Diplomacy&Commerce 76

June 2022 | ISSUE No. 76 | Price 350 RSD

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JUNE

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SERBIA HAS AN AMBITIOUS REFORM AGENDA

THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE DAY

NICOLA PONTARA

World Bank’s Country Manager for Serbia

THE NATIONAL BANK OF SERBIA BUILDING Cultural heritage

DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH VIEWERS AND GUESTS MINJA MILETIĆ

Executive Programme Director and a Member of Euronews Serbia’s Programme Council

Italy

OUR RELATIONS ARE STRETCHING TO ALL AREAS

EXHIBITION ABOUT JOVANKA BROZ AS PART OF THE HEROINES PROGRAMME

H.E. FEDOR ROSOCHA

The Slovakian Ambassador to Serbia S P E C I A L

E D I T I ON

United Kingdom The

FOCUS ON

FABIANA URBANI Head of the Economic and Commercial Office, Italian Embassy

DR DAVID LANDSMAN OBE Chairman of BSCC

Brave Old World FOLLOW US TO STAY UPDATED

FOREWORD

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

WEB

FACEBOOK

ast month, I moderated a panel at the Weekend Food Festival in Rovinj: "From desire to experience", where the participants were two experienced professionals in the hotel business: Sebastian Postogna, F&B Manager, Falkensteiner Group and Luka Ravnikar, Head of Sales and Marketing at Maistra Hospitality Group.

At the beginning, I told an anecdote from a few days ago when we stopped by for lunch in Opatija, in one of the local hotels. When we paid our tab and left a tip for the waiter, he said to us: "I see that you are in the conference business, we have a very nice dining hall at the hotel, so if you should need it for some events in the future..."

My question for the panelists was if this waiter would have been punished at their hotel for eavesdropping on the guests' conversation or would he have been awarded for offering something that won't bring him direct commission or benefit?

After the conference, I conducted a little survey among the managers and owners of several hotels in the region, asking them the same

L

YOUTUBE

INSTAGRAM

LINKEDIN

TWITTER

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

natasa.nesic@color.rs

JOVANA MARKOVIĆ Advertising manager jovana.markovic@color.rs DRAGANA RADOVIĆ Advertising manager dragana.radovic@color.rs OGNJEN TRMČIĆ Advertising manager

ognjen.trmcic@color.rs

NIKOLA PAVLOVIĆ Journalist nikola@ diplomacyandcommerce.rs ROBERT ČOBAN Director robert.coban@color.rs

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

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SERBIA HAS AN AMBITIOUS REFORM AGENDA NICOLA PONTARA World Bank’s Country Manager for Serbia

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OUR RELATIONS ARE STRETCHING TO ALL AREAS

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE

ATTRACTING INVESTMENT TO SERBIA RICHARD ROBINSON

KORI UDOVIČKI

Executive Director BSCC Serbia

President of the Board and Chief Economist of CEVES

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EXHIBITION ABOUT JOVANKA BROZ AS PART OF THE HEROINES PROGRAMME

H.E. FEDOR ROSOCHA

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The Slovakian Ambassador to Serbia

SINIŠA MITROVIĆ

Director of the Matica Srpska Gallery

Head of the Centre for Circular Economy of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia

Director of the Museum of Yugoslavia

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MILAN MARINOVIĆ

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

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

Teachers and professors demotivated by the low salaries and "manners" of Generation Z to the greatest extent no longer look like those people who put the Baby Boomers and the Generation X, and even the Millennials, on their path to adulthood.

What kind of a crash needs to happen in our civilization for us to realize that some manners of the "Brave old world" - are the only way for the human race to survive and that all of us - employees, employers and countries - have to work on making this possible again.

CONTENT

KEEP IT PERSONAL. ”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21132 Petrovaradin, Štrosmajerova 3 TIN 107871532 Matriculation number 20887303 Phone: +381 21 4897 100 Office: Braće Jugovića 23/2, Belgrade Phone: 011 4044 960

question: do you have a waiter in your establishment who would offer something he would not benefit from? The pandemic, the war, inflation, rising prices - over the past two years, it seems as though problems are just lining up one after the other and it somehow seems that the people, even those whose job is to smile and be of service - lost their nerves and patience for anything but their "main job". A friend complains to me how the doctors can't wait to leave state clinics at 1 PM to go to their second job in private medical offices.

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Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection

RES SHOULD HAVE A GRAND ENTRANCE

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State Secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy

DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH VIEWERS AND GUESTS MINJA MILETIĆ Executive Programme Director and a Member of Euronews Serbia’s Programme Council

TIJANA PALKOVLJEVIĆ BUGARSKI NEDA KNEŽEVIĆ

S P E C I A L

E D I T I ON

BIENNALE 2022

ZORAN LAKIĆEVIĆ

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LONG LIST OF OPPORTUNITIES DR DAVID LANDSMAN OBE Chairman of BSCC

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FINANCE & ECONOMICS

Europe’s Economy Grapples With an Acute Energy Shock But a recession is not expected—yet or the best part of a decade, rock-bottom interest rates seemed like a fact of life in the euro zone—as did low inflation. Now consumer prices are rising at an annual rate exceeding 8%, well above the European Central Bank’s target of 2%.

Members of the bank’s governing council have begun signalling their intent to raise rates soon, a message they are likely to reaffirm at a monetary-policy meeting on June 9th. But the ECB finds itself in a tricky position: of contending not only with surging prices, which might warrant rapid rate rises, but also gloomier growth prospects, which might warrant patience.

The root cause of both developments is a severe energy-price shock. Prices of oil and natural gas had already been rising before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; the war sent prices soaring higher still. Those rising commodity prices have played a much bigger role in pushing up consumer-price inflation in Europe than in America, where generous stimulus has also been a culprit. According to Goldman Sachs, a bank, energy prices in the euro area— which rose at an annual rate of a whopping 39% in May—are contributing about four percentage points to headline inflation, compared with two points in America.

The effects are beginning to spill over to other consumer prices. “Core” inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, rose more quickly in the euro zone in May than economists had expected. German producer prices rose at a record clip of 33.5% in April, compared with last year, driven not just by energy, but also energy-intensive intermediate goods, such as metals, concrete and chemicals. The result of all this is a big hit to businesses’ costs and households’ purchasing power. In how much danger does it put the euro area’s economy?

One consequence of the energy shock is lower household incomes in real terms. Wage growth has been picking up modest-

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PRICES OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS HAD ALREADY BEEN RISING BEFORE RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE; THE WAR SENT PRICES SOARING HIGHER STILL ly across the zone, but still trails behind inflation. Some employers have made one-off payments to workers, to compensate them for surging prices without incurring higher recurring wage costs.

Even then, however, annual pay growth in the Netherlands, for instance, stood at just 2.8% in May, notwithstanding strong business sentiment and a tight labour market. In one sense, this is good news for the ecb, because it reduces the risk of a wage-price spiral.

But it may feed into lower consumption, weakening the rest of the economy in turn.

A moderation in demand only adds to a heap of woes for the manufacturing sector, where confidence is already in steep decline.

Renewed supply disruptions as a result of China’s recent lockdowns and high energy prices are hurting businesses, with Germany and eastern Europe looking most vulnerable to an industrial slowdown. New orders for the zone’s manufacturers in May fell for the first time since June 2020, indi-

cating weaker demand. Export orders declined at their fastest pace in two years.

Economists are therefore pencilling in slower growth over the rest of the year. But few expect an outright recession just yet. That is because some parts of the economy confront the energy shock from a position of strength, rather than weakness. Many services firms are still reaping the rewards from reopening and the end of Omicron-related lockdowns.

Southern countries are benefiting the most, given their reliance on tourism. In Spain arrivals of sun-seeking northerners almost reached pre-pandemic levels in April. Overall, business sentiment in services remains strong, with many firms reporting a growing backlog of work.

Jobs are still plentiful, too.

Across the bloc there were three vacancies for every 100 jobs in the first quarter of 2022, a high level by historical standards. Businesses’ hiring expectations have remained solid, albeit slightly

weaker since the start of the war in Ukraine. More than one in four businesses in Europe say that a lack of staff is preventing them from producing more.

A hoard of savings built up during lockdowns should also provide consumers with some cushion against the energy shock.

According to our calculations, such “excess” savings in France and Germany amounted to around a tenth of households’ disposable incomes in the first quarter of 2022.

These buffers will blunt the impact of the energy shock. But they will not offset it altogether. Excess savings, for a start, are not evenly distributed. Poorer people in rich countries, and most households in poorer countries, have precious little left. In Slovakia, for example, the savings rate never increased much during the pandemic, and is now well below its long-term average. “Consumption weakness will come from lower-income households,” says Jens Eisenschmidt of Morgan Stanley, another bank. Indeed, retail sales, in real terms, have moved sideways for months.

Many governments have put together sizeable spending programmes to shield households from high energy prices. According to Bruegel, a think-tank, Germany, France and Italy and others are spending between 1% and 2% of GDP. Not all of that is well-targeted, however. Much of it is going on relief for better-off households that do not need it; other measures have involved meddling with prices, with some of the benefit going to energy suppliers.

Even if the euro area is spared a recession, then, the energy shock will be a drag on growth. The ECB faces an unenviable dilemma. With every increase in inflation on the back of food and energy prices, the European economy is getting weaker.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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INTERVIEW

by Tanja Banković

Serbia has an Ambitious Reform Agenda We are delighted to be able to support the authorities’ aspirations through a new World Bank Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Serbia NICOLA PONTARA World Bank’s Country Manager for Serbia

bout Serbian economy, foreign direct investments, inflation and about World Bank Group support for Serbia, we talked with Nicola Pontara, Country Manager for Serbia.

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A World Bank report on Serbia was recently released, stating that Serbia has recovered from the pandemic. Can the current situation in Eastern Europe jeopardize the Serbian economy and negatively affect foreign direct investments?

— The ongoing war in Ukraine, which resulted in a global eco-

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nomic shock, has affected the Serbian economy, but to a lesser extent than many other countries in Eastern Europe. Serbia’s combined exports to Ukraine and Russia account for 5 percent of the to-

nomic Report ‘Steering through Crises’, published in May 2022.

Concerning COVID-19, the robust and well-timed fiscal stimulus deployed by the authorities in 2020 helped to lessen the impact of the

OUR LATEST PROJECTION FOR GROWTH IN 2022 FOR SERBIA IS 3.2 PERCENT tal, so trade will be impacted to a degree. Other primary channels include foreign direct investment, remittances and revenues from tourism. As a result, the World Bank has revised its economic growth projections for Serbia in 2022, from 4.4 to 3.2 percent of GDP in our latest Regular Eco-

pandemic on the economy. Serbia experienced a minor recession in 2020, and rebounded to an impressive growth rate of 7.4 percent in 2021. Overall, the macroeconomic outlook for Serbia remains positive, despite important downside risks. Over the medium term, we expect Serbia to grow steadily

at around 3 percent annually, similarly to levels before the pandemic, as the country’s main trading and investment partners further rebound from the global pandemic and, we hope, the Ukraine war.

Both global energy and food prices keep growing which, in turn, causes higher inflation.

Food and energy prices also keep growing, further fueling inflation. When do you think will this situation normalize?

— A combination of economic developments and geopolitical events has brought back inflation on the world stage, and Serbia does not constitute an exception in this respect. Global food, energy and metal prices are all expected to reach historically high lev-

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els in 2022, translating into higher inflation in Serbia too. The inflation rate in Serbia has been increasing for a while and we expect headline inflation to reach an average rate of 7.0 percent in 2022.

The poorest ten percent of Serbian households, who spend 40 percent of their income on food, will be particularly affected by higher inflation. The National Bank of Serbia expects that inflation, including food inflation, will start to fall toward the end of this year and return to the targeted band during the next calendar year. As discussed in the 2022 World Bank Commodity Markets Outlook, global energy prices are expected to moderate to a certain extent in 2023, but will remain well above their five-year average at least until 2024. Wholesale electricity prices are expected to closely follow the price of natural gas (due to the coupling of the gas and electricity markets in Europe), and we also expect them to remain high at least until 2024.

You stated that the fiscal deficit could be higher than projected.

Why is that so?

— We project the fiscal deficit in 2022 at around 4.1 percent of GDP, higher than our earlier projection of 3 percent of GDP issued before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. There are several reasons for that: first, after the 2022 budget was approved, the government enacted several transfers to business and households that were not originally planned, due to rising energy and food costs in the context of heightened uncertainty and the outbreak of war in the region. Second, the Serbian economy is slowing down after a post-pandemic recovery, which might have an impact on the level of revenue collection. But it is also important to stress that these challenges are manageable, given that fiscal buffers continue to be adequate. That said, over the medium term it will be important to resume a fiscal consolidation pathway and to identify new sources of revenue.

What is the 2022 growth projection for Serbia and the region?

— Our latest projection for growth in 2022 for Serbia is 3.2 percent, but this number may change given the highly uncertain context on the geopolitical and economic fronts. For the Western Balkans region as a whole, we project a growth rate of 3.1 percent in 2022.

SERBIA HAS CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL TO GROW FASTER THAN IN THE PAST How much could structural reforms facilitate Serbia’s sustainable growth?

— Serbia has considerable potential to grow faster than in the past.

In the 2020 World Bank report titled ‘The New Growth Agenda for Serbia’, we highlighted several structural reforms that would allow Serbia to accelerate its convergence with the income levels of comparator countries already in the EU. The priorities that we presented at that time remain valid: they include better governance, a stronger human capital stock, and the deepening of the financial sector. Clearly, the importance of ensuring that growth will also become greener and more resilient cannot be overstated. The Serbian economy is very energy intensive and relies on fossil fuels that can result in adverse impacts on the environment. This is all the more important in the context of post-COVID: we have an opportunity to ensure that the economic recovery from the pandemic is gentler on the environment and also more inclusive of the poor and vulnerable.

What measures would stimulate and expedite economic growth in Serbia?

— The first priority is to maintain hard-won macroeconomic stability – that is, containing inflation, the fiscal deficit and public debt while managing external imbalances. The second is to embark on an ambitious reform agenda to remove the remaining bottlenecks for faster private sector development and economic growth that are environmentally sustainable.

In this respect, it would be important to: (i) attract foreign direct investment into more complex, higher value added sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, and machinery – taking advantage of Serbia’s proximity to Euro-centric value chains; (ii) modernize the energy sector to ensure energy supplies and gradually transition to a low-carbon economy ; (iii) improve transport infrastructure and trade facilitation measures to boost international integration; (iv) conduct education sector reforms (across all levels) to equip the Serbian population with the knowledge and skills demanded by economy; and (v) strengthen service delivery at the local level to address spatial inequalities through greener and more resilient infrastructure.

What are the biggest challeng-

es that Serbia will face next year, that are mentioned in the World Bank report?

— The biggest challenge that Serbia will face in the next few months is to normalize the energy sector. During the 2021/2022 winter, EPS and Srbijagas were forced to purchase expensive electricity and natural gas on wholesale markets. The government stepped in to provide financial support to these utilities.

Until now, additional costs have been passed on to residential and industrial consumers only to a limited extent. But given the outlook on energy prices that we discussed above, continuing to subsidize public utilities may entail a high fiscal cost. Any measure that shields consumers from energy price increases by keeping prices artificially lower than market prices or true costs (e.g., caps on energy prices or generalized tax breaks) should be time-bound, fully budgeted, and transparent.

When they are not designed carefully, such measures can be regressive and cause distortions in the economy, also disincentivizing investments in energy efficiency and clean energy. To address this challenge, there are short-term measures that the authorities could adopt, including: (i) promoting energy conservation and accelerating the implementation of energy efficiency measures; (ii) providing targeted social protection to vulnerable consumers; and (iii) designing liquidity programs in support to SMEs and critical industries – which may have to carry a higher share of international energy costs, as well as better-off private consumers.

How will the World Bank Group support Serbia in the next few years?

— Serbia has an ambitious reform agenda. We are delighted to be able to support the authorities’ aspirations through a new World Bank Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Serbia which envisages around US$1 billion in financing over the next five years through investment lending, policy advice and analytical work.

The CPF for 2022-2026 was discussed at our Board of Directors in Washington DC on May 26, 2022 and received strong support from all constituencies. We look forward to implementation in collaboration with the government and other development partners.

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INTERVIEW

by Nikola Pavlović

Our Relations are Stretching to All Areas Our goal is to make sure that this excellent level of political dialogue transfers into concrete actions and results al Assembly under the auspices of the Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Dačić. From this mere enumeration it is obvious, that our relations are stretching to all areas of common interest. Our goal is to make sure that this excellent level of political dialogue transfers into concrete actions and results.

H.E. FEDOR ROSOCHA The Slovakian Ambassador to Serbia

ith close and intense contacts between Serbia and Slovakia, relations can only be for the benefit of both countries. About upcoming anniversary of the establishment of direct diplomatic relations, Kosovo and Metohija, Slovak companies and Slovak people in Serbia, we talked with H.E. Fedor Rosocha, the Slovakian Ambassador to Serbia.

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Next year, Serbia and Slovakia will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of direct diplomatic relations. Is there room for further improvement of traditionally good relations and if there is, what can be improved?

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— Bilateral political contacts between our two countries have always been very close and intense, not even the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented us from high-level political dialogue. Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korčok paid a visit to Serbia in

and wide public had the opportunity to listen to joint concerts of the Military Music Band of Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Serbia the concert during Days of Slovak Culture in Serbia. In October, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Econo-

THERE IS A HUGE POTENTIAL BETWEEN SERBIA AND SLOVAKIA CONSIDERING COOPERATION IN TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT February last year, during which he delivered humanitarian assistance worth almost 100 000 €. In April, State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry visited Belgrade and Vojvodina, were our national minority lives. September saw the visit of Slovak Minister of Defence

my Richard Sulík met his counterpart in preparations of the Joint commission for economic cooperation. Scientific cooperation is also not put aside – in March this year International Scientific Conference on Slovak – Serbian relations was held in the Nation-

Slovakia supports Serbia on its road to the EU membership but also respects its territorial integrity and sovereignty. Is Slovakia under pressure because of its official position regarding Kosovo and Metohija?

— Slovakia is a long-term supporter of the enlargement policy and the accession process. The future EU membership of the Western Balkans countries is not only in the interest of the region but also of the EU. We see Serbia as a key country in terms of stability and security in the region - we expect a responsible approach that will contribute to the peaceful development. Changed geopolitical situation is calling for further EU enhanced engagement. Making concrete progress in the Dialogue on normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Priština is of crucial importance in order to foster stability in Europe and to advance on their respective European paths. It is now more than ever important for both sides of the dialogue to invest efforts into finding a complex, legally binding agreement on mutual relations. In this sense, EUSR Miroslav Lajčák has our full support. Constructive dialogue and the agreement that will emerge from it is a stepping-stone for a shift in our relations, but also on the international stage.

During your term in the office, you said that you wanted to contribute as much as possible to boosting economic cooperation between Serbia and Slovakia.

How can this cooperation become even better?

— Development of economic cooperation between Slovakia and

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Serbia remains on the top of our priority list. Serbia is the most important trade partner of Slovakia in Western Balkans. With the disruption of the pandemic year 2020, our mutual trade has been growing steadily year-by-year. Despite difficult economic situation, influenced by the conflict in Ukraine and COVID-19 pandemic, we have managed to rise our goal to the upper level. The Embassy is following trends and needs in both countries and due to that is trying to point the focus on important fields of mutual interest and to make a connection between relevant Slovak and Serbian partners. In order to make cooperation even better, we are continuously in touch with Chamber of Commerce of Serbia and Slovakia and with relevant Ministries and state institutions of both countries as well. As the example of good coordination and cooperation, I would like to underline the organization of 10th Joint commission for economic cooperation between Slovakia and Serbia, held in Bratislava in November 2021 co-chaired by Serbian and Slovak Ministers of Economy followed by the Business Forum with the participation of companies from both countries. The Joint commission covered more topics as investments, energy, transport, development assistance, agriculture or environmental protection and I believe we will see tangible results in all these areas in the upcoming period.

Slovak investors have been showing more interest in investing in Serbia. Can we expect new investments or projects?

— We are receiving letters of intent and information letters from Slovak companies on a daily basis. I have witnessed significant increase of the interest of Slovak companies in investing in Serbia since I came and that interest is continuously rising. Serbia has proven that it has a stabile market and production, and thus reliable partners and prospects for fruitful and long-lasting cooperation. We aim to achieve more thriving investments and to repeat successful stories of Slovak companies already invested in Serbia that set a good expample for other interested companies. Several perspective potential investments have been set on our priority list at the moment and negotiations with local authorities have already begun, mostly in the domain of agricul-

WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE SLOVAK NATIONAL MINORITY LIVING HERE IN SERBIA ture, environment and energy.

Talks on the development of new technologies are intensifying.

How much potential is there in Serbia and Slovakia cooperating on technological development?

— There is a huge potential between Serbia and Slovakia considering cooperation in technological development. It is not a new fact that we are living in era of technology and 4th industrial revolution, therefore every country looking for development and brighter future is turning to innovations and technology. A good example, showing the importance of the topic, is pandemic that we have faced. During the culmination of the pandemic several patents of Slovak innovative companies have been launched to the foreign, world-wide markets. Development is reflected not only in health industry, but in many others sectors as well, e.g. software engineering, space industry, energy efficiency, environment, digitalization, blockchain, gaming industry etc. The situation in Serbia is similar and we have recognized these trends as the path to potential cooperation between Slovakian and Serbian companies. We are continuously trying to connect not only start-ups and compa-

nies, but academic society as well, which can lead to laying the foundation for future, long-term cooperation. We are also following the fast-growing trends considering blockchain technologies and crypto and we have recognized huge potential in this domain.

Therefore, we are supporting Serbian blockchain community and our Embassy was a partner on previously organized conferences.

We were glad to host the conference of Initiative for development of digital property in our premises in April.

Are Slovakian companies interested in increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources in Serbia?

— Energy efficiency is one of the major topics these days. There is a room for cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of design and implementation of public policies in the area of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Slovakia is ready to share its experience and practices in the use of innovative technologies, especially hydrogen. There are also Slovak companies with long-term experience interested in the reconstruction of coal-fired thermal power plants and their transformation into more envi-

ronmentally friendly facilities, or in the construction of municipal waste incinerators or water treatment plants and some of them are already present in Serbia.

The Slovak people in Serbia nurture their culture and tradition.

How can our two countries cooperate more in culture?

— We are very proud of the Slovak national minority living here in Serbia, who have preserved their language, traditions and culture for centuries. An exceptional example of the connection of nations is the unique and world famous Slovak naïve art. Together with the relevant Serbian authorities and the municipality of Kovačica, we are currently working intensively on inscription in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List as soon as possible. We have very productive cooperation with many galleries and we always can count on their support. Great example is partnership with the Gallery ´73 in Belgrade that regularly organizes Days of Slovak culture.

How, do you think, will the future relations between Serbia and Slovakia develop?

— I believe that all above-mentioned areas of cooperation, geographical proximity, similar language, common values and close interpersonal ties provide us with excellent basis to further enhance and intensifying our great relations for the benefit of both countries.

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INTERESTING FACTS

Who is the Happiest of Them All? e often ask ourselves are we going to be happy if we, for instance, move to a Caribbean island or somewhere on the Spanish coast and enjoy the sun and sea, or is happiness something related not to climate and socializing but to social security and an organized state? Maybe money is key to happiness? The data show that people are the happiest far from tropical destinations, in countries with a high living standard. So, it’s definitely not up to sunshine! If we believe the World Happiness Index, the happiest people live up North - in Finland and Denmark. “The

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World Happiness Report is an indicator of global happiness. The rankings are based on reports of respondents’ assessments of their own lives, and articles on national happiness are included,” said the creators of the list. This year, Switzerland ranks 3rd on the list, followed by Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. It seems that despite somewhat distant interpersonal relations and the fact that summer temperatures are around 15°C on average, all the Nordic countries are actually happy! Luxembourg, the richest country in Europe, occupies 10th place, followed

by the only non-European country, New Zealand and Austria, the favourite country for Serbs to emiRank

Country

grate to. So, it’s not up to the climate or having a weak state, but rather a strong and organized one!

Happiness 2021

Happiness 2020

2022 Population

1

Finland

7.842

7.809

5,554,960

2

Denmark

7.620

7.646

5,834,950

3

Switzerland

7.571

7.56

8,773,637

4

Iceland

7.554

7.504

345,393

5

Netherlands

7.464

7.449

17,211,447

6

Norway

7.392

7.488

5,511,370

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Sweden

7.363

7.353

10,218,971

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Luxembourg

7.324

7.238

642,371

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New Zealand

7.277

7.3

4,898,203

10

Austria

7.268

7.294

9,066,710

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

NATIONAL DAYS JUNE

NIKOLAOS SLIOUSAREGKO New President of the Hellenic Business Association

Mr. Nikolaos Sliousaregko was born 1967 in Thessaloniki where he grew up and finished his basic education. Although he received his bachelor degree from the Pedagogical Academy, he soon decided to follow the business sector. He began his career at “Heineken” for 14 years to be Head of Sales for Northern Greece. He later became a General Manager at “Ermis” distribution center for food and beverage in central Greece, and from 2011 till now Director for development Balkans in Mantis group of companies. That gave him the opportunity to engage and undertake also Greek investments in Serbia as General Manager of Junior doo, a hospitality company, and General Manager of the construction company Notos development doo. Nikolaos's principal activities are focused on business

management and development at the senior level. He is an expert and a highly experienced executive in the area of management, sales, hospitality and training. Nikolaos has participated in a wide range of courses and seminars that focus on sales, negotiation, communication and team building. He has also made his own training programs such as "Road to success" and "Managerial skills". He is the author of a book and the seminar «6 Steps + 6 Tools for a Perfect Service".

He is the President of the Hellenic Business Association and also board member of the hotel & restaurant industry association of Serbia HORES, and a board member and Parliament Vise President of the Chamber of Commerce Kruševac. He is married and father of 3 daughters, Anastasia Irini and Vasilia.

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RUSSIA Russia Day

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MALTA

ational Day N (St John the Baptist)

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CROATIA

Statehood Day

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SLOVENIA Statehood Day

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UKRAINE

Constitution Day JULY

01

CANADA Canada Day

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RUŽA VELJOVIĆ New Corporate Affairs & Communications Director at CBS International After seven years spent at Diplomacy&Commerce as the magazine’s Managing Director, Ruža Veljović has joined CBS International, a member of Cushman&Wakefield Alliance, as the Corporate Affairs & Communications Director. She was one of the first employees of Diplomacy&Commerce magazine.

Together with her colleagues, she participated in the magazine’s launch not only in Serbia but also in Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria, as well as in many projects implemented by Color Media Communications.

As of May 2022, she is a Corporate Affairs & Communications Director at CBS International, a leading real estate service company

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in Serbia, where she will contribute to the company’s development.

Ruža will handle corporate affairs, reputation management and communications, as well as communication with internal and external stakeholders, media and others.

Prior to joining CBS International and Diplomacy&Commerce, Mrs Veljović worked in managerial positions and was responsible for media- and marketing-related activities. During her 20-year-long-career, she was Marketing Director of Ringier Axel Springer and Marketing Manager of the Roaming Group.

She was also Vice-President of the Serbian Media Association.

She graduated from the Facul-

BELARUS

Independence Day

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UNITED STATES Independence Day

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ALGERIA

Independence Day

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ARGENTINA

Independence Day

13 ty of Economics in Belgrade and perfected her skills by attending a number of seminars, courses and specialized training sessions in marketing, communications and media.

MONTENEGRO Independence Day

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FRANCE Bastille Day

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INTERVIEW

Keep it Personal.

How familiar are people in Serbia with the importance of protecting their data?

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

e spoke with Milan Marinović, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, about the importance of protecting personal data and other related issues.

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On 16th May, the Commissioner’s office launched a campaign to promote the right to personal data protection called "Keep it Personal." What message do you want to convey with this campaign?

— This campaign was launched in cooperation with the OSCE Mission in Serbia and is a reflection of the results of a survey conducted by the OSCE Mission on behalf of the Commissioner in 2020, with the view of examining how familiar are people in Serbia with the importance of protecting their data, and especially whether they know which data is classified as personal, in which ways their data are collected, what are the dangers if their data are carelessly stored, how they can exercise their personal data protection rights and what is the Commissioner’s role in

business person or other legal entity, illegally processes their personal data, they first need to address that entity with a request for information about what personal data they have processed, the legal basis for that, the purpose for which data will be used, who specifically handles that data, what measures are taken for its proper storage, whether this data will be transferred to another user, what is the data retention period, how inaccurate and incomplete data can be rectified, how this data can be erased and how the person whose data is processed can realize his data protection rights in a particular case. If the data controller does not act upon the request of the person whose data they are processing, as well as in a situation where the person supposes that the processing of their data was performed contrary to the law, that person may file a comall of this. The survey showed that citizens are insufficiently familiar with their rights and the manner in which they are exercised and that it is necessary to take proper steps in order to raise their awareness of this right. We have chosen communication via television to establish contact with citizens.

I am pleased to point out that the REM assessed that the implementation of this campaign and the broadcasting of promotional videos was very significant for the protection of this human right. Each of the video clips, two featured and three animated, points to a certain segment of personal data protection. Bearing in mind that twenty-eight TV stations responded positively to the Commissioner's request to broadcast these videos, both nationally and locally, and that the campaign will last almost two months, it is expected to achieve its goal, namely to invite people to start thinking about protecting their data to a much greater extent.

In which ways can the citizens exercise their rights?

— Citizens can protect their personal data in such a way that in case they know or suspect that an entity, whether a government body or a company or bank or a

sioner's initiative to make the protection of personal data an integral part of the curricula in all elementary and high schools in Serbia’s education system is of utmost importance because in that way the youngest population would be educated on the protection of their data.

In the previous period, you talked a lot about the opening of the Commissioner's offices outside Belgrade. When can we expect that to happen?

— For the first time since the institution of Commissioner was founded, the opening of the Commissioner's offices outside Belgrade has been planned for the coming autumn. I am confident that it will significantly contribute to the fact that people living outside Belgrade will also more easily exercise the right to protection of their data.

PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE BELGRADE WILL ALSO MORE EASILY EXERCISE THE RIGHT TO PROTECTION OF THEIR DATA plaint to the Commissioner or initiate other administrative or judicial proceedings.

Which kinds of mistakes do people most often make?

— People most often make mistakes in two ways: firstly, they give their data easily, primarily through social networks, without reading first the privacy policy of the entity to whom they are giving their data, and secondly, they make their data available to the public on their own initiative and without thinking about the consequences of such actions.

What other activities does the Commissioner carry out on citizen education?

— The Commissioner constantly holds training courses for individuals, both independently and in cooperation with local governments, higher education institutions, business associations, and other stakeholders. The Commis-

Since you are a member of the Working Group for the development of the new 2022-2030 Personal Data Protection Strategy, could you tell us a bit more about that?

— Work on the drafting of the 2022-2030 Personal Data Protection Strategy is progressing really well, so much so that the Working Group has already determined the goals of the strategy and is currently working on defining activities and criteria for its implementation. I expect that the Strategy and the Action Plan for its implementation will have been put into practice by the year-end. This strategy aims to regulate the normative framework by adapting the existing Law on Personal Data Protection to citizens’ needs and other population categories and then regulating currently unregulated areas such as biometric data processing and the relation between digitization and the use of AI and data protection.

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INTERVIEW

by Nikola Pavlović

Direct Communication With Viewers and Guests When you have an equal approach to everyone when every guest knows what to expect and when the rules are clearly set, then you cannot fall into the trap of being accused of siding with someone MINJA MILETIĆ Executive Programme Director and a Member of Euronews Serbia’s Programme Council

he started her career as a journalist while still being a medical student, not even presuming that journalism will be her career later on. Today, after more than two decades in the media, Minja Miletić, Executive Programme Director and a Member of Euronews Serbia’s Programme Council, speaks about working on a new TV station, her challenges and the overall media situation in Serbia.

After over twenty years of TV work, today you are both the Executive Director and a member of the Programme Council at Euronews. How difficult is it to create and broadcast a TV programme?

— It is a privilege to work for a network like Euronews, especially for such a pioneering project that is their expansion into the Balkans. It is in Euronews’ nature to bring a more analytical approach to informative journalism to new markets with the main focus being news related to the whole of Europe. In this way, viewers have a complete picture of political and social events that are causally consequential and that spill over and affect different countries. Euronews is the first media outlet to bring events from Serbia closer to the European citizens and to perceive Serbia as a country with significant events worth analyzing and reporting on. This makes this network special, thus working for it is also special. We are proud of the fact that Euronews Serbia produces twice as many programmes as planned, for the Euronews central programme, which is great recognition for all my colleagues who create and broadcast TV content in a quality, dedicated and reliable manner. That is a fact that makes me especially happy.

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Photo: Nebojša Babić

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WE ARE PROUD OF THE FACT THAT EURONEWS SERBIA PRODUCES TWICE AS MANY PROGRAMMES AS PLANNED You started your career on the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS) and Studio B and continued it on YU Info Channel, the Politika TV and Košava, followed by FOX, Pink, N1 and now Euronews. What do you think of journalism in Serbia today, after having such a vast working experience in different media outlets and with different editorial policies?

— I remember the moment when, as a student of the Medical Faculty in Belgrade, I started volunteering on the then Channel 3 of the

Serbian Broadcasting Corporation.

At that time, I thought that I could fit that part-time job in with my studies and that I would learn better and clearer diction. I never imagined that even after graduation, journalism and later being an editor would be my real and only calling. The media and television, in general, have changed a lot during all this time, just as our way of life has changed, but the essence has remained the same. The desire and need for information are still present, perhaps even more pronounced today than before.

Due to a large number of media outlets, but also social networks, where each of us is a mini media house and content creator, it is much more challenging to draw the attention of viewers.

This can be particularly challenging if a certain programme is not a slave to basic instincts, i.e. is not too easy to watch and breezy, but requires viewers' contemplation and analysis which will help them to shape their point of view and become active members of the court of public opinion. I am fascinated by the cultural and social preoccupation with mobile phones which we use to take care of every segment of our lives.

When we apply this to the media, it looks something like this - thirty years ago my parents waited to watch the main news headlines to get the information they want; to-

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day they do the same thing only in a different way – news anchors are replaced by mobile phone notifications and endless scrolling.

The need to know something will not change. What will continue to change is the way we obtain information, and there is no accurate and timely information without accurate and timely journalism.

Last year, you said that interviewing the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić was a challenge for you considering that eight years passed since you interviewed him before that. Two months ago, in your show on Euronews, you managed to achieve that. How challenging is journalism today?

— This interview took place during the election campaign, which is a good moment because that's the time when almost everyone wants to talk but is also obligated to talk. It was also a time when you are limited in journalistic terms in terms of having to discuss only those topics that are closely related to the election process. Speaking with the President of the Republic is a special challenge, because it goes beyond daily topics, discussions about political coalitions and everything that accompanies the usual activities of politicians before elections take place. We all need a conversation about Serbia, history, reconciliation, compromises, economy, Europe, the world, and the new world order and what it will all look like in 2027. It is a conversation about Serbia as a country that we, as a nation, began to build at the beginning of the 19th century, how far we have come during these two centuries and where we are heading. It is a conversation about a time and a piece of history that began in 2014. I did not have such a conversation with Aleksandar Vučić earlier, and in the meantime, the number of topics only increased because he won another presidential term.

cannot fall into the trap of being accused of siding with someone.

This is not easy because it has become a standard that every question that is not predictable and simple is, as a rule, interpreted as hostile. Conspiracy theories are created on a daily basis and so are explanations that follow them who works for whom, why was this person asked that question and others were not and so on. It’s politicians’ fault for being picky about which media they appear on and which not, but also other media are to blame because they cross the line between private and professional life, discuss family and children and drag them into politics. In these cases, I can understand when someone refuses to give statements for a particular TV station.

In a polarized society, such as ours, and with a polarized media spectrum, how do you manage to balance out the views expressed by the guests of your show?

— Journalists have to ask questions, investigate, seek explanations, and pose questions that are in people’s best interests.

When you have an equal approach to everyone, when every guest knows what to expect and when the rules are clearly set, then you

With all the changes in technology, citizen journalism, YouTube channels and shows, where is journalism heading in general and where in Serbia?

— I am not a fatalist by nature and I believe that the advancement of technology can only bring new quality to the work of the media, journalistic independence and freedom of expression. Of course, there are advantages, but also disadvantages. Just

FAKE NEWS IS A SPECIAL CHALLENGE, BUT I DO NOT SEE THIS PHENOMENON EXCLUSIVELY AS A JOURNALISTIC PROBLEM look at the number of fake bomb threats. That’s not the reason to give up technology and claim that it is easier for us to live like in the Middle Ages. I'm sure some people still think that way. The only important thing is to use the benefits in the right way. Innovation significantly increases the number of media sources and each of us is left to judge for ourselves whom we trust. Fake news is a special challenge, but I do not see this phenomenon exclusively as a journalistic problem. It is ubiquitous in our lives and it is just a question of how to get used to it and react to it. We choose who we trust, but we must also do our best to become difficult targets for fake news by fostering a research spirit and curiosity. The responsibility is largely on ourselves. It is always easier to blame someone else.

As a doctor of medicine, how difficult was it for you to follow various media reports during the pandemic, and to have awkward conversations about vaccination and the virus itself with your interlocutors in the studio?

— The pandemic has exposed many things, and it’s a topic that has particularly affected me, precisely because health and medi-

cine were my university majors.

Overall, our vaccination rollout was great, if we take into account everything we have encountered and the anti-vaccination campaign. I am also aware of the consequences of such a statement and that is why I want to explain it in more detail.

For decades now, there have been individuals, groups and quasi-movements in Serbia who have been fighting against every type of vaccine, and when doctors and people who present themselves as the scientific elite take part, no wonder there have been so many questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Since have been waging a war against vaccination as such for decades, it doesn’t come as a surprise that vaccines are a topic you talk about over coffee. Every individual had an opinion about them and it was mostly derogatory.

Everyone had the right to ask about the vaccine’s ingredients as if they had personally checked the ingredients of every medication they had taken during their life.

Those who do not read the declaration on food suddenly started to be very loud. People who don’t even read food labels have all of a sudden become very vocal, while experts who are entitled to give their opinion on the vaccine were branded as pharmaceutical conspirators by certain population segments. Even today, I cannot believe that there are people who continue to speak ill of the vaccine after the coronavirus took the lives of over 6 million people and infected 500 million. It seems that even that cannot change their mind which is why I would reiterate the above-mentioned personal responsibility. Think so you can exist!

You are now working on a new TV station and have new positions. What are your next challenges?

— I’ve been working in front of cameras for over 20 years and this work still inspires me in a way that I can look both the viewers and my interlocutors directly in the eye and ask straightforward questions. I also believe that the time is coming when I will fully utilize this experience in working behind the camera - this will be my new challenge and my new test. I want to do a lot within the Euronews media network which is the reason why I remain focused on it.

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A Vision of Life as it Should Be Another thing I learned throughout my career is that it is the community that gives life to a city SAMIH SAWIRIS

new city. The moment the project becomes tangible, i.e. when it comes to life, then the belief is strengthened. I always have a bigger picture in my mind, because I've been doing this for a long time, but I also can't expect others to think so broadly and so far ahead. It wouldn't be fair to expect that from them.

Head of the globally renowned company ORASCOM

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uring the meeting with Samih Sawiris, head of the globally renowned company ORASCOM, which creates integrated cities in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Morocco, Switzerland and Great Britain, we talked about his business vision, long-term goals and benefits of the Luštica Bay project.

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So often your vision is abstract to people at first?

— Definitely! I am very happy when people at the beginning of the project do not make fun of me because they do not believe that the project will be implemented. That is already a great success.

Do you know where, for example, it wasn't a challenge? In Montenegro! It's the only place where I didn't feel that people didn't believe that this could become an integrated community. Montenegrins do not care to judge before they see progress with their own eyes. In other countries, residents were very sceptical about the projects, as they thought that my ideas were crazy and would not come to life. In Montenegro, they said – “All right, let's see what this man imagined, what he will do.” So, in a way, that was my moral support system.

Given that you set out to implement a business model that very few entrepreneurs follow, I guess it took a lot of courage to embark on something like that.

— When I launched my business many years ago, I didn't know what I was getting into, where this journey was going to take me, or how long it would take. I think that the big advantage was that I was much younger when I started doing this job. If I had known then what I know now, I probably wouldn't have got into it. Now that I have several projects behind me, I realize that it is not a question of courage at all, but only of patience and perseverance.

When I said “courage”, I was also referring to a mindset that one must possess in order to embark on a project like this. In that sense, looking back, what did you learn on that business journey?

— I have faced many obstacles, but now, after so many years of being in business, I know that they are always temporary and that in the end, everything will work out properly. It is necessary to be persistent and patient to overcome these obstacles.

Does that mean that in some way it is better to follow your instinct in business?

— Absolutely! For instance, another thing I learned throughout my career is that it is the community that gives life to a city. Let me give you a simple example of this - you can have the best restaurant in the area, but if you only have two guests a day, it will fail. When I started working on the El Gouna

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THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASING NUMBER OF BUSINESS PEOPLE COMING TO OUR TOWN AND THEY ARE THE ONES WHO BRING IN NEW RESIDENTS project (in Egypt), I thought that it was sufficient to have 60 beautiful villas, a hotel and a marina and that the project should stop at that.

In fact, it took 16 hotels and 16 years to be able to really say that.

The project was successfully completed only when we had enough people who lived there permanently, as well as enough facilities and infrastructure that were crucial for life in the city. Today, we have between 25,000 and 27,000 permanent residents in El Gouna.

Speaking of community, we must mention the importance of integrating the local community into the development process.

Do you think that the public has recognized the importance of this project?

— It is not at all easy to convey your vision to the local population. If you have not had the opportunity to see and experience something like that, hardly anyone can imagine someone in the middle of the desert creating a

To what extent did the local business community recognize the importance of this project and to what extent did it engage in this, very successful, new location?

— Numerous stakeholders, such as the business community and potential investors, say that the people of Montenegro have recognized the importance of Luštica Bay. The variety of boutiques, restaurants, shops and small and large bars is rented only by locals, who bring the spirit of Montenegro to Luštica Bay. There has been an increasing number of business people coming to our town and they are the ones who bring in new residents. When you manage to attract local business people to do business with you, it is a sure sign that you are on the right track.

Luštica Bay has successfully attracted as many as 46 different

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nationalities under the slogan of the Orascom parent company "Life as it should be". If we look at the slogan as a whole, what promise is contained within it?

— The idea of Luštica Bay is to create an integrated community of new residents and locals who will feel connected to this place.

I want them to feel Luštica Bay as their home. People are much more important than numbers in such projects. That is the biggest and most important aspect! The area where Luštica Bay was created is a very interesting one as it has unspoiled nature and unexplored waterways that were waiting to become a part of our everyday life. I think we are going in the right direction to build an all-inclusive. The slogan "Life as it should be" evokes what we are creating in Luštica Bay. What is the secret of this project?

— You have to see what people need from all angles and then make it possible for them. This is the most important thing. Local people and their needs are the first step in building an integrated community. It doesn't matter to me how many people will buy houses or keep them closed for almost the whole year. What I care about is the people who live in the area and come to Luštica Bay to enjoy themselves and have a spectacularly good cup of their favourite coffee. I also want people who live near Luštica Bay to feel

YOU HAVE TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE NEED FROM ALL ANGLES AND THEN MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING that this is their town; not a place where people buy real estate and visit occasionally. This is much more valuable for creating a community than selling villas worth

several million, but the owner of that villa comes here only a few times a year. It is really important to me that the people are happy here and that they feel Luštica

Bay as their own because it is they who build a sense of community and create a town. If you create a community that feels the vibrations of this place and lives its life in accordance with it, living here is much safer than having money in the bank.

I guess you often change the location and the country you live in. Do you plan more frequent visits to Montenegro in the period ahead?

— Montenegro is beautiful. People are very kind and I feel at home here, so I always have the feeling that I want to return to this place. Now I have a little more free time because I left most of the work to my son. I will keep checking the progress of small and interesting projects such as Mamula. This island will soon be open to the public and when it starts to become alive, it will be a very interesting place that will draw people in. Also, I am doing a project in Morocco that I am especially attached to and that keeps me employed. Furthermore, I do a lot of business in Switzerland because I own 51% of the company, while my son owns only 49%, so I am still a director (Samih says jokingly). My son is the proprietor and director of the company on other projects, but these projects are just mine. I think that is enough for my age. And I really enjoy working on them.

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INTERVIEW

Sustainable Development is About the Development of People In Serbia’s case, the two undoubtable priorities are the development of an everyday more productive, more creative work-force, working at ever more decent jobs, and embarking for real in the green transition

KORI UDOVIČKI President of the Board and Chief Economist of CEVES

ith Kori Udovički, President of the Board and Chief Economist of CEVES we talked about Serbia’s MSP100, role of CEVES and its organizational partners, state interference and about the opportunities to Serbia’s SMEs.

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As a start, can you please tell us what, or rather who, exactly are Serbia’s MSP100 (SME100)?

— The SME100 companies have been carefully selected to represent Serbia’s leading companies created through domestic entrepreneurship —“leading” in the sense that we expect their contribution to be key to Serbia’s sustainable development (realization

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of UN 2030 Agenda). They represent the “Hidden Champions” of Serbia. Best known are those of Germany (also Austria) where they make much of the “Mittelstand”, a population of SMEs that has played a key role over the past decades in ensuring their coun-

and sophistication, the SME100 also produce and export increasingly sophisticated niche products for global markets: tools for the repair of passenger airplanes and jet-propulsion motors, laser-based speed-measurement equipment for the measurement

SMES ARE NOT EXEMPTED FROM TAXES ON REINVESTED PROFITS, WHILE BIG COMPANIES ARE tries did not de-industrialize as did many other highly developed economies. Although relatively small by global standards these are global leaders in very particular industrial niche markets, and very often are family-owned.

While not comparable in size

of speed in transport, fertilizers and other agricultural products that capture CO2 from the atmosphere, complete theater stage design and mechanism equipment of some of the most sophisticated global performing centers, a wide range of IoT and other artificial in-

telligence solutions, especially in agriculture.

We estimate that the SME100 represent at least some 275 Hidden Champions that in total generated more than 1.1 billion EUR in exports in 2020 and employ in total more than 30,000 people. We believe the actual figures are bigger because domestic financial report data do not cover all the information. We also did not in this round cover the companies oriented to the domestic market whose business services are critical to the success of these export- and innovation-oriented companies, and who also deserve attention.

You say carefully selected?

— We focused on three "sub-populations" of sustainable development Champions: (i) exporters –as

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exports are a sine qua non of any small countries’ development, that regularly prove their competitiveness and quality by passing the exacting tests of the global markets. (ii) proven innovators even if their exports are still at an earlier stage; and (iii) “green pioneers”, companies showing the way for Serbia’s green transition.

We picked the largest and most impressive exporters among all companies whose direct exports of goods or/and services account for more than 24.9% of revenues and have a value greater than EUR 1 million. Not included are companies that are earning from exports of low-processing resources and agricultural products, or trade, and transportation services. The innovators are recipients of Innovation Fund or Horizon innovation grants, also established as exporters. The green pioneers were found through a combination of factors. A fundamental criterion for all was positive business reputation.

Though successful according to those set standards, SMEs can’t really pull through the development process all alone and the scene seems oddly fragmented. What is the role of CEVES and its organizational partners, and where precisely do you see the importance of the conferences and expos like the MSP Serbia 2030: MSP100 Expo?

— First, let me be clear that the SME100 are Champions. They are winners. Every single one of them emphasized that they do not need anybody’s “help”. We organized the event Serbian SME 2030: SME100 Expo primarily to highlight their development potential to the rest of the country—it is us, Serbia, that need them. We also hoped the event will empower and inspire them to recognize their own potential, talk and connect, and launch initiatives that will support the development of SMEs more broadly, direct their strength towards achieving goals for the whole society. Hundreds if not thousands of SMEs have the potential to be “winners”—but may never make it unless we make a more desirable and supportive business environment for SME development overall. Because, the SME100 are successful despite there being a strong bias in Serbia’s policies and environment against SMEs. While in the EU the practice is to, for example, give SMEs an advantage relative to large companies in

WORKING TO THE ADVANTAGE OF SERBIA’S SMES IS THE ONGOING RESTRUCTURING OF GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS AND NEARSHORING public procurement, in Serbia it is the opposite. SMEs are not exempted from taxes on reinvested profits, while big companies are, and the regulations that for years have been used to subsidize employment are still completely adjusted to large companies.

How much of a state interference, or rather regulation, is needed to make so far successful SMEs more resilient and ready for further growth in increasingly volatile market dynamics?

Where is the fine line between letting these businesses develop sustainably and according to their nature, and supporting them without making them too reliable on state help?

— Governments exist to provide public services – “goods” that when “produced” give benefits to more companies, more citizens, than they would if the same money was spent by a company only on itself. When the government educates and trains citizens to be a productive and creative workforce, that will benefit their first, and second, and third employer.

Similarly, when the government invests in, and supports, the development of quality assurance system institutions, they open the way for the development of many companies that will later support the system through market mechanisms. When the govern-

ment supports through guarantee funds export credits, it is only compensating for the fact that Serbia’s financial institutions are still not recognized as creditworthy enough.

The good news is that programs in support of SME development are being developed and the resources invested are increasing, but it is not enough and it is too fragmented.

In which domain the most progress could or should be made, in order to achieve sustainable development and thus the UN 2030 Agenda?

— Sustainable development is about the development of people, their possibilities, options – closing cleavages between those with access to resources and earning power and those without and leaving no one behind. It is also about doing this in harmony with our natural environment, healing the damage that an exclusive orientation on “growth” has already caused. In Serbia’s case, the two undoubtable priorities are the development of an everyday more productive, more creative workforce, working at ever more decent jobs, and embarking for real in the green transition. It is workforce, i.e. people and community development that has become the bottleneck of Serbia’s development right now.

As the government is slow in improving its own quality of education and training, it would be not only fair but wise if it compensated, and collaborated with, companies who do this themselves, and well. The more people are well-trained, the greater the availability of a quality workforce for all. The problem is that this requires a government structure able to work in a decentralized fashion, reaching out to many SMEs instead of just a few large companies. It also requires that the formal education system adapts its offering to the needs of development, not the other way around.

What challenges does the current global economy present, and what, if any, the opportunities to Serbia’s SMEs? — Serbia’s SMEs weathered surprisingly well the pandemic crisis not only because they were generously (overly so!) helped by the government, but also because of their flexibility and diversification strategies. That may not be the case if, as it is possible, the current financial market bubble under numerous pressures including the energy crisis and the Ukraine war—bursts and pulls global activity downward.

Working to the advantage of Serbia’s SMEs is the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains and nearshoring where Serbia is in an excellent location, on the border of the EU. This, however, is also at risk because of the ambiguous message being sent by our current foreign policy. A proximity to the EU is valuable only with a clear EU membership perspective.

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Sophisticated Life on the Seashore Luštica Bay – a place where you belong

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ocated on a peninsula guarded for centuries, Luštica Bay is surrounded by mountains, reclining on the sea, rich in olive groves and unspoiled nature, and adorned with the most beautiful Mediterranean architecture, beautiful buildings made from the finest Montenegrin stone, with irresistible sea vistas and breathtaking sunsets. A combination of traditional and modern life, a combination of heritage and beautiful everyday life, a combination of wealth and a sense of belonging… Luštica Bay is an emerging Mediterranean town where life creates a myriad of memories for all generations.

This is the town to which one feels they belong.

Colourful stone residences overlooking the most beautiful blue shade of the Adriatic Sea, in the greenery of olive groves and luscious flora of the Luštica peninsula, harmoniously create the silhouettes and outlines of the secluded Mediterranean town of Luštica Bay. Series of residences in Marina Village, the luxury five-star hotel The Chedi, where you will feel like you are living in the most luxurious movie, the marina for sailboats and yachts, natural soothing beaches with access to the most beautiful clear blue open Adriatic Sea, contemporary restaurants with finest Mediterranean cuisine, boutiques resembling those in the most luxurious coastal cities in the world, all create the special and irresistible identity of Luštica Bay. Every visitor to Luštica Bay will

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OWNING A PROPERTY IN LUŠTICA BAY HAS ALL THE BENEFITS OF LIVING ON THE COAST want to spend the finest moments with their loved ones here, as this is a place which charm and energy we carry everywhere with us, in our minds. Now imagine having that place for yourself. One of the most coveted locations in Luštica Bay is definitely the Iris Residences complex with its beautiful apartments featuring large balconies and views over the blue sea, private beaches, swimming pools with the view of the most beautiful landscapes, and just a

short walk to the loveliest seaside promenade in the centre of Marina Village. This complex of residential buildings offers its tenants all the benefits of modern life, in the most romantic town on the coast. If you decide to live in one of these beautiful residences, or use them for precious holidays with your loved ones, know that they are serviced and taken care of all year round.

Owning a property in Luštica Bay has all the benefits of liv-

ing on the coast. Iris Residences provides a home with a sea view, well-designed to the smallest detail, a home that promises to give you the most beautiful experiences throughout the year. Functional perfection, the essence of hedonism, unparalleled aesthetics – Iris Residences has it all! The new homes here will be completed in phases, in 2024 and 2025, and are a lifelong investment for you and future generations.

After moving in, for the next twelve months, property owners have the opportunity to immediately enjoy their home or join a rental programme managed by Luštica Bay, and thus generate a return on their investment from renting their place.

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GREEN AGENDA 2022

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INTERVIEW

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

As a result of using an innovative circular economy in business, we enrich local production, reduce dependence on external shocks, align businesses with the environment's natural capacity and increase company resilience - in every sense of the word SINIŠA MITROVIĆ Head of the Centre for Circular Economy of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia hat are the benefits of the circular economy? How are business models, that respond to the impact of climate change, implemented? Siniša Mitrović, Head of the Centre for Circular Economy of the CCS, answers these and other circular-economy-related questions.

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If the opportunities for implementing the circular economy model are not feasible, is there another solution instead?

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The circular economy is an increasingly talked about topic in our country

— The circular economy is the best navigation for GDP growth because it is based on the use of internal reserves and domestic resources waste, recycling and energy - which form space for creating a large number of jobs that we need right now.

Also, the opportunities for savings and promotion of green procurement are quite ample.

As a result of using an innovative circular economy in business, we enrich local production, reduce dependence on external shocks, align businesses with the environment's natural capacity and increase company resilience - in every sense of the word.

Moreover, this path becomes inevitable. The EU will view the recovery from COVID and the Ukrainian crisis even more through the green filter, and resistance to change only increases total costs and indebts our economy in terms of time (as well as consequence- and cost-wise). If we turn to the old-fashioned take-produce-throw kind of waste treatment, we remain trapped in the 1990s until 2040. If we connect, explore opportunities and align our business with the CEAP (the European Union's Circular Economy Action Plan), we acquire a new market position.

The disadvantages of the linear economy are 1. Short-term and narrow process planning with one parameter of success – profit, and a narrow range of measured impacts.

In other words, linear business abstracts almost all the levers that create all the major systemic shocks list-

ed above. 2. High dependence on the old-fashioned supply chains. First and foremost, strong dependence on disappearing resources – crude oil (depleted in about 40 years), gold (depleted in about 10 years), zinc (depletion time 10 years), etc. 3. The irrational setting of value creation. Today, we generate profit by wasting limited resources and reducing the system's capacity to supply us with basic work conditions (air, water, biopotential, and other raw materials).

With such a framework, we inevitably come to a complete depletion of capacity. We have to put everything we throw away back into use. We must separate our prosperity from environmental pollution, as we depend on the ecosystem services that nature provides us. 4. Neglecting the system on which the economy is based - health and education of people and employees.

The circular economy (CE) has a systematic view of business and envisages long-term benefits. Specialization is a thing of the past, while a multidisciplinary approach is a new business approach. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect to understand, as it requires a different way of thinking about business.

One way to reduce CO2 emissions is by switching to renewable energy sources. That, however, is not sufficient. Research shows that we can achieve about a 55% reduction in the impact that leads us to 1.5 oC. The other 45% is related to the change in the way we design, produce and use products, i.e. via the circular econo-

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my. In other words, we cannot rely on technology alone, but we must also change the way we work.

The ultima of profitability has created an imbalance in societies – with some being wealthier and some poorer. COVID or any emergency are far more harmful to less developed countries. The circular economy highlights the knowledge economy and participatory decision-making in the local context.

It creates more independent societies and economies and underlines more proper allocation of natural resources and resource management through closed supply chains.

In translation, the circular economy implies more logical use of the resources that are close to us (if there are any) and engagement of domestic experts. This type of economy also implies an emphasis on innovation, not waste management. It is one thing to recycle wood, but another to extract lignin and use it in the construction industry.

Today, economic growth is closely linked to the growth of resources, energy and water use. Subsidizing basic fossil energy and the labour tax made sense when we had a labour shortage, and labour efficiency had to increase. Are we talking about old approaches and outdated policies here? The circular economy proposes a change in policies from taxation of labour to taxation of the use of raw materials, energy and water, and extended producer responsibility for waste generation and environmental pollution. Today, we are having to deal with unemployment and depleted resources. One of the things that this new economy also entails is the transition from subsidies for fossil fuels to subsidizing cleaner technologies that will generate energy with local natural capacities. Clean technologies have moved from the highrisk-high-reward category to the mass production category, while the risk of investing in fossil fuels is increasing.

We need to underline two phases of the transition to the circular economy. Phase one implies subsidies and rewards for economies that are actively and decisively embarking on the transition, while phase two omits subsidies and begins to affect the cost side of the entire economic system. From experience and direct insight, I can say that the EU does not plan to deviate from its "green" path and "green" investments. The Serbian business system is an integral part of the European market. So, the question is - when is it logical to start building an eco-

nomic and social system resistant to disruption? My answer is yesterday. What is yours?

The circular economy is an increasingly talked about topic in our country, both because of the real need for sustainable development, and the implementation of all standards implied by Chapter 27 in Serbia's accession negotiations with the European Union. The circular economy is a new business model that envisages maximum optimization of economic processes, with the reuse of available raw materials and energy resources from waste streams, efficient use of energy and human resources and savings related to both time and organization of business, with a maximum reduction of negative impact on the environment and climate change.

The Republic of Serbia has taken several important steps toward transitioning from a linear to a circular economy. Defining a strategic framework is one of the most important steps.

In 2019, as one of the activities of the Ministry of the Environment, an ex-ante analysis of the effects of the circular economy was made, which precedes the public policy document. In conclusion, the document states that there is a need to write a special public policy document covering this area. A public policy document called ‘The Circular Economy Programme with a ThreeYear-Action-Plan’ will be drafted following the Republic of Serbia’s Law on Planning System and relevant bylaws that prescribe the methodology for drafting these documents. This document will stipulate measures and activities that

will help implement the concept of the circular economy in Serbia up until 2023.

The goal of the Roadmap is to increase market opportunities for production through circular business models and encourage industry to create new jobs and improve business through finding innovative environmentally sustainable solutions. The intention here is to encourage the whole society to make radical changes in thinking, culture and attitude towards resources, as well as to encourage decision-makers to politically commit to changes in public policies and dialogue in the context of the circular economy. The Roadmap is an initial document that will launch a dialogue between decision-makers and representatives of industry, academia and civil society.

Our economy is also showing interest in innovative solutions and adapting to global trends. The domestic business system Elixir Group, which has seven members and 1,500 employees working at mineral fertilizer and phosphoric acid factories in Šabac and Prahovo, is working on a new business model, aimed at rationalizing the consumption of natural resources and energy efficiency. Metalfer from Sremska Mitrovica, for instance, is a 100 % circular company engaged in using scrap iron to make new products. There are also numerous recycling companies and foreign companies that use the model of industrial symbiosis to give generated waste to small and micro companies as a new raw material for production.

We simply have to create oppor-

The goal of the Roadmap is to increase market opportunities for production through circular business models

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tunities for the implementation of the circular economy. It is no longer a question of whether we want to or not, but whether our production will survive if we do not accept the circular economy instead of the linear one in the next 5-10 years. There are fewer and fewer natural resources, energy is becoming more expensive, while rivers, land and air are becoming increasingly polluted.

Decarbonization implies monitoring of carbon footprint which is required to manufacture a product or provide a service

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What is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia’s Centre for Circular Economy doing to promote and implement business models that can respond to the impact of climate change?

— Since 2017, the Centre for Circular Economy has been implementing EIT Climate-KIC projects and programs. The EIT Climate-KIC was founded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) twelve years ago. It is the largest European public-private partnership organization focused on combating climate change and accelerating the transformation of society and the economy towards zero carbon emissions. We identify and support innovations that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

We believe that a decarbonized, sustainable economy is necessary not only to prevent catastrophic climate change but also creates an abundance of opportunities for business and society.

EIT Climate-KIC was financially supported by the Horizon 2020 fund until last year, and Horizon Europe as of this year until 2027.

In the last twelve years, thanks to EIT Climate-KIC programmes and projects, at the European level, we now have over 450 partners

and have supported almost 2,000 startups that have attracted more than 1 billion euros worth of investments. We have created 2,500 fulltime jobs and launched more than 600 innovative products and services. 54,000 people participated in our activities.

The EIT Climate-KIC Serbia Hub consists of four organizations - the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS), Climate Innovation Hub, Cirecon and Niš Science and Technology Park. Last year, the SEE ICT hub, better known as the Startit Centre, left the hub.

All EIT Climate-KIC programmes and projects we implement aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate climate change and adapt to it.

In addition to existing programmes and projects in Serbia, EIT Climate-KIC offers a handful of professional development opportunities, which are available to everyone, while some segments of the programme are free.

What kind of cooperation do you have with local and foreign institutes and institutions?

— Representatives of the business and academic community, public and non-governmental sectors participate in our projects and other activities, to create and boost a network of experts who can develop innovative products, services and ideas, market them and thus contribute to the decarbonization of the business sector and society. The inclusion of all significant stakeholders, which sometimes have different interests, is a necessary prerequisite for doing the required changes in the transition from the current linear business model to a circular one.

For example, in early June, the Centre celebrated World Environment Day at the Belgrade Fortress, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the EU Delegation to Serbia, the City of Belgrade and many others.

You also assemble all business associations with environmental interests under one roof. What projects do you have planned?

— Two key projects launched by the Centre for Circular Economy this year, supported by the Ministry of Economy, are decarbonization of the business sector and wastewater management. Both projects involve most industrial companies that create environmentally harmful emissions in their production processes, which can be influenced in order to reduce or reuse them.

Decarbonization implies monitoring of carbon footprint which is required to manufacture a product or provide a service. The first groups of products that are expected to be taxed on exports to the EU market from 2026 are products made of steel, iron, aluminium, cement, as well as clinkers, fertilizers and electricity. The transition period, in terms of adjusting the measurement and quantification of CO2 in the product declaration, starts in 2023. The CCIS Centre for Circular Economy is putting together a guide that will give companies comprehensive information on cross-border taxation of goods, as well as ways to manage carbon dioxide emissions for the mentioned product groups.

According to the Law on Environmental Protection, every company or small business owner who has a wastewater treatment plant and/ or discharges its wastewater into a recipient or public sewer is obliged to harmonize its emissions with the emission limit values for pollutants in water, defined by regulation until December 31, 2025.

The Centre for Circular Economy has held a training session for more than 150 interested companies and individuals. The training was preceded by a workshop with representatives of local governments and inspectorates to enhance the content of the training with their experiences.

The Alliance for Green Transition is the leading organization in the country that facilitates green transition and we are very proud of its capacity and influence to design a green, sustainable and smart regulatory framework and open market. 

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We have also formed an ESG team in the company, in which our colleagues from all Delta companies are participating and whose task is to apply innovative solutions in environmental protection

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TIJANA KOPRIVICA Chief Business Sustainability Officer at Delta Holding

elta Holding has been successfully doing business in Serbia and in its business plans is also focusing on the international market. The company is also active in environmental protection, as it invests in the establishment of energy-efficient systems and is working in line with the plan that is harmonized with the company’s current sustainable development strategy. We talked about these topics with Tijana Koprivica, Chief Business Sustainability Officer at Delta Holding.

D

Could you tell us more about the company's activities toward reducing the negative impacts of business on climate and environmental protection?

— Delta has been implementing modern technical and technological solutions in business since its formation and follows global trends.

For years, we have been involved in projects such as Low Carbon, Cleaner Production and others that aim to map critical points in work processes to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Of course, since 2015, we have been acquainted with the sustainable development goals and in that sense with global initiatives to reduce the impact on climate change.

In 2021, we conducted an energy audit with external consultants, the result of which clearly showed that we do our business prudently and are very aware of our consumption of energy, water and other resources. Our new office building is LEED Gold cer-

Our new office building is LEED Gold certified, and recycled materials have been used in its construction

tified, and recycled materials such as UNIDOM plastic balls have been used in its construction, which, in turn, has reduced the use of concrete and thus CO2 emissions.

The façade of our new office building is made of the latest materials, and we have a modern ventilation system and ionizers that both use energy optimally, so the air is of excellent quality. Our roof has two mini solar power plants while a rainwater tank is used for the collection of the so-called technical water. Delta House also has an efficient waste management system. In the ground floor garage, we have a recycling island where the separation of all types of packaging waste is done by the system packaging operator Delta Pak. Delta Pak, a packaging waste management operator and environmental consultant, is tasked with improving the environment and helping us to implement environmental principles for more than 300 clients.

We have also formed an ESG team in the company, in which our colleagues from all Delta companies are participating and whose task is to apply innovative solutions in environmental protection, development of employees and other stakeholders and responsible management.

Energy efficiency is an important segment of Delta Holding's business. What energy do you use the most and how much did you invest in establishing energy-efficient systems?

— I can't give you an exact figure, but we have certainly invested around 2 million euros this year alone in improving our energy system. This includes the costs of building solar power plants at seven locations.

In 2020, you started conducting an energy audit of your facilities which showed that energy efficiency can be improved by introducing renewable energy sources which will thus contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. At what stage is this project? What have you done so far and what are the next steps?

— The construction of solar power plants has been completed and they should be commissioned very soon.

We have seven solar power plants (4 in factories, 2 in refrigerator units and one at the Napredak farm). DTS is the first logistics company in Serbia to include 100% electric vehicles in its fleet. With a range of 250km and a load capacity of up to 1 tonne, these vehicles will be used to transport goods from DC Nova Pazova, where three AC chargers have been installed.

What are Delta Holding's plans for the period up to 2030 that are envisaged by the current sustainable development strategy?

— The plan is for 60% of the energy to come from renewable energy sources and to have solar power plants at all major facilities and a biogas plant on the Agrar farm. 

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NENAD DJURDJEVIĆ Commercial Director Ball Beverage Packaging, EMEA

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all Corporation is committed to advancing climate science and achieving net-zero carbon emissions prior to 2050. Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and absolute Scope 3 emissions by 16% (against a 2017 baseline, approved science-based target). Achieve 100% renewable electricity globally by 2030, with an interim target of 75% by 2025.

We spoke with Nenad Djurdjević, Commercial Director Ball Beverage Packaging, EMEA, about this topic, as well as sustainable development, the green agenda and the company's product range.

B

Improving sustainability performances throughout the product life cycle is a major goal of Ball Corporation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy. Could you tell us more about the Toward a Perfect Circle company vision?

— Ball has set ambitious goals for itself to ensure the complete circularity of the cans. By 2030, our goal is to recycle 90% of the cans in all countries in which the company operates, as well as 85% of the recycled aluminium in our products.

Recycled aluminium has an eight times smaller CO2 footprint than aluminium produced from renewable energy sources, and a 40 times smaller footprint than aluminium obtained directly from the raw ore. Today, we all agree that it is necessary to conserve resources, and we believe that we need to return the used aluminium to the cans as much as

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possible, as well as make our products from at least 85% recycled aluminium.

Ball covers all of its operational electricity in Europe and North America from renewable sources. This is just one of the ways you show your commitment to sustainable business and a green agenda in all business segments. What are the other segments?

— One of the goals related to sustainability to which we have committed ourselves by 2030 at the global level is achieving zero net CO2 emissions.

Customers are looking for low-carbon, circular packaging, as there is a growing awareness of the need for sustainable products such as aluminium packaging that can be over and over with very little losses.

Recent market research, conducted after the pandemic, shows that 9 out of 10 people in Serbia believe that they should take more care of the environment. On the other hand, aluminium cans are today the most recycled beverage packaging in the world with a 69% recycling rate globally and 76% in Europe, rising to 99% in Germany. Aluminium cans have a sorting, reprocessing and re-melting efficiency of 90 percent, compared to glass (67 percent) and PET packaging (66 percent).

How many consumers in Serbia opt for an aluminium beverage can? In what ways do you encourage and educate them to choose aluminium cans?

We are present at around twenty events a year, including the big ones such as EXIT Festival

— Both the public's and corporate interest in this issue has been growing, because it is clear that the amount of waste generated every day is increasing and that we need to manage waste in the right way, i.e. use it as raw material and minimize pollution.

The recyclability of the can, as well as the price of this packaging, are definitely factors that influence the consumer's decision to opt for it.

A recent survey conducted in 14 European countries as part of the Every Can Counts campaign speaks in favour of this. As many as 91% of Europeans want more work to do be done on protecting the environment, 87% would like companies to use packaging that can be recycled indefinitely, and 89% believe that companies should be responsible for the packaging they use, as well as consumers themselves when choosing packaging. This last piece of information is extremely important to us because our packaging is made to fully adhere to the principles of eco-design from the very beginning - we use one material, aluminium, which can be recycled an infinite number of times.

Another extremely interesting piece of information we got from this research relates to how waste is collected. As many as 50% of the surveyed people preferred the deposit method, which means that waste is disposed of in special machines in shops or other locations and that they get money for that. Expert independent studies have also confirmed the effectiveness of this method, which is ahead of the others.

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We are aware that the responsibility for the future of our planet is shared equally by all stakeholders in society

Your Recan Foundation promotes the importance of environmental protection and raises awareness of the need to recycle cans. How many cans have you recycled so far? What are the Foundation’s next projects?

— The Recan Foundation implements two extremely important projects. These are the Every Can Counts campaign and a theatre that recycles can tickets.

The project "Every Can Counts" is implemented globally in 19 European countries, plus Brazil. Recan implements it in Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Thanks to this campaign, we have been raising awareness of the importance of recycling cans, especially cans that store those drinks that are consumed outdoors (on the go). In this regard, we support festivals, schools and offices in recycling their cans. We are present at around twenty events a year, including the big ones such as EXIT Festival. Educational institutions have been joining us in implementing this programme and we are present in 450 schools.

To reach children, we have been working on the Čarapa Theatre for over ten years, a wonderful project where children bring cans, recycle them and watch great theatre performances. Throughout this project, we educated 74,000 people about recycling, 530,000 cans were recycled and we had 314 performances in 57 cities.

The first smart can recycling press was launched in Belgrade last year and Ball is part of this project. What results did it achieve a year later and is there a plan to install presses in other cities?

— The project is being implemented with the support of the German Development Cooperation, implemented by GIZ, under the auspices of the Smart system for collecting cans in cities project. The project is jointly funded by the German Federal Min-

istry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Ball Packaging Europe, Mercator S and Solagro. The smart press system has been set up in IDEA, IDEA Organic and RODA stores in Belgrade, where people who recycle cans have the opportunity to get benefits such as discounts by using the Solagro application. Also, the biggest recyclers will be rewarded.

This is the first smart packaging waste recycling system with game elements and recycled material data analysis integrated into a supermarket’s loyalty programme in the region, developed by the domestic startup company Solagro.

Ball pays special attention to investing in new technologies, not only to improve its business but because we truly base our business on circularity. We produce packaging that is 100% recyclable, with an unlimited number of times with minimal losses.

That is why we are investing in new technologies that will contribute to the efficient establishment of the recycling system. We are aware that the responsibility for the future of our planet is shared equally by all stakeholders in society - the state, individuals, but also companies - which is why establishing an efficient recycling system is our imperative.

The award-winning Ball Aluminum Cup, which can be recycled indefinitely, is a new product that is conquering the global market. When is it going to arrive in Serbia?

— Let that be a surprise for now. According to user research, the completely recyclable aluminium cup has an incomparably better rating than similar packaging, such as plastic, which is used in the entertainment industry. I believe that the use of this new packaging (aluminium cups) will greatly contribute to the recycling and circularity of packaging and the preservation of our planet. 

By 2030, our goal is to recycle 90% of the cans in all countries in which the company operates, as well as 85% of the recycled aluminium in our products

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COMMENT

RES SHOULD HAVE A GRAND ENTRANCE

We need to start drafting projects for reversible hydroelectric power plants, which are large-scale projects worth a billion euros and more. Bistrica and Djerdap 3 are the two largest reversible hydropower plants ZORAN LAKIĆEVIĆ State Secretary at the Ministry of Mining and Energy

t the SERBIA GOES GREEN conference, held in the Belgrade City Assembly, on June 7, 2022, Zoran Lakićević, State Secretary from the Energy Efficiency and Heating Plant Sector at the Ministry of Mining and Energy, addressed conference participants.

When asked what significant changes the Law on Energy Efficiency brings, Zoran Lakićević said that thanks to that law, the Ministry has been working on concretizing measures and taking concrete steps related to energy projects.

"As an engineer, I have always strived to do that, and we have managed to create a new national programme stipulating energy-saving measures in households prescribed in that law. We also managed to launch the programme last year. So far, we have subsidized over 3,500 households with 50 percent of donations coming from the Ministry and local governments, and the other 50 percent coming from people themselves. These funds are used to replace windows, and doors, improve facade and roof insulation and replace radiators. We had also signed agreements with 151 municipalities in Serbia related to these subsidies.

Once these agreements are signed, municipal authorities can launch public competitions for individuals and with their 25 percent participation, they practically provide a subsidy," said the State Secretary.

When asked whether all municipal authorities are efficient in allocating these subsidies, he responded with

A

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Two completely new biomass heating plants have been built, in Priboj and Mali Zvornik, and now they are working on the one in Novi Pazar

“some are, some are not”. According to him, it is important that the households welcomed these subsidies and that everyone who applied for them was enabled to sign a contract with a contractor and receive 50 percent of the subsidies.

"But energy efficiency also contributes to the overall energy balance. The savings that can be made here are so valuable that they can replace a certain percentage of energy," he added.

"I am glad to hear that first solar panels have been installed on house roofs," continued Zoran Lakićević, adding: "This is the first time in Serbia that a household can connect and produce electricity for itself and that the surplus of the produced electricity can be returned to the main power grid with an option to withdraw that surplus at any time. There is another project that we have recently signed on - the Kostolac wind farm – which construction is financed by the German Development Bank (KwF).

Also, the bio-mass plant is financed by them. Two completely new biomass heating plants have been built, in Priboj and Mali Zvornik, and now they are working on the one in Novi Pazar. The agreement with Majdanpek should be signed soon, as well as one with two other municipalities.

Thanks to this new set of laws, we

have made it possible for us to soon have the first auctions for private investors."

According to him, as far as larger power plants are concerned, there is still work to be done. "I think we will finish that this year, strike a balance on the energy market and then start with the first auctions. We have limited the auction price. After that, we should start implementing projects for reversible hydroelectric power plants, which are large projects worth a billion euros and more. Bistrica and Djerdap 3 are the two largest reversible hydropower plants. These are necessary projects so renewable energy sources (RES) can make a grand entrance, so to speak, and be largely used in the energy sector,” added State Secretary Lakićević.

"The hydrogen strategy is a new type of securing balanced energy supply. It really doesn't matter whether it is green or blue hydrogen or whether it is from gas or RES. Gas is gas. We still see gas as a green energy source.

There is a problem with the financing of such projects by international financial institutions and the extent to which they are willing to finance gas-related projects. I think that there are interested financiers and that we can continue to implement projects in this area in the future," concluded Zoran Lakićević. 

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ONE STEP AHEAD OF EVERYONE

YUNET INTERNATIONAL d.o.o. is a managed service provider and has been successfully operating in the Serbian market for almost 30 years, setting high standards from day one ZLATKO TRHULJ CEO of YUNET INTERNATIONAL d.o.o.

e talked with Zlatko Trhulj, CEO of YUNET INTERNATIONAL d.o.o., about IoT technology and its link to agriculture, as well as plans of this successful company.

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How does the digital technology you deal with affect the environment? Could you also tell us how smart technology improves agriculture and reduces nature’s pollution?

— Responsible business means that the company and its activities are not only driven by profit, but also by responsibility towards all groups affected by the company’s business. These include owners and shareholders, as well as employees, clients, and the community in which the company operates. Finally, socially responsible companies are also conscious of the environment.

Any business activity that requires the use of natural resources and generates unwanted waste affects the environment. This should be recognized, minimized as much as possible and controlled for as long as it lasts. That is why the international standard for environmental protection - ISO 14001 - has been developed. By fulfilling its re-

quirements, the company systematically monitors and eliminates the negative impact that its products or services have on the environment.

Those companies that successfully fulfil the requirements of this strict standard receive a certificate confirming their commitment to the protection of the planet. YUNETt International has been operating in line with ISO rules for many years and I have to say that we are very proud of that fact.

Integrated sensors, software, network connectivity and logic make up the Internet of Things (IoT).

What kind of technology is this and how does it correspond to agriculture as a branch?

— Every IoT system is different. But, what is important is that the foundation of every architecture of the Internet of Things, as well as its general data flow, are approximately the same.

As market competition grows, it is of the utmost importance to achieve higher quality standards in production, reduce and more efficiently use production resources such as energy, fertilizers and chemicals, minimize input costs and above all, ensure environmental protection. YUNET IoT

sensors and measuring stations provide real-time monitoring and thus contribute to making the most optimal data-based decisions. Investing in the IoT system will immediately show its value in any economic branch in terms of optimizing daily business and generating huge savings long-term.

In short, physical plus virtual connection between things, direct and indirect data exchange, data access and end-users performing device configuration are what make IoT.

We are creating a digital world that is turning into a lifestyle for a satisfied user

What do you have in mind for current and new users?

— YUNET INTERNATIONAL d.o.o. is a responsible company whose business is not driven solely by profit, but also by responsibility towards all groups affected by its business. We plan to extend this awareness to new clients to help them improve their business in a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly way. On the other hand, we have fantastic cooperation with current customers and a friendly relationship that is reflected in our projects, as well as provide reliable service and support at all times. We plan to maintain such a professional relationship in the future too. 

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RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEMS NEED SUSTAINABLE FOOD PACKAGING

Food packaging and food processing play a significant role in maintaining the stability of that system and ensuring a significant reduction of food waste DRAGAN RAJKOVIĆ Sustainability Director for North and East Europe, Tetra Pak

e spoke with Dragan Rajković, Sustainability Director for North and East Europe of Tetra Pak, about innovative packaging, decarbonisation and the circular economy.

significant reduction of food waste.

Our packages are made from on average 70% renewable material and are fully recyclable providing a sustainable substitution for fossil-based products.

Tetra Pak has a recognizable slogan "Protect What’s Good". Does this slogan refer only to food packaged in Tetra Pak’s packaging or does it have a broader meaning?

— “Protects What’s Good” is not a tagline or a mission statement – it is our modus operandi. It is the operating model instilled in everything we plan, produce, sell and aimed at everyone we employ, partner with or supply from. At Tetra Pak we practice what we preach. Exercising sustainability without its social element is a recipe for failure these days. So our “Protects What’s Good” goes for every food and beverage packaging we put on the market, every machine we install at our customer’s site, every employee we onboard, each partnership we forge and every step of our planet where we operate. Our role is now greater than ever. We live in a time of unprecedented crises and our whole food system is at stake. Food packaging and food processing play a significant role in maintaining the stability of that system and ensuring a

The circular economy concept, which entails all activities that reduce, reuse and recycle materials in the processes of production, distribution and consumption, has become very popular in recent years. How does this concept work in Tetra Pak? — Our strategy is to ensure that every package we produce is collected and recycled and we have set very demanding ambitions for ourselves and our industry at large – 70% collection for recycling until 2025 and 90% until 2030. As you know Europe is a very diverse market when it comes to regulations and even among EU member states, there are countries like Belgium and Germany who are performing extremely well in the household collection and others where the collection of beverage cartons and other waste is still in the emerging phase.

We are working with our recycling partners and customers to increase recycling capacities and educate consumers on the importance of primary sorting. At the same time, we are hav-

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We have been innovating for the past 70 years since we set up our first production site in Sweden

ing an intense dialogue with governments to ensure effective collection.

Serbia and Western Balkans also have an ambitious green agenda but there is still a lot to be done. That is actually an opportunity to pioneer certain solutions like an all-inclusive deposit return system.

In terms of using recycled content, we have started introducing recycled polymers in our packages but the reality is that the supply of such polymers is very tight and everyone is facing issues with raw material availability. Our recycled fibres currently do not go back to our product due to food safety legislation issues but they certainly have an amazing afterlife – be it as tissues, cardboard, stretch foils, school benches and even facades for buildings as we recently saw in Colombia.

Tetra Pak was once widely recognized for its food packaging innovations. How much attention does the company pay today to innovation?

— Innovation drives our business.

We have been innovating for the past 70 years since we set up our first production site in Sweden. Our package is made of the majority, around 75%, of responsibly sourced and renewable fibre content, around 20% of

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plastic and 5% aluminium. Over the next decade, we will invest EUR 100 million every year in product innovation, driving our package towards a fully fibre-based content and significantly reducing plastic along the way. Recently we made two major innovation breakthroughs – caps and lids made of plant-based plastic and test for the fibre barrier replacing the current aluminium one. These innovations are present across our portfolio and Serbia is a part of our global map and one of our key packaging production sites.

Part of the innovation story follows stipulations of the EU Green Deal – our paper straws are now widely used across Europe and our investment in the single-use plastic directive related portfolio changes has amounted to close to half a billion euros.

Everyone is familiar with Tetra Pak packaging for liquid food products such as milk or yoghurt. Where is Tetra Pak packaging used? How important is food packaging in the fight against world hunger?

— Our company has three major business units – food packaging, food processing and services. Food packaging has been traditionally the most visible part of our business and close to end consumers as those are palpable retail products.

That is how our package became a symbol for liquid food packaging.

However, our processing and equipment business unit plays a vital role in food infrastructure – to process milk, cheese or make ice cream ready to eat as we see it in supermarkets, all of this comes from Tetra Pak production lines.

We provide complete solutions and processing equipment for dairy, cheese, ice cream, beverages and prepared food. Our customers provide old favourites or new recipes filled with your own brand of passion and uniqueness. That’s a great way of creating success together.

Decarbonisation has become one of the most important proclaimed goals in the world, namely reducing the use of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide emissions as the biggest polluter of the atmosphere and the main culprit of global warming. Is there a way for Tetra Pak to get involved in achieving that goal?

— Decarbonisation is a must in order to fight climate change. The problem is that most of the decarbonisation efforts were very much focused on the energy or construc-

tion sector. We should not neglect materials and the role they play. No matter how much we invest in collection and recycling infrastructure, we cannot recycle our way out of the climate crisis. Tetra Pak was one of the initiators of the Radical Material decarbonisation Coalition at the EU level together with Unilever, H&M and many other organisations from the civil sector and members of the European Parliament.

Our company is committed to making our production carbon neutral by 2030 and our entire value chain by 2050. Reduction of energy, replacement of fossil-based raw materials with plant-based, and switch towards fully renewable energy are major parts of that journey. For instance, our Serbian factory already operates 100% on renewable energy.

The amount of waste generated in the food industry chain is huge. Does Tetra Pak have programmes or campaigns to reduce this waste by, for instance, collecting discarded packaging, helping to build packaging recycling infrastructure and the like?

— We are very much focused on food security and food safety. Too much food is being wasted around the world and we simply need fundamental changes. What the packaging industry can do is offer a product that keeps food safe even without refrigeration for long periods. This is quintessential Tet-

ra Pak. Our aseptic packages enable milk, juices or soups to have a stable shelf life of 6 or 12 months without temperature adjustments. This trait makes our packaging highly desirable, for example, in school milk programmes all over the world.

Post-consumer life of our package is what keeps me awake at night and you are right in saying that the creation of circularity helps reduce the waste. However, we can invest in all state-of-the-art recycling facilities in this world, but if collection infrastructure fails, the whole system is futile. Tetra Pak works with our industry partners to invest in major fibre and poly-aluminium recycling facilities around Europe.

Western Balkans is also on our map, but before we make any major investment, food and beverage cartons need to be accepted as a separate category in local collection systems. There cannot be discrimination towards certain materials or we will never resolve the waste issue. In Serbia, the situation is not easy but some solutions could make this country lead the circular economy journey of the region. One of them is the deposit return system – like the recent pilot we deployed in Kragujevac or the ongoing collection trial in Belgrade. An all-inclusive and unfragmented system managed by the industry and developed to increase the current modest in-take of all materials is the only effective way forward. 

Too much food is being wasted around the world and we simply need fundamental changes

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APATIN BREWERY: GREEN FOCUS ON OUR TWO PILLARS – PEOPLE AND PLANET

As a responsible company, Apatin Brewery is focused on issues where they can have the greatest impact across two key pillars: People and Planet. What does it really mean? They explain – if we care about people, water, climate, and packaging, we will protect our planet and leave it healthier to the next generations Our people – People are the heart of Apatin Brewery. We strive to create a culture where employees are motivated to bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to the table. We are committed to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do, and we nurture a workforce that reflects our local communities.

Our water imprint – We use water in every phase of our brewing process – from our agriculture supply chain to our bottling lines. As a responsible company, we participate in numerous initiatives to improve water stewardship in our industry.

Our climate imprint – Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of our lifetime and we believe our industry has a crucial role to play in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Decarbonizing operations and building a more resilient and responsive business are among our top priorities.

Our packaging imprint – To keep more material out of landfills, we are developing increasingly innovative solutions based on the circular economy with smaller environmental footprints. This means designing with circularity in mind and joining forces with others to push for more effective recycling solutions.

ALIGED WITH UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS If we look from the wider perspective, Molson Coors Beverage

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What we can announce is a number of projects from our side by the end of the year

Company, which Apatin Brewery is a part of, is committed to maintaining an ongoing dialogue with its employees, consumers, investors, suppliers, local communities, and government institutions, in order to gain a clearer insight into the issues that matter most to them and expectations they have from the Brewery as a responsible company.

“Open and continuous communication with stakeholders is crucial for us in identifying strategic areas of engagement, as well as upcoming trends, and the risks and opportunities they bring. We have aligned our sustainability targets with the nine UN Sustainable Development Goals most relevant to our business like: Zero hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Affordable and Clean Energy, Decent Work and Economic Growt, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, Partnership for the Goals”, Slobodanka Cucić, Legal and Corporate Affairs Manager of Apatin Brewery said.

APATIN BREWERY CELEBRATED WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY PLANTING CANADIAN MAPLE TREES Magnificent Canadian maple trees

were planted by the employees of the Apatin Brewery on the World Environment Day. The promenade near Ušće, in the area near the Museum of Contemporary Art, has become richer for new trees whose branches will attract everyone by their recognizable copper-red color.

Employees of the Apatin Brewery came to the event organized by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce with the support of the "Plant Your Own Shade" organization and other responsible companies and organizations by bicycle, thus completing the message they want to convey to make an impact on environmental protection issue.

"Apatin Brewery really cares about the protection of the environment and continuously and systematically implements activities that support the green transition and a sustainable future. Today we came by bicycle to plant trees, and we are proud to continue the tradition of cooperation with the organization “Plant Your Own Shade” and Serbian Chamber of Commerce. What we can announce is a number of projects from our side by the end of the year, which also have a strong impact on increasing the use of green energy and respect for the principles of the circular economy ", they said in Apatin Brewery. 

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GREEN AGENDA AND ABB

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Renewable energy sources, the circular economy and the promotion of green technologies are important factors in the fight for a better tomorrow. We have been hearing more and more about the opportunity to achieve significant environmental and economic benefits by improving energy efficiency

he Electric Power Industry of Serbia is improving the availability and increasing the overall energy efficiency of its Bajina Bašta Hydroelectric Power Plant.

Thanks to better efficiency and operational readiness, ABB frequency converter Megadrive LCI (~21MW) with ancillary equipment used for starting up of 2x300 MW synchronous units in the HPP Bajina Bašta will contribute to higher electricity production by an additional 5-6 GWh. Since it implies optimal electricity consumption in order to achieve maximum savings, the implementation of energy efficiency measures is rife with challenges that require expertise and continuous improvement to reach the most advanced solutions.

That is why in 2021, ABB launched a campaign called Energy Efficiency Movement, which will last at least

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The idea behind the Energy Efficiency Movement campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of energy efficiency

four years and will be implemented through various activities. This campaign is fully harmonized with the Ecodesign Regulation (EU 2019/1781), which entered into force in the European Union on 1 July 2021 and sets new efficiency standards for electric motor drives.

The idea behind the Energy Efficiency Movement campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of energy efficiency, explains Milan Jevremović, ABB's Local Business Manager Motion, as well as work together with governments, companies and universities to achieve a common goal which is the reduction of negative impacts on the environment with the use of advanced technologies in various industries.

Although often hidden from the public eye, electric motors and frequency converters, which optimize their work, are used almost every-

where. They start a large number of technological processes that facilitate a modern way of life - from industrial pumps, fans, conveyors in production processes, and propulsion systems in transport to air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems in buildings and business facilities.

Furthermore, ABB is committed to the wider application of efficient electric motors and frequency converters, to reduce global electricity consumption by 10%.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), industry accounts for 37% of global energy consumption and some 30% of global energy consumption in buildings.

Significant steps have already been taken to support the use of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources. ABB believes it is time to do the same for industrial technology that will bring even greater benefits to the environment and the global economy.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is the world's leading technology company that is driving changes in society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By linking software solutions to the portfolio of power engineering, robotics, automation and electric motor drives, ABB is pushing the boundaries of technology to boost performance to new levels.

The company has a 130-year-long tradition based on the pursuit of excellence and it employs 105,000 talented people in over 100 countries who are responsible for ABB’s success.  www.abb.rs

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FOR THE FUTURE

Serbia's Zijin Mining is, also aimed to establishing productive relations and long-term cooperation, through transparent and open dialogue with all stakeholders he company Serbia Zijin Mining, part of the Zijin Mining group, has been present in Serbia since December 2018.

From research, it quickly became a real mining company. The construction of the main plants as well as the accompanying mining facilities, during which the process technology, industrial equipment and technical performance indicators were set at a high international level, lasted two years, and production began in 2021.

Thanks to the design, construction and optimization of the high standard process, the production results of the “Čukaru Peki” mine became visible in less than a year, and company was ranked first on the list of Serbian exporters.

By applying best practices in mining and the use of modern technologies, the desire is to ensure the longterm successful operation of the company, which will, while respecting established standards, follow quality work, sustainable growth and

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Main aim is to ensure the long-term successful work of the company, which will, with established standards, follow quality work

development. Through a good example of the construction of the "Green Mine", the goal is for Serbia Zijin Mining to become the leading European mining company in terms of: low carbon emissions, green ecology, social responsibility, health, security and sustainable development, and that investments of 466 million US dollars, continues, primarily by continuous investment in ecology. According to company strategy, main goal is to build the first “green mine” in Serbia and to reach a leading level around European mining companies, which is also in line with Serbian philosophy of “Green Agenda”. To build a “garden-like” green mine, will balance mining development with ecological preservation, strive to achieve zero wastewater discharge and carry out all-round ecological remediation.

Aim is to work to foster harmony between mine development and the environment, so as to develop mines with a world-class environment.

The company is adhering to the "highest standard and strictest requirements", and it is committed to the construction of garden-like factories and green mine, and has taken a series of measures in water, air, noise, and ecological restoration and achieved remarkable results. In order to have a healthy environment, company Serbia Zijin Mining established a regular monitoring mechanism in mine, and built an advanced real-time monitoring system for water quality. Also, already built a cut-

ting-edge water treatment system, committed to the recycling of industrial water and zero discharge of wastewater. According to the highest European standards was designed the most advanced waste management system in Serbia, for storing and treating waste.

Desire is also to renew and plant new vegetation. During the process of landscaping who started with the construction of the Čukaru Peki mine, around the mining area have been planted more than 6.400 trees and more than 510.000 square meters of grass, and a greening plan for the mining area has been formulated to continue greening the tailings pond area. The plan is to plant another 3.500 trees by the end of this year, and to green the new 700.000 square meters of space with grass.

In terms of water treatment, the company currently centrally stores underground sewage and production sewage in the flotation tailings pond through the water dispatch system, realizing zero discharge of industrial wastewater; at the same time, the company has completed the construction and trial operation of the water treatment workshop. The treatment workshop is used to treat the industrial wastewater from the tailings pond, and the treated wastewater is used for production and recycling; the construction of the integrated treatment system for domestic sewage in the other processing plant has basically been

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completed and will be gradually put into use. In the operation of facilities for environmental protection, ecological greening and environmental improvement, till now was set aside 65 million dollars, and in farther it is planned to invest at least $3.5 million per year for the operation of environmental protection facilities, ecological greening and environmental improvement, so as to ensure the harmonious coexistence of the enterprise and the environment.

Main aim is to ensure the longterm successful work of the company, which will, with established standards, follow quality work, sustainable growth and development of the "Green Mine" and contribute for building the city of Bor as the second largest mine copper production base in Europe.

Although a young company, Serbia Zijin Mining, managed to achieve excellent production results in a very short time. Highly set standards contributed to that, but also the quality work of employees.

With the development of the company, companies need for the number of executors are constantly growing, especially for educated and professional workers. In just one year, the number of employees in the company has increased four times, and out of the 200 employees it had at the beginning of last year, it now has more than 800. The plan is for the number of employees to exceed one thousand by the end of the year.

Company presented the personnel needs of the company at the recently held Job Fair in Bor and in just two hours, close to 300 unemployed people applied to work in Serbia Zijin Mining, because of good working conditions, opportunities for training and advance-

ment, and above all because of security and good salary, which is above the national average.

Company is focused on employing experienced, but also young educated people, because of which, in the desire to encourage them to stay in Bor, have taken many positive measures. The company is constantly investing in all areas of local community development, and one of the most important is certainly employment and education. That is the reason that company wholeheartedly try to maintain good cooperation with educational and all other institutions, and through personnel policy to contribute to the development of the company, the economic development of the city and the entire country.

Serbia Zijin Mining with the continuous, stable and high operating grown, wont to assure the economic and social development, but also to achieve long-term positive impact and enable community development through the implementation of the Program to support lo-

cal communities, who is based on the implementation of long-term and sustainable projects and initiatives that contribute to the development of a strategy focused on 4 most important pillars: education and welfare of children, environmental protection and reclamation, development of rural communities, and development of capacities and skills can contribute to the development of local entrepreneurship and job creation. The realization of this program is focused primarily on the rural local communities of Brestovac, Slatina, and Metovnica, which are covered by the company's activities. Based on the expressed and determined needs of local communities, the company has in recent years invested in improving conditions in schools and cultural centers, helps the work of football clubs, provides free Wi-Fi in villages, supports traditional events to preserve culture and customs, cooperates with cultural -art societies, beekeepers, retirees. In 2021. Serbia Zijin Mining donated USD 58.767, and in 2022, the proposed regular donation amount is six times bigger. The additional massive donation programs including "For the future" project has a budget of $604,000/year in Bor, and water supply program has budget of 1 million Euro per year.

In line with the company's development philosophy: "Mining for Society" and the concept that proclaims the values that "Harmony begets wealth", Serbia's Zijin Mining is, also aimed to establishing productive relations and long-term cooperation, through transparent and open dialogue with all stakeholders, in order to provide better living conditions for the population through the implementation of sustainable programs. 

The company is adhering to the "highest standard and strictest requirements"

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GREEN JOBS AND GREEN INVESTMENTS ARE SERBIA’S FUTURE

For the seventh consecutive time, the Serbia Goes Green conference took place in the Ceremonial Hall of the Belgrade Assembly on June 7, 2022. This year, the main conference topics were environmental protection and nature conservation. The conference was organized by Color Media Communications

n his speech, Dr Zoran Radojičić, Mayor of Belgrade, said that everybody wants to live in a greener Belgrade, but that must be done in an economically sustainable way. He also said that he was confident that both Belgrade and Serbia

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would become greener in the coming period and that they would start adhering to higher environmental standards.

The Finnish Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Kimmo Lähdevirta, said in his speech that Finland strongly sup-

ports Serbia's green transition and will help Serbia reach the highest European standards in environmental protection.

Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy, officially opened the conference and said the following: "Our vision is for Serbia to be decarbonized by 2050. However, it could be decarbonized even before that year, i.e. by 2030. Serbia has been generating less electricity from thermal capacities and there has been an increase in energy production from reversible hydropower and renewable energy sources. We must understand that our future lies in the creation of green jobs and green investments.”

CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN SERBIA – The topics of the first panel discussions were models and examples of good practice. The panel participants were the following - Nenad Djurdjević, Commercial Director for Russia, Southeast Europe and Turkey in Ball Corporation, Tisa Čaušević, Pub-

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FOCUS

lic and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Serbia and Montenegro and Siniša Mitrović, Director of the Centre for Circular Economy of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. Olivera Stefanović Stanković, from Proglas Public Relations Agency, was the panel moderator.

RENEWABLE ENERGY - KEY TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE – The second panel talked about energy independence and how to achieve it. The following experts were the panel participants - Zoran Lakićević, State Secretary, Sector for Energy Efficiency and Heating, Ministry of Mining and Energy, Aleksandar Popović, Project Manager, GIZ Serbia, Tijana Koprivica, Director of Sustainable Business of Delta Holding and Olivera Dželić, Director of the Retail Division at NLB Komercijalna Banka. The panel was moderated by Ana Bovan, President

of the Central European Development Forum (CEDEF).

Zoran Lakićević presented the new Law on Energy Efficiency and the significant changes it brings.

"Last year's new national programme stipulating measures for households and ways they can save energy is a direct result of this law, which prescribes state subsidies in the amount of 50% of total costs that people have to pay to make their homes more economically efficient," said Mr Lakićević.

He also said that a number of projects were launched last year and that Serbia has ambitious plans regarding increasing energy efficiency and energy independence.

Aleksandar Popović presented the project launched by GIZ Serbia called "Promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in Serbia" which aim is to further devel-

Our vision is for Serbia to be decarbonized by 2050.

However, it could be decarbonized even before that year, i.e. by 2030

op the production of electricity from renewable sources and increase the number of people who consume that kind of energy.

Olivera Dželić stated that "in addition to its own goals related to sustainable business, NLB Komercijalna Banka helps the Serbian companies by providing favourable loans and investment lines.” She added: “One line is intended for companies that operate following the rules of sustainable development and circular economy. The bank also offers investment loans for renewable energy sources and higher energy efficiency, with a focus on financing investments in solar panels and wind farms. We are especially interested in the reversible hydropower plants that have been mentioned, and we, as a bank, will certainly be part of the financing chain."

SMART AGRICULTURE MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND – The third conference panel talked about improvements that smart technology can make in agriculture and how it reduces nature pollution. The participants of the third panel included - Janko Isidorović, IoT Consultant at YUNet, Nikola Kopilović, Project Manager at Terra Consulting, Branislav Anđelić, the proprietor of the Plavinci Winery, Igor Ivanišević, Technical Director of Zobnatica AD and Theodoro Aquila, Orchard Manager at Zobnatica AD. The panel was moderated by Goran Eror, journalist at Radio and Television of Vojvodina (RTV).

Ball Packaging was the conference’s general sponsor and NLB Komercijalna Banka was the conference’s official bank. The conference was also supported by GIZ Serbia, YUNet Coca-Cola and Delta Holding. 

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RECYCLING

RECYCLING AIMS AT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the so-called waste hierarchy - "reduce, reuse and recycle"

ith all the climate change that is happening in the world and the growing number of waste disposal facilities, i.e. landfills, especially unregulated ones and their impact on the environment, plants, animals and humans, there is a pressing question of better and more efficient recycling processes.

How important is recycling really and is it really the solution to these problems? How much effort is needed for these processes to be better implemented and for the planet to be better preserved?

In order to prevent excessive use of non-renewable resources and energy, we need to reuse used materials, which would reduce the amount of waste that can be found in nature.

This process is called recycling. Without it, there would be much more damage to flora and fauna, but also to human health.

Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third component of the so-called waste hierarchy - "reduce, reuse and recycle". Therefore, recycling aims at environmental sustainability by replacing raw material inputs and redirecting waste outlets from the economic system.

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When tires are burned, toxic oil substances are released and there is a danger of them ending up in waterways and soil

Strictly speaking, recycling materials would produce a fresh supply of the same material - for example, used office paper would be converted into new office paper or used polystyrene foam into new polystyrene. This is achieved when certain types of materials are recycled, such as metal cans, which are used as cans over and over again, indefinitely, without ever compromising on the product’s purity. However, this is often difficult or too expensive to achieve (compared to producing the same product from raw materials or other sources), and “recycling” many products or materials involves reusing them to produce different materials. Another form of recycling is extracting certain materials from complex products, either because of their intrinsic value (such as lead from car batteries) or because of their hazardous nature