiness to discuss open issues, as well as for their commitment and understanding regarding the requirements for transparent work and fulfilment of the most demanding conditions in the field of ecology.

Representatives of the company informed President Vučić about the current course of work in Serbia and emphasized that by the end of the current year they will complete the feasibility study phase, as well as the Study on Environmental Impact Assessment in order to start the exploitation of the jadarite mineral. By the end of 2021, a total of 450 million dollars will be invested in Project Jadar.

IVING FOR PUBLIC GOOD G ALMOST TRIPLED IN 2020

According to Catalyst Balkans, in 2020, citizens and companies in Serbia donated over 90 million Euros for the common good. The total value of donations addressing the effects of the pandemic was 42.1 percent of the total amount. This is a 2.7 times increase in donations comparing to the previous year.

Even donations unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic exceeded the total value of donations in 2019 by over 10 million Euros. This brought an increase in the aver-

04

AUNCH OF THE IRISHL SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

With the presence of almost a hundred participants in an extremely affirmative atmosphere, the launch of the Irish-Ser02

HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASED BY 18.2%

One of the speakers at this year’s Kopaonik Business Forum was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Triglav Osiguranje a.d.o. Belgrade, Dr Dragan Marković, pointed out that interest in voluntary health insurance has grown in Serbia, that we are one of the most developed countries in the region in terms of private hospital practice, and that Serbia will get out of the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic the fastest. According to him, health insurance increased by 18.2%, and its market share from 3.5 to 4.9%, with combined insurance for legal entities having the largest share and amounting to 91.3%.

“These are mostly foreign companies and there has been an increase among domestic companies as well. In this way, both employers and employees can enjoy numerous benefits because they will ensure better health care, the number and length of sick leave are reduced and, accordingly, productivity, motivation and efficiency are increased” Dr Marković explained.

62

05

age donations per individual from 4.9 Euros in 2019 to 13 Euros last year.

“After several years when individuals were more active donors than the corporate sector, the situation changed in 2020, with companies providing more than half of the recorded sum while the donations of individuals comprised around 35 percent. Companies have mostly been donating to the government and public institutions for the fight against COVID-19, while citizens have been actively donating via SMS for the medical treatments of individuals,” stated Nathan Koeshall, Director of Catalyst Balkans.

bian Chamber of Commerce, headed by Frank Hannigan, was made official, at the webinar held on 26 May 2021. The keynote speakers were H.E. Aleksandra Joksimović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Ireland on a non-residential basis, and H.E. Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland.

In her presentation, Ambassador Joksimović pointed out the good bilateral relations between the Republic of Serbia and Ireland, which was also stated in the recent conversation between Ministers Selaković and Coveney. She conveyed the expectation that the newly established Chamber of Commerce will significantly contribute to the improvement of trade and investment potentials of the two countries. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney pointed out the importance that Serbia has due to its geographical position and underlined the potential of our country in the sectors of agriculture, communications and information technologies.

DOR OSIGURANJE D PUSHES DIGITALIZATION DURING COVID TO SPEED UP CLAIMS PAYMENT PROCESS IN AGRO

Following the trends of both digital user habits and increased risks of damages in agriculture caused also by natural disasters, DDOR osiguranje, in cooperation with BIOSENSE institute developed a special mobile application DDOR TERRA. This platform will enable agricultural producers to report claim immediately after the damage has happened and from their field. In this way, the digitalized process of claims payment will be faster, simpler and more efficient and the producers will be able to continue their work. Application is going to be free for all crops and fruits policyholders of DDOR osiguranje and can be

downloaded online. This initiative shows the responsibility that DDOR has as a traditional leader in insurance of the members of agro-chain with the amount of RSD 5 bn. claims of crops and fruit paid in agro only during last 10 years.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

BUSINESS NEWS

06

DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE STATE AND BUSINESS

On Tuesday, May 25th, 2021, an online working meeting of member companies of five bilateral business associations in Serbia: the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, Croatian Business Club, Slovenian Business Club and the Belgian-Serbian Business Association was held with representatives of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia.

Ognjen Popović, Acting Assistant Minister – Financial System Department stated that the total value of the economic measures in 2020 amounted to 12.9 % of GDP and that the third support package in 2021 is estimated at 4.5 % of GDP. Mr. Popović concluded his presentation by noting that the communication between the state and the business is essential for finding strategies for further improvement of the domestic business environment. Mihailo Vesović, Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) stated that Serbia is the only Western Balkans country expected to recover from the pandemics already in 2021.

07

ENERALI OSIGURANJE G GENERAL SPONSOR OF “AGRICULTURAL DAYS”

Generali Osiguranje Serbia is a strategic partner of the Novi Sad Fair tenth year in a row and a general sponsor of the online “Agricultural Days” at the Novi Sad Fair, from May 18 to 21.

At the ceremonial opening of the Fair, the President of the Executive Board Dragan Filipović stated: "With this partnership, we wish to emphasize the importance of agricultural production on the overall growth of the economy and the impact in-

surance has on its development. We have a diverse range of services and products that prove our readiness and ability to provide full support to farmers in preserving their production, but also to offer them various solutions in terms of prevention” said Filipović, adding: “Last year, thanks to timely digitalization of processes and communication, we were able to provide our customers with prompt and good quality service, even under the conditions brought by the pandemic. We have been using modern technologies in our operation for years, such as our app for assessment of damage to crops, drones, etc.”

63

READ THIS ON WEB

FORUM

The 28th Kopaonik Business Forum Ends on a Successful Note "Despite the Covid-19-induced pandemic, the 28th Kopaonik Business Forum was successfully held and once again proved to be the most important regional conference, which talks not only about strictly economic issues but about much broader topics related to the long-term development of society," Aleksandar Vlahović, President of the Serbian Association of Economists, said after the Forum, also known as 'The Serbian Davos', finished n a changed format, at a different time and, this time in Belgrade instead of on the Kopaonik Mountain, the Forum was held from May 24 to 27, and its main theme was "The world after Covid-19 - new sources of growth in changed business conditions". In a live broadcast via the Youtube platform, the Forum was watched by approximately 4,000 viewers. More than 130 panellists, about 50 accredited journalists, as well as close to a hundred participants gathered in the main hall of the Metropol Palace Hotel in Belgrade, to have interesting discussions over the course of four days.

“The world-renowned expert and university professor, Branko Milanović, was the special guest of the 28th Kopaonik Business Forum, who spoke about the phenomenon of global inequality and, especially, the impact of Covid-19 on the world economy. Traditionally, the Kopaonik Business Forum was officially closed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, who gave a closing address,“ said Aleksandar Vlahović, adding that the conclusions of certain panels will be useful to the creators of economic policy in our country.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, closed the 28th Kopaonik Business Forum with her presentation. In her address to the participants of this year's Forum, she congratulated on the successful organization of the Kopaonik Business Forum in the new format. „Today, Serbia is no longer spoken about as a land of the cheap workforce. Companies cooperate with us because of our knowledge, creativity and excellence.

Digitalization has come to life in Serbia and is gradually making the economy more competi-

I

64

DIGITALIZATION HAS COME TO LIFE IN SERBIA AND IS GRADUALLY MAKING THE ECONOMY MORE COMPETITIVE AND THE STATE ADMINISTRATION MORE EFFICIENT tive and the state administration more efficient. At the end of 2020, the Serbian economy recorded a minimal GDP decline, while the growth in the first quarter promises that we will exceed the projected growth of 6%,“ said the Prime Minister, adding that the growth was driven by the growing construction industry and infrastructure development.

Ana Brnabić also spoke about the importance of the combination of biotechnology and technology and said that the export of

ICT services in March increased by as much as 25% relative to March last year, that many opportunities lie ahead, and that green and biotechnological transformation will be greater than the digital one.

After the official opening, Jorgovanka Tabaković, the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, addressed the participants of this year's Kopaonik Business Forum via a video message, talking about how the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic was dealt with, what was done and what is ahead

of us. "We faced the crisis more prepared and more resilient. Before the crisis, we used our potential, and our task during the crisis was to provide assistance to businesses and stimulate domestic demand," Governor Tabaković said. Speaking about credit activity, she said that it remained stable for private sector financing and that the structure of credit growth remained favourable this year as well.

On the first day of the Kopaonik Business Forum, Serbian Min-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

ister of Finance Siniša Mali, also had his presentation. He began by talking about the successes that the state and the citizens of Serbia have achieved in the fight against Covid-19. He pointed out that Serbia ranks 4th in Europe in terms of the number of revaccinated citizens. Mr Mali also underlined that all European ministers have found ways to accelerate the growth of their respective countries and added that the results from last year show that, Serbia ranks among the 3 countries in Europe with the smallest decline in GDP in 2020, excluding Ireland and Turkey. The Finance Minister predicted growth this year too, saying that GDP growth in 2021 will be closer to 7% than 6% and that in the next four years, we will be moving towards an average salary of 900 euro.

Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Mining and Energy, participated in a panel dedicated to green and sustainable recovery. At the beginning of the panel, she said that the issue of energy transition and the green answer cannot wait. „The state has changed certain energy and mining laws and

passed new ones, which are the basis for what we are planning to do,“ said Zorana Mihajlović, adding that Serbia has the Law on Renewable Sources for the first time ever, which is the basis for producing electricity from renewable energy sources. Speaking about energy efficiency, she said that the goal is to increase energy efficiency and that we currently consume

„Energy efficiency and renewables are key. Serbia has a regional approach and is increasingly linked to the green agreement.

The government's activities in the gas sector are good, and Serbia is taking sound steps in that direction,“ said Sem Fabrizi. He added that the EU has long advocated control of carbon emissions and it wants to reduce the emissions to

of this aspect in the fight against the pandemic, but also to present the health situation in Serbia during the pandemic, scientific progress in health care and its contribution to the improvement of personalized medicine in Serbia.

The Kopaonik Business Forum is organized by the Serbian Association of Economists in partnership with Mastercard. This year's

THIS YEAR'S 'SERBIAN DAVOS' WAS AN INTERACTIVE PLATFORM FOR THE EXCHANGE OF OPINIONS AND WELL-ARGUED AND CONSTRUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS 40% more energy than EU countries. She also pointed out that it is important to draft an investment plan, which will show Serbia's future direction and the way it will achieve higher energy efficiency. Minister Mihajlović added that a new energy strategy is being written and that we must support the development of the energy sector and environmental protection.

Sem Fabrizi, the head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, congratulated Minister Mihajlović on her decisive activities and added that Serbia is on the right track.

zero by 2050.

The third day of the Kopaonik Business Forum began with speeches by plenary speakers Darija Kisić Tepavčević, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, and Marija Obradović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.

During the Forum, a number of panels were dedicated to economic and social development in the post-pandemic period. A novelty in relation to all previous forums is that the health panel was held at the beginning of the Forum in order to highlight the importance

'Serbian Davos' was an interactive platform for the exchange of opinions and well-argued and constructive discussions, with the consideration of key economic, health and social challenges in the period during and after the coronavirus pandemic. This year, the Forum gathered the most important state officials, representatives of international financial institutions, members of the diplomatic corps, presidents of regional chambers of commerce, the most important executives from the real and financial sector and numerous successful entrepreneurs.

65

CONFERENCE

“The Potential for Cooperation in the New Normal" In cooperation with Color Media Communications, the J'aime la France association held an important online conference called "Meeting with the ambassadors of the French-speaking countries in Serbia: The potential for tourism and economic cooperation in the new normal", which was held on 19th May 2021

H.E. Amr Aljowaily

he conference participants agreed that joint effort and activities could boost cooperation between the French-speaking countries and Serbia, and this conference was a good example of how bilateral relations between Serbia and the countries, which ambassadors took part in the conference, could improve.

The conference participants were first greeted by the Ambassador of Egypt to Serbia, H.E. Amr Aljowaily, who is also the chairman of the group of Francophone ambassadors to Serbia, who said the following on the occasion: "There are several activities relating to institutional cooperation with Serbia. I would like to mention the recent visit of Francophone ambassadors to Vojvodina, where several projects were agreed upon between our countries and the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. This is a concrete example of how ties between the two countries could be further solidified. We also expect that, after our meeting today, we will create new opportunities for strengthening ties and investments between Serbia and Egypt. " The French Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Jean-Louis Falconi, pointed out that his biggest task was to try to attract Serbian tourists to come to France and vice versa be-

T

66

H.E. Jean-Louis Falconi

cause tourism has the greatest potential for boosting cooperation between the two countries.

"There is great potential and economic interests for cooperation. Serbia is an agricultural country, and I will single out its wine-making on this occasion.

Just like France, Serbia is also a wine-making country and currently home to a large number of wine producers who need to be

Sladjana Novaković

tween our countries," Mr Falconi told the conference organizer, Sladjana Novaković.

Sladjana Novaković, president of the J'aime la France association, pointed out on the occasion that, after a 27-year break, and in partnership with representatives of the public, private and civil sectors from the Republic of Serbia and Republic of France, the executive and administrative authori-

THERE IS GREAT POTENTIAL AND ECONOMIC INTERESTS FOR COOPERATION represented. They should be connected with their peers from large vine-growing regions in France. I am glad to see a number of my fellow ambassadors here and I believe that together we will succeed in establishing good cooperation in tourism. Also, I would like to continue supporting you in developing good bilateral relations be-

ties of the Republic of Serbia and representatives of the French diplomatic mission, strong cooperation in tourism between our two countries has been re-established.

The conference was also attended by H.E. Tan Vutha, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to Serbia, Youssef EL KARNI, Counselor for Economic Affairs

at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Serbia, H.E. Rafala Perla, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to Serbia, Dariusz Szewczyk, Consul at the Polish Embassy in Serbia, Philippe Magne, Director of Development at Vichy Spa Internationale and an independent consultant, Dr Christian Hristea, consultant at Brancusa Association from Romania, director and editor-in-chief of the Amphitheatre Foundation, editor-in-chief of Vacation and Travel magazine and Stephane Monnier, President of Sun Assets Holding.

Thanks to their cooperation with J'aime la France and Sladjana Novakovic on various projects, they have recognised the Serbian market as a serious business partner for the future.

During the last three years, owing to its research and perseverance, the J'aime la France association has implemented several international projects that have re-launched cooperation between France and Serbia in economy, tourism and multiculturalism and which contributed to boosting bilateral relations between our countries.

The goal of each project was to facilitate the largest possible presence of France in the Serbian market, which is part of J'aime la France’s strategy. The French Embassy in Serbia have been supporting and actively participating in these projects.

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

CULTURE

by Žikica Milošević

996 is Out of China An accidental Russian hero reveals the cultural shift ver several decades of its incredible growth, China's work ethic has copied Japanese and South Korean ones. Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan were built on a six-day working week, 12 hours a day, burning the candle at both ends and having no private life. The method was introduced into mainland China and subsequently enabled the unprecedented growth of China in a very short time. However, young people are now tired of it. Vladislav Ivanov, a Russian from Vladivostok, also became a symbol of fatigue, depression and quiet riot against too much work.

996 is a symbol for “working from 9 to 9” (am to pm), 6 days a week. If you've ever tried to work at that pace, it was probably just before a deadline. Prolonged work at this pace leads to depression.

Only a few years ago (officially in 2004, but actually in 2018), South Korea proclaimed that the six-day working week has now become "superfluous" because the country has recovered from World War II and the Korean War and is perfectly possible to work "only" 5 days a week, or 52 hours the most.

The Chinese have not yet reached that stage. We have seen the consequences of something similar in the South Korean film called "Parasite" which depicts a society that has its own internal contradictions and is rife with depression and frustration.

So, how did 27-year-old Ivanov become a symbol of "laziness" in China in the first place? He originates from Vladivostok and has been learning Chinese since 2013. He speaks it fluently, having moved to China. He also goes by the nickname "Lelush". Earlier this year, Lelush was asked to hold Chinese language classes for two Japanese contestants in Chuang 2021, a reality TV competition aimed at creating the next Chinese boy band sensation. The Russian model, who is fluent in the language, agreed. But then the producers noticed how handsome he was, how much he fit the idea of a boy band member and thought it would be great for the competition to have a "white man who looks like a Chinese”. Lelush

O

YOUNG AUDIENCES STARTED TO LIKE LELUSH VERY MUCH AND HE BECAME THEIR HERO, AS WELL AS A SYMBOL OF THE NEW CHINESE SANG WENHUA MOVEMENT agreed to join the competition but regretted his decision soon after.

Maybe K-Pop has been dominating TV programmes, including MTV, lately, and girls around the world think that baby-face Asians are super cute and sexy, but the process of creating a boy or girl band in South Korea is nothing short of cruel. With 89 other competitors, Lelush joined the camp on the Hainan Island, where the "drilling" began with neverending singing and dancing classes.

Furthermore, the whole process is turned into a reality show with every step is recorded and transmitted, while the contestants are cut off from the outside world and have no computers or phones.

Very quickly, Lelush "got tired".

Exhausted, he admitted into the camera that he “is not cut out for a boy band", that he “does not want to take part in the competition he does not know what to do”, and that he “wants to go home”. But, the contract he had signed stipulated that if he left this reality show, he would have to pay out a huge amount of money, which Vladislav did not have. So, he had to stay until the end or be expelled by viewer votes. Lelush began to sabotage the process. He was in-

tentionally uninterested, with a depressed, apathetic face, he sang off-key and lethargically, and seemed to want to die. He expected to be kicked out first but the plot thickened.

Young audiences started to like Lelush very much and he became their hero, as well as a symbol of the new Chinese Sang Wenhua movement, which advocates apathy, pessimism and depression as passive resistance to the system that requires optimism, a lot of work, liveliness and joy.

He started getting a lot of votes to stay on in the competition, even though he was adamant that he wanted to be the worst contestant. He reluctantly and on purpose rapped in Russian on two occasions, even though he is fluent in Chinese. While others danced and sang around enthusiastically, his demeanour screamed one thing: "Get me out of here!" But the Chinese youth did not want to lose their hero, to his horror. Fans gave themselves the name "sun si" - "evil fans", and he became the subject of many memes. The producers rubbed their hands together in delight since the ratings with Lelush in the competition were much higher than they expected.

Young people in China have been facing growing inequality, rising real estate prices in big cities, and unemployment, which made them depressed and advocating disinterest, out of protest. To them, Lelush is an icon, and his sentences, uttered in a flat voice - "When will the class end?"

"I'm tired" and "I want to get out of here" - became the slogans of the Chinese youth, who are tired of the optimism of Jack Ma and him propagating the 12-hour working day. In the end, in one public address, Lelush said: "If you love me, get me out of the show!" And they did... Two weeks later. He thanked the audience on the Weibo network by saying "I'm finally done!"

Maybe it was the worst decision of his life. Or maybe the best. He is followed by millions of young Chinese people and has become one of the most adored public figures in China. And all of this is a result of him refusing to be famous and sign contracts promoting various things. Maybe Vladislav will monetize his fame but this time around, it will be on his terms, to the joy of the young Chinese, who want to live the way they want to live, and not the way it was imposed on them.

67

INTERVIEW

by Sonja Ćirić

I Write for Every Person in the World "I believe that we still live in a male-dominated world and I often feel that injustice. It is completely irrelevant to me what name will people assign to my profession, as long as they read books" JELENA LENGOLD Writer

elena Lengold is one of the few creative artists that we, the journalists, do not need a special reason to interview. Each of her new books attracts attention because the books that preceded the newest one were very popular among readers and abundantly rewarded. She has written 16 books, the most recent being the book of poetry called “Muddy Hint of Rain” (“Mutni Nagoveštaj Kiše“), where she writes simply yet vividly about everyday events and emotions worth remembering. There is also the collection of stories “The Disenchanted World” (“Raščarani Svet”) about middle-aged experiences of life and foreboding of death and uncertainty, and the novel “Giving Up” (“Odustajanje”), an exciting story about the three segments of life of the main female protagonist. Jelena won countless awards for her books, including the EU Prize for Literature (EUPL) for her story collection “The Fairground Magician” and the EUPL Writing Contest for “Jasmine and Death”.

Jelena Lengold's prose and poetry have been translated into eleven languages.

J

As of this spring, your book “The Fairground Magician” is also available in Spain, while the last year's edition, published in Greek, was the 11th edition of this collection of stories abroad, which makes it one of the most available books by a Serbian writer in the world. Why is this book so special?

— There is no special secret about it - it is a good brand endorsed by the EU Prize for Literature. The book was awarded in 2011 and thus has launched itself. After that, I wrote a few more collection of stories and poetry, as well as a novel, but, for the most part, foreign publishers are still interested in translating “The Fairground Magician”. Honestly, sometimes I feel sorry for this book. I am looking forward to the publication of another of my books in Germany

68

this year, the novel “Giving Up”.

Your topics are close to every one of us - interpersonal relationships, love, fears, injustice, memories... You don’t write about everyday situations or history, like many of your colleagues, at least not directly.

Why is that so?

— Because I find things that are

only the people from my town, but they could live anywhere in the world. Only when I do that, it makes sense to me to write about topics that literally every person in the world can relate to.

Your books are recognizable by their unusual, but also very noticeable and memorable titles.

In addition to the abovemen-

what exactly is ‘the disenchanted world’, who did you meet at 3 o’clock at Kandinsky’s, what did you give up and what is a muddy hint that forebode the rain?

— There is the old Latin saying that goes “Nomen est omen” which seems to apply not only to people but also to books. Sometimes, in the last year or two, I have been wondering what I want-

UNFORTUNATELY, GENDER EQUALITY DOES NOT EXIST, NEITHER IN OUR COUNTRY NOR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. IN GENERAL, THERE IS NO EQUALITY IN THE WORLD universal, that happen on an intimate level, in the solitude of a room or in the anonymity of someone's, seemingly ordinary, life, much more interesting than historical or political turmoil. In a sense, as I write, I am already addressing a future reader. And I imagine that my readers are not

tioned “The Fairground Magician”, I would also like to single out “The Disenchanted World” and “At 3 o’clock at Kandinsky’s” when it comes to collections of stories, “Giving Up” in terms of novels and “Muddy Hint of Rain”, your latest collection of poems. Can you describe for us

ed to tell myself when I chose “Giving Up” as the title of my last novel. I will have to write another book soon, enough to break the melancholic destiny of that title. But, the truth is that, at my age, I gave up a lot of things with joy and relief. Sometimes it can be hard when you are young and

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

when everyone expects a lot from you. A friend of mine says: "I am no longer young enough to be disappointed. I can only be pleasantly surprised now.” It’s a joke, but there is so much truth to it, which is liberating.

one is equal at all. In reality, most people think that their lives are worth more than the lives of other people. They also think that their life is worth more than animals, plants, nature... People lack elementary humbleness and empathy in order to understand their place on the Earth and to truly care for and respect others.

Yes, I believe that we still live in a male-dominated world and I often feel that injustice. It is completely irrelevant to me what name will people assign to my profession, as long as they read books.

At the time when novels dominate, stories and poems are still your trademark. What is it that these shorter forms allow you to do that novels do not?

— Yes, that’s quite unusual. At a time when we live fast lives, people are looking for longer and longer forms of art like a 10-volume-novel or series lasting several years. That’s an interesting absurdity. Fortunately, there are still fans of stories. But, since I am aware of how things are at the moment, I also wrote a novel, and the difference in sales is obvious, in favour of the novel. For me, stories are more pleasant to write because they contain diversity. With every tenth page, I enter a new life and a new world, and when you write a novel, you are stuck with one person for at least a year. It's not easy. It’s like you are put in a prison cell with that person.

Let's go back for a moment to our first topic of conversation…

Are you under the impression that there are very few translators from Serbian into foreign languages in our country, i.e. that this is the main reason why our literature is insufficiently presented in the world?

— There may be very few of them, but enough, because Serbian literature is not that dominant in the world in terms of the number of writers relevant enough to be translated. I have experienced more times our state authorities failing to support the translation of my books, than not being able to find interested translators or publishers. Foreign publishers expect the Serbian state authorities to invest something in their writers. Serbia sometimes does that, sometimes it doesn't. Our state resources for culture are pitifully small, and I have a feeling that we are not working systematically on promoting our writers in the world. We are more left to our own devices, fending for ourselves.

In that case, who is looking for whom first – the writer for the translator or vice versa?

— That depends on the writer. Intrusive writers ‘chase down’ their

The phrase "women’s literature" stopped having a derogatory meaning only at end of the last decade, considering that it used to be a synonym for lower-value literature. What is your take on that?

— I am afraid that in Serbia, that phrase still has an offensive meaning. I almost gave up trying to persuade the proponents of that phrase not to use it because they will obviously never understand it. The present time has given birth to a special category of people, all over the world - violent, hot-tempered, macho, and everything that comes with that.

That ultra-right charge that we can see all over Europe is a step backwards, in every sense, even in terms of women's and human

THE PRESENT TIME HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO A SPECIAL CATEGORY OF PEOPLE, ALL OVER THE WORLD - VIOLENT, HOT-TEMPERED, MACHO, AND EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH THAT translators and they are willing to pay for their book to be published in a foreign language. Then, there are also writers who are waiting for someone from abroad to invite them. I belong to the latter category. I think this is a more natural order. I don't like intruders. Of course, you can always have an agent who will do the job for you.

Certain people offered to be my agents after I got the EU award, but it seemed to me that I would be losing my freedom if I said “yes” to them.

Did the state authorities participate in the translation of your books?

— Yes, several times, and I am grateful to them for that. I have been to major European book fairs a few times, following the invitation of our Culture Ministry. They also rejected some foreign publishers on several occasions and

did not finance my book. As I said, the budget for culture is very small, having a ridiculous small share of the state budget of below 1%. When we observe what kind of MPs we have and who creates those budgets, we should not be very surprised that this is the case. They really don't look like people to whom culture would be a priority.

The Law on Gender Equality was recently passed in Serbia. What changes do you expect to happen now? Do you use the male or female term for the word “writer”?

— Unfortunately, gender equality does not exist, neither in our country nor anywhere in the world. In general, there is no equality in the world. It is an illusion, an ideal that some people aspire to, and most only pretend to aspire to it. In reality, most people do not think that every-

rights. So, one should not get carried away that we are constantly climbing the line of progress. We are not.

The French publisher, Gallimard, recently complained that they had been inundated with manuscripts, and explained this phenomenon by people having more spare time due to the pandemic.

Was this the case with you too?

— Nothing much has changed in my life because of the pandemic, in terms of communication with people, because I lived a secluded life even before that. I am tired of people and prefer solitude. But the pandemic brought on another element - constant fear and anxiety. As far as I'm concerned, they're not particularly good allies of writing. For me, this year was spent more reading than writing.

Other people's books have helped me greatly.

69

READ THIS ON WEB

INTERVIEW

by Jelena Lagator

We Need the Flow of Ideas and Artists The job of a dancer is always related to a continuous learning. Ballet is an art that is constantly changing

Photos: Aleksandar Ramadanović

more. Most of my life is work and just work. There is very, very little time for socializing, going out, traveling.

ANDREI COLCERIU Principal dancer at the Serbian National Theatre Ballet

ne of the most charismatic and expressive dancers of his generation, Andrei Colceriu the principal dancer at SNT Ballet, has dedicated his life to the ballet.

He decided to become a dancer as a child, and after his graduation in Cluj he arrived in Novi Sad in 2003. A new state, new city, new theater, unknown people, language, everything was a very interesting experience. In the beginning he started dancing in the ensemble, like everyone else. In a short time pedagogues, choreographers, colleagues, noticed his work and he started to dance first smaller and then bigger roles. The roles came one after another and soon he became the SNT Ballet principal dancer.

O

A few weeks ago, on May 14, the premiere of the ballet "Madame Butterfly" was held, choreographed and directed by Peter Breuer, the cooperation of SNT and the Austrian ballet company Europaballet. You play the father of the young Cho-Cho-San. You appear in the scene of the ChoCho-San’s memory and leave an extremely striking mark. What has the interpretation of this character brought you?

70

— I could point out that in this play, my character, the Cho-ChoSan’s father, appears only in the first act for seven, eight minutes.

During that time I bring the elements together both dramatic and

Greek”. I truly enjoyed those characters from the moment I’ve met them.

Does professional success come at a price?

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS IF THE PRICE IS NOT HIGH technical, at the same time paying attention to other characters.

Another segment that I would like to single out is the encounter with Japanese philosophy, costume, music. I deeply enjoyed the innovations and new knowledge I absorbed during the process of creation.

— Great success implies giving up many everyday habits mostly taken for granted. It is impossible to achieve professional success if the price is not high. By that I mean that I have to exercise every day, to take care responsibly of my diet, not to injure myself and so much

Who have been your role models, inspiration, teachers over the years?

— The job of a dancer is always related to a continuous learning. Ballet is an art that is constantly changing. New directions are coming, new choreographers, new interpretations. I enjoy learning from the best pedagogues and dancers. Luckily, this is the age of the Internet and it is enough to see the best players with only one click and to try to work like them.

On the other hand, pedagogues are the important part of an invisible team, with whom we spend a lot of time preparing our roles. I achieved the greatest satisfaction working with Mr. Bakhram Yuldashev and Mr. De Palma.

What do yout think of the ballet scene in Serbia? What do you think needs to be improved?

— The ballet scene in Serbia is small, apart from the SNT Ballet and the National Theater Ballet in Belgrade, it is almost non-existent. There are few performances, premieres and guest appearances.

What is missing is the flow of ideas and artists. Every new arrival of pedagogues, dancers, choreographers, is a new energy that works so that we ask ourselves where are we and where do we want to be.

Your roles are technically always precise and you identify with the character in a very convincing way, whether you play a neoclassic or a classic roles.

— Which ones would you single out as the most impressive in your career so far?

It is quite difficult to single out a few roles. As time passes, my roles change and so do I. Each period of my life is marked by some role, sometimes it is a role from the classical repertoire, sometimes it is neoclassical or some other style. They are really numerous. I am very proud of my Basil from the ballet “Don Quixote”, and Zorba from the ballet “Zorba the

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

AWARDS

Recognition for Good Deeds Goodness Uncovered Trag Foundation announces the winners of the fourteenth VIRTUS Award for Philanthropy or the fourteenth time in a row, the Trag Foundation presented the VIRTUS Award for Philanthropy to companies, small and medium enterprises and individuals who performed good deeds, initiated and supported philanthropic initiatives during the previous year and thus contributed to the development of communities in which they live and operate, as well as reducing the consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The VIRTUS Award for 2020 was awarded with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) within the Framework for Giving project, the European Union, the Balkan Trust for Democracy, the Balkan Civil Society Development Network and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

The winner of the Main Award for the contribution on the national level is the company MK Group LTD for donations totalling more than 1 million Euros, in-

F

tended for the purchase of medical equipment for health institutions, humanitarian food packages for socially disadvantaged citizens, transportation of children in need of medical treatment abroad, support for the children without parental care and numerous cultural institutions and organizations. Company

terprises, while the Award for individual contribution to philanthropy was presented to Aleksandar Alek Kavčić from Belgrade, inventor and professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States of America, for his contribution to the advancement of the primary and secondary education in Serbia.

erty reduction, while Selma Hasić Manić and Nerma Zekić Hoćanin from Novi Pazar won the Award for young philanthropists.

The VIRTUS Award for Philanthropy was established in 2007, with the aim of recognizing and supporting representatives of the business sector, citizens, whose strategic and long-term philan-

THE VIRTUS AWARD FOR PHILANTHROPY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2007, WITH THE AIM OF RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BUSINESS SECTOR, CITIZENS, WHOSE STRATEGIC AND LONG-TERM PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITIES eFront LTD from Belgrade (a part of BlackRock) received the Award for the contribution to the local community in which the company operates, while the Award for long-term partnership between business and non-profit sector was given to Raiffeisen Bank JSC Belgrade.

CCS Solutions LTD, a micro-enterprise from Belgrade won the Award for small and medium en-

The winners of Special Awards are: Delta Holding from Belgrade for the most innovative project, IKEA Serbia LTD for contribution to gender equality, as well as the Mihajlović System LTD from Paraćin, for long-term contribution to the local community in which the company operates. Mirjana Mutuc, an accountant from Novi Sad, received an Award for the personal contribution to pov-

thropic activities contribute to the development of the communities in which they live and operate. As philanthropy has a special significance in times of great crises, this time the Trag Foundation wanted to highlight those who were engaged in addressing the consequences of the pandemic in their communities, as well as those who continued to promote positive values in the society.

71

READ THIS ON WEB

RESIDENCES AND BUILDINGS

by Žikica Milošević

The Italian Embassy The splendour of Italian culture in the heart of Belgrade he building that is home to the Italian Embassy was built during the biggest construction and architectural boom in Belgrade, in the 1920s, to symbolize the long and abundant tradition of Serbian-Italian relations.

Even the person who wanted to build it was related to Serbia - it was Queen Elena (formerly the Montenegrin Princess Jelena), the wife of Vittorio Emanuele III. In 1926, she hired the architect Florestano di Fausto to build a monumental building for the Kingdom of Italy's diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which would later become Yugoslavia, as it had outgrown the existing premises. Indeed, the Italian Embassy in Serbia, back then located at 33, Francuska Street, used to house a much smaller diplomatic mission of a country that wasn't our neighbour back in the day, and now, all of a sudden, Italy in Belgrade was an important country and our direct neighbour, both on land and at sea.

Let's go back to Queen Elena of Italy, the driving force behind the new embassy. She not only chose the architect from the state apparatus but also picked the location and the main elements of the building, as well pieces of furniture to furnish the embassy's interior.

The slope of Western Vračar was chosen as the construction site, which at that time, was on the edge of downtown Belgrade. The choice was not accidental since the then Vračar was built along with the oriental principle, with crooked and nar-

T

72

THE ITALIAN EMBASSY REFLECTS EVERYTHING THAT ITALIAN CULTURE IS - TAILOR-MADE TO PEOPLE, ELEGANT, PLEASANT, AND REFLECTING THE IMPECCABLE TASTE OF THE ENTIRE NATION row streets. Florestano di Fausto, who came from Rome to oversee the construction of the embassy's building, was a respected architect with great influence.

The situational plan of the building, according to di Fausto's designs, was subsequently drawn up by the Serbian engineer Niko-

la Praporčetović, a member of the Association of Yugoslav Engineers and Architects, who probably also supervised the construction. However, the construction did not stop there. Another building was added shortly after the original one, called Palazzina, which was intended for consular

affairs and carabinieri. It was designed by the Belgrade architect Ivan Belić but not entirely. The floor above that segment of the building was designed by the Italian architect Anton Colantoni.

The building’s interior and exterior were renovated in the 1950s, and subsequently in 2004 and

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

2005, when H.E. Antonio Zanardi Landi was the Italian Ambassador to Serbia. In those years, the facade was repaired and reconstructed, while the bathrooms and interior walls and service rooms were renovated. The building also got special lighting with the spotlights from the basement upwards producing a special effect on the building front and highlighting its architectural plasticity at night.

The building has a special architectural value and is one of the most beautiful diplomatic buildings in Belgrade. Namely, the ground floor part of the facade was built as piano nobile (noble floor), while the decoration above the windows stands out in its beauty compared to other floors.

Di Fausto opted for an academic style but added eclectic elements typical of Italian culture, such as the Renaissance, Mannerism, Italian Baroque and Neoclassicism.

The idea was to make a harmo-

nious blend of Serbian architecture on Birčaninova Street, but also to highlight the superior tradition of Italian architecture that has dictated patterns of aesthetics to the entire Western world for centuries.

ry from the last, narrowest zone of the facade. It is interesting to note that, at the time when both countries became republics, the building got a new attractive element - stained glass - which was put there after the Second World War

jević: “It is adapted to a representative and solemn purpose, which is interconnected by wide openings, glass and wall parapets on the ground floor, with the decorated ceilings featuring chandeliers made of Murano glass.” Mirrors

THE WALLS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE MADE OF NATURAL STONE, BUT THAT’S JUST AN ILLUSION - THEY ARE MADE OF BRICKS AND LINED WITH ARTIFICIAL STONE The walls look like they are made of natural stone, but that’s just an illusion - they are made of bricks and lined with artificial stone. The areas around the windows on the central block of the facade lined with red tiles look impressive. The first-floor windows feature lion's heads, that is, more precisely, "masks", which symbolize the highest authority, determination and ambition. There is also an unaccented wreath that separates the prima-

by the Serbian painter Predrag Milosavljević. The added part of the building stylistically fits in with di Fausto's idea. It is connected to the old part of the building by a vaulted corridor with a path that leads to a beautiful garden, which is by one third lower than the original part.

Another wave of beautiful aesthetics washes you over when you enter the building. The interior is designed in a humanistic style. In the words of the architect A. Kadi-

are adorned with baroque decorations, and the paintings depicting Queen Elena, Italian cardinals, as well as modern painting motifs, hold an important value. The harmoniously sculpted fence on the staircase, which impression of elegance is underlined by beautiful vases, draws the eye. All in all, the Italian embassy reflects everything that Italian culture is - tailor-made to people, elegant, pleasant, and reflecting the impeccable taste of the entire nation.

73

READ THIS ON WEB

FOOD PLANET

by Vanja Kovačev

Slovenian Cuisine - a Magic Mixture of Different Tastes and Influences of Neighbouring Countries The symbol of Slovenian cuisine is the famous "queen" Potica

KATARINA BERGANT Spouse of Ambassador of Slovenia

C continues the food journey around the world. In June 2021, since it is the month of the Slovenian National day and the fact that in the second half of 2021, Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second time, we in the Food planet team decided to make an interesting interview with the spouse of H.E. Damjan Bergant Ambassador of Slovenia to Serbia Mrs. Katarina Bergant.

D

What are the main characteristics of Slovenian cuisine?

— Slovenia is a small country, with a very beautiful and diverse landscape which has the main influence on gastronomy. Geographically Slovenia offers the Pannonian Basin in the northeast to the Alpine region in the west, well known for pumpkin oil, from the Karst and coastline, well known for olive oil, in the south to the hills of Dolenjska in the east. Over the centuries Slovenia has developed some traditional tastes like Bograč from Prekmurje - originally Goulash from Hungary, Idrijski žlikrofi - originally Raviolli from Italy. Our traditional food was aimed more for the consumption of farmers, since the majority of the Slovene population in the past were farmers. Our most popular dish would be Ajdovi žganci -Buckwheat spoon bread and Kranjska klobasa with sauerkraut - Kranjska sausage. Clearly, our traditional food is very simple, rich and heavy, usually eaten with a spoon “na žlico”. As for example we also consume Dandelion Salad with potatoes and bacon.

In Serbia Dandelion is considered as a weed, so I don’t pluck it when I’m there. The hardest to prepare is definitely the Slovenian symbol of cuisine, the Potica.

74

I LIKE BELGRADE AND FEEL AMAZING BEING HERE. YOU RARELY FIND A CITY THAT CONTAINS SUCH KIND AND HOSPITABLE PEOPLE THAT MAKE YOU FEEL WELCOME Which part of Slovenia do you come from and which are the three most known Slovenian meals and sweets from your region?

— I was born and raised in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana and the three most known Slovenian meals from my region are: - Jota - Sauerkraut Stew with beans and potatoes - Ajdovi žganci - Buckwheat spoon

bread - Kranjska klobasa - Kranjska sausage As for the traditional Slovenian desserts, the most known and adored would have to be Flancati, Buhteljni and, of course, the famous "queen" Potica. It is our go to traditional holiday cake, usually served at Christmas or Easter or any other important occasion.

There are different ways and

many variants of the Potica, depending on the family and tradition within, the most known being: walnut Potica, walnut and raisins Potica, carob Potica, hazelnut Potica, poppy seed Potica, and our family favourite tarragon and cream Potica. This rich rolled dough cake might be well known but it is also very hard to make. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice over the years to look

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

and taste like the true traditional cake we know. We use the potica baking mould, the "potičnik", which has a conical protrusion in the middle, making it the recognisable shape it is known for.

Featuring twice on the Slovenian postage stamps, and having been mentioned in many literary pieces of Slovenia’s greatest writers, it marks a great importance to the Slovenian heritage.

The Traditional Slovenian Recipe for Tarragon potica To make the Tarragon potica you will need: Potičnik, 27 cm (10 inches) in diameter

What are the Slovenian meals you prepare in Serbia?

— When preparing Slovenian meals in Serbia, I would most probably serve Potica. I also like to prepare Blejske kremšnite -Bled cream cake, as it is just as good and a little easier to make.

What is your favourite Serbian dish and why?

— My absolute favourites are: Gibanica - with kajmak and white cheese, Sarma and Beze cake.

These three dishes have a special meaning for me, as they were a very big part of my childhood.

My grandmother, who has since passed, was born Serbian from Belgrade. Through marriage with a Slovene, she moved to Slovenia 73 years ago and spent her life in Ljubljana. I had grown up with all the Serbian specialties and cannot imagine New Year’s Day without the fresh smell of Sarma that was being prepared for lunch or celebrating any occasion without Gibanica or Beze cake.

How do you like living in Belgrade? Which regions/cities have you visited and which is the one you would recommend to your expat friends and why?

— Due to my profession I, unfortunately, do not live constantly in Belgrade. I like Belgrade and feel amazing being here. You rarely find a city that contains such kind and hospitable people that make you feel welcome. Meeting new people always leaves me so pleasantly surprised, as they tend to recognize me by my Slovenian accent when speaking Serbian and then go on telling me about their connections with Slovenia. Due to the global pandemic, I wasn’t able to travel as much as I would have liked to. Either way I recommend visiting beautiful cities like Novi Sad or the beautiful Golubac Fortress.

The traditional Slovenian recipe for Tarragon potica can be found on www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

INGREDIENTS • 400 g (3 cups or 14 oz) soft pastry flour • 200 g (1 1/4 cups or 7 oz) strong bread flour • 42 g (1.5 oz) fresh yeast • 100 g (1/2 cup or 3.5 oz) sugar • 5 g (0.2 oz) salt • 1 tbsp rum • 300 ml (1 ¼ cups or 10 fl oz) lukewarm milk • 8 g (0.3 oz) vanilla sugar • 50 g (1.8 oz) butter • 4 egg yolks • 1/2 lemon, zested

FILLING: • 50 g (1.8 oz) butter • 4 tbsp breadcrumbs • 1 egg • 180 g (6.3 oz) sour cream • 150 g (3/4 cup or 5.3 oz) sugar • 8 g (0.3 oz) vanilla sugar • 200 g (7 oz) fresh tarragon, leaves only, or 15 g (0.5 oz) dry tarragon • Butter for buttering the baking mould/potičnik • Strong bread flour to facilitate the dough rolling process • Caster sugar and a thin wooden stick

PREPARATION: Place the eggs and yeast at room temperature at least half an hour before baking.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl (I prefer plastic bowls with covers) to make for a lighter and airier texture. Mix gently to ensure both types of flour are well integrated.

Don’t use a bowl that is cold to the touch, as it will interfere with the quality of your leavened dough.

YEAST MIXTURE Crush the yeast into a small bowl, add one teaspoon of sugar, 4 tablespoons of lukewarm milk and 1 tablespoon of sifted flour. Stir gently, cover the bowl with a dishcloth and allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, for 10-15 minutes. In cold weather, set the mixture in a warm place to expedite fermentation.

EGG YOLK MIXTURE Beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, rum, lemon zest and salt into a fluffy mixture before adding lukewarm milk to it. Melt the butter and allow it to cool, so it’s not too hot when mixed with the flour. Return to the bowl of sifted flour and form a well in the centre, then pour in the yeast mixture.

Use a wooden spoon to gradually fold the flour from the edges into the yeast mixture. Now add the egg yolk mixture and stir again before adding the melted butter.

Take 20 minutes to knead the ingredients until they form a soft, silky texture that doesn’t stick to your hands or the bowl. Add some strong bread flour if necessary.

Then form a loaf, put it into a bowl and seal it with a cover or plastic wrap and allow it to rise to twice its original size—about an hour to an hour and a half. For best leavening results, keep the room temperature above 25°C/77°F. In the meantime, prepare the filling.

Sauté the breadcrumbs in butter and wait until they cool. Add the egg yolk, sour cream, vanilla sugar and mix. Beat the egg white with one tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt until stiff and fold it carefully into the filling. Before you coat the dough with the filling, prepare the work surface. Lay a large dishcloth over it and sprinkle

evenly with strong bread flour.

Place the dough on the dishcloth and roll it out to form a square that is 1 finger width thick (1 cm/0.4 inches). Once rolled, the dough should measure 55×55 cm (21×21 inches) in size, which is a perfect fit for a 27 cm (10 inches) potičnik.

Spread the filling evenly to the edge of the rolled-out dough and sprinkle tarragon and sugar over it. Begin rolling up the dough from one side, gently pulling inwards on the emerging tube to ensure the flat dough ahead is taut. Use fingers while rolling up the dough to squeeze out trapped air, in order to prevent air bubbles from forming during baking. Pinch in the side edges as you go, to avoid filling-free bites. Continue until the dough is rolled up. Butter the potičnik and use a kitchen cloth to determine the length of the dough to match the circumference of the potičnik. Feel free to cut away the edges as necessary, to ensure a proper fit. Place the dough in the potičnik. Use a thin wooden stick to poke holes through the dough to facilitate air expulsion, then cover it with a dishcloth and set it in a warm place for another one-hour leavening session. Preheat the convection oven to 180°C/350°F. Perforate the dough again, put it in the oven and bake for one hour.

If the crust turns yellow before the end of baking, cover the potica with baking paper, but, if possible, keep the oven closed the entire time. When baked (check by piercing the dough with a knife bladeit’s done when the blade is clean), take the mould out of the oven and immediately flip it over and put the potica to slide out. Allow it to cool, preferably on a wooden surface, then sprinkle caster sugar over it.

75

REPORTAGE

by Robert Čoban

ON THE SPOT: VRBAS

Martin Luther for the Second Time Among Serbs The initiative to re-erect a monument to Martin Luther in front of the recently renovated Lutheran Evangelical Church in Vrbas, which was first erected in 1931, then demolished in 1944 and consequently remelted in the foundry of the local sugar factory in 1947, is symbolic and significant on several levels. he paintings "The Great Migration of the Swabians" by Stefan Jaeger and "Migration of the Serbs" by Paja Jovanović depict the arrival of two nations in what is today Bačka County. Reproductions of both paintings hang on one of the walls in the Town Museum in Vrbas, a town where Protestant Germans made up the majority of the population until World War II. In Jaeger's painting "Der Grosse Schwabenzug", the Germans seem rather chaotic, like today's migrants, or people looking for a new living space. The person who had commissioned the painting, Patriarch Georgije, did not like the version of "Migration of the Serbs" with sheep and a woman with a baby, the reproduction of which I had a chance of seeing in Vrbas. The church claimed that Patriarch Arsenije Čarnojević responded to the invitation of the Holy Roman Emperor to go north and that Paja Jovanović presented the Serbs in his painting "like a mob on the run". Namely, after studying historical sources, Paja Jovanović gained the impression that the fear of Ottoman revenge, and not the desire to protect the Habsburg borders, led the Serbs to leave their homes.

T

SIX CHURCHES Jovanović took the painting back to his studio and changed it according to the patriarch's wish.

He removed the sheep, the wooden cart, the woman and her little son while putting stylized warriors in their place. This version is in the Patriarchate today. According to Jovanović's original idea, the painter sold the version with sheep, a woman and a baby to a Serb lawyer in Zagreb. Due to a combination of dramatic historical circumstances, the painting was hidden under the bed of a woman from Pančevo for three decades, and today it is the most important exhibit of the

76

BEFORE AND AFTER DEMOLITION: Evangelical prayer house with the church in the background

TODAY’S VRBAS HAS CHURCHES OF SIX DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS: ORTHODOX, ROMAN CATHOLIC, GREEK CATHOLIC, METHODIST, CALVINIST AND LUTHERAN standing collection of the National Museum in Pančevo.

In one way or another, and regardless of the views of official politics, the church and the artists, Germans and Serbs, as well as a number of Hungarians and Ruthenians moved to this area and lived peacefully and in harmony together for two centuries.

The central street in Vrbas is still named after Marshal Tito,

a statesman after whom the entire municipality was named from 1983 to 1992. It is hard to miss the fact that today’s Vrbas has churches of six different denominations: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Methodist, Calvinist and Lutheran. The seventh temple the Jewish synagogue - was demolished not during the WWII occupation but after the liberation.

In 1948, when most of the surviv-

ing Jews emigrated to Israel, the synagogue burned down in a suspicious manner and was immediately demolished.

Except for the Calvinist church, which has a star instead of a cross on its tower and a Masonic pyramid with an "all-seeing eye" on the front, and is desperate for restoration, all other churches are very well maintained. The most recently renovated is the large Lutheran church in the centre of Novi Vrbas.

The bright yellow colour bathes in the sun and suggests that someone has invested a substantial amount of money in the renovation of this place of worship.

The renovation works, worth EUR 320,000 or 100 million forints, were financed by the Government of the Republic of Hungary as part of the project of revitalization of Christian churches in Vojvodina, which included 11 such buildings. It was built in the Baroque style, and its vault is adorned with a fresco titled "Luther before the court in Worms", the work of the famous painter Jožef Pehan, a native of Vrbas (his grandson Bela still lives in the town). Until the end of the Second World War, in the park in front of the church, there was the only replica of the monument to Martin Luther in the world.

TAKEN DOWN AND RECAST The Martin Luther monument was unveiled in 1931, and its construction and installation were financed by the local newspaper salesman Johan Becker.

He commissioned a casting of a copy of the statue of Martin Luther from Worms, a town not far from Frankfurt, from the Württemberg Metal Factory. The statue in Worms was made in 1868 by the German sculptor Ernst Rietschel.

The monument in Vrbas stood on a pedestal made of Dalmatian marble from 1931 to 1944, when in September, some of the local Ger-

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

AN ALL-SEEING EYE: Calvinist Church in Vrbas

mans, in fear of retaliation from partisans and Red Army soldiers, left for the homeland from which their ancestors arrived two centuries earlier. Those who missed that new "Schwabenzug" and welcomed the liberators mostly ended up in camps for German civilians that sprouted in those days all over Vojvodina. The largest were in Knićanin, Bački Jarak and Gakovo. A similar destiny befell the Martin Luther monument in front of the Lutheran Church. In October 1944, it was taken down from the marble pedestal and put into the church. Three years later, zealous communists who, at that time were eager to remove all traces of "reaction" from public spaces - like the statues of the Holy Trinity in public squares - decided to "finish" with Luther forever, so his statue was melted down in the foundry of the local sugar factory.

The Alternative Culture Centre civil association from Vrbas, whose members are Protestant, Serbian Orthodox, Catholic and of other religious denominations, have recently launched an initiative to erect a monument to the father of the Reformation, Martin Luther, in front of the renovated Lutheran Church. It will be interesting to see how the authorities, which have often emphasized their commitment to "Protestant work ethic" in recent years, will react to this initiative.

POISONED: The Great Bačka Canal near Vrbas

RENOVATED WITH FUNDS OF THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT: Lutheran Evangelical Church in Vrbas

As we were leaving the Town Museum, curator Pavle Orbović showed us a part of the collection that is in his office because it could not fit in the exhibition space. He pointed to several books from the relics he got from the Evangelical Prayer House. We were already in a hurry and I couldn’t stay to listen to the whole story. The next day, several friends from Vrbas sent me photos of the Evangelical Prayer House, which was demolished only a day after my visit to Vrbas. Following the decision made by the majority of local MPs at the 2nd session of

Evangelical prayer house

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER At the same time, the people living in Vrbas are bothered by a much bigger problem than the demolition of the Evangelical Prayer House and the eventual return of Luther to the town centre. They are worried about a huge environmental catastrophe that is happening in the part of the Grand Bačka Canal near the Vital factory, which releases untreated waste materials into the Canal water. Everybody here knows that the people living in the streets

THE GREAT BAČKA CANAL IS A MASTERPIECE OF CONSTRUCTION FROM THE LATE 18TH AND EARLY 19TH CENTURY, DESIGNED BY JOŽEF KIŠ the Municipality of Vrbas, the demolition of an 18th-century-building of historical significance and the construction of a business and residential building in its place were approved. As the chairman of the Church Board, Imre Gsveng, told us that the building was not under state protection and the church sold it while undertaking to build a smaller prayer centre in the building that will be built in this location. Residents of Vrbas, who had seen the project documentation, claim that a private villa with a swimming pool will be built here.

We have to wait and see.

around the canal and the factory’s vicinity have the highest percentage of cancer patients per capita in Europe. There is almost no family here that doesn’t have a cancer patient or a member who died from this vicious disease in the past 30 years.

The Great Bačka Canal is a masterpiece of construction from the late 18th and early 19th century, designed by Jožef Kiš. It enabled the draining of wetlands in Bačka and shortened navigation from Bezdan to the confluence of the Tisza and the Danube by as much as 258 kilometres. It also short-

ened the journey from Bezdan to Gradište by 10 days, and in the opposite, upstream direction, by as much as 20 days.

More than two centuries later, due to the state’s inability to enforce that the factories of domestic tycoons and foreign investors in the area of the Great Bačka Canal should apply the minimum environmental standards has led to the population of this idyllic Bačka town with churches of six different denominations leave for Novi Sad or even abroad.

Jožef Kiš died in Sombor and was buried in Vrbas. An epitaph, engraved on the tombstone above his grave with a view of the Great Bačka Canal, reads: "Here lies Jožef Kiš, a Hungarian nobleman. Franc's Canal speaks of his immortality while this cold marble stone speaks of his mortality. He was born in Buda, 14 days before the first day of April, in 1748. He died in Sombor while staying with his friends from Bačka, on the third day of March 1813. " We cannot wait to see whether the arrival of Martin Luther "for the second time among Serbs" will restore the Protestant work ethic and a healthy attitude towards the natural environment so that generations of our contemporaries are also given a chance to engrave epithets of "immortality" on their tombstones.

VRBAS IN THE 1930s: The Martin Luther Monument

77

CULTURE NEWS

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC

Programme JUNE

KOLARAC

Programme JUNE

3 and 4 June 2021 WIND ENSEMBLE OF BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC W. A. Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K 620 F. Mendelssohn: Midsummernight’s Dream

10, 11, and 12 June 2021 BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CONCERT

Conductor: Daniel Raiskin Soloist: Veljko Klenkovski, clarinet F. Mendelssohn: Nocturno for winds W. A. Mozart: Clarinet Concerto K 622, in A major J. Brahms: Serenade No. 2, Op. 16 in A major

17 and 18 June 2021 BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CONCERT Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Soloist: Robert Lakatoš, violin M. Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26 in G minor R. Schumann: Symphony No. 2, Op. 61 in C major

Wednesday, 2nd at 20.00 Concert Hall CONCERT ON THE OCCASION OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC DAY Production: Italian Cultural Institute

Thursday, 3rd at 19.00 Concert Hall NENAD RADIĆ piano Programme: Chopin

Sunday, 13th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE PROMS Stevan Spalević, piano Programme: Beethoven

Wednesday, 16th at 20.00 Concert Hall ARTLINK FESTIVAL

Toke Moldrup & Tanja Zapolski

Friday, 4th at 20.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE SOUL SEXTET 500, 700

Saturday, 5th at 19.30 Concert Hall, 19:30 BELGRADE GUITAR FESTIVAL

Joaquin Clerch & RTS Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Bojan Suđić Soloists: Marco Tamayo, Rafael Aguirre, Joaquin Clerch & David Martinez

Sunday, 6th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE PROMS` Students of the Faculty of Music Belgrade Piano Department

Sunday, 6th at 20.00 Concert Hall FAMOUS ARIAS & DUETS Vladimir Gligorić, piano Marija Jelić, soprano Dejan Maksimovicć, tenor Programme: Verdi, Puccini

Monday, 7th at 19.00 Concert Hall MUSIC SCHOOL KOSTA MANOJLOVIĆ Tuesday, 8th at 19.00 Concert Hall Dina Hadžiomerović

PIANO

Wednesday, 9th at 19.00 Concert Hall ASTOR PIAZZOLLA'S 100TH BIRTHDAY Maja Bogdanović, violončelo Daniel Rowland, violin Marcelo Nisinman, bandoneon Alberto Mesirca, double bass Natasa Kudrizkja, piano

78

Saturday, 12th 19.0 Concert Hall MIOMIRA VITAS WITH GUESTS

Thursday, 17th at 20.00 Concert Hall ARTLINK FESTIVAL Vasco Dantos

Saturday, 19th at 20.00 Concert Hall ARTLINK FESTIVAL Michel Dalberto

Sunday, 20th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE PROMS

Piano Trio/ Professors Music Academy Niš Mina Mendelson, violin Bojana Dimković Šumanjski, piano Aleksandar Jakovljević, cello

Monday, 21st at 20.00 Concert Hall ARTLINK FESTIVAL Alberto Ferro

Tuesday, 22nd at 19.00 Concert Hall FACULTY OF MUSIC BELGRADE Student`s Concert/ Piano Department

Saturday, 26th at 11.00 Concert Hall SMALL SCHOOL OF BONTON – HOW TO LISTEN TO THE CONCERT Choir of the Children's Cultural Center Host: Miloš Milovanović Production: Music Centre 300

Sunday, 27th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE PROMS VooDoo Piano Duo Production: Music Centre 300

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

 MODERN A-CLASS OFFICE BUILDING  8,300 M2 OF GLA ON 9 FLOORS  PRIME CITY LOCATION  TAILOR MADE INTERIOR DESIGN SOLUTIONS  PREMIUM RETAIL OFFER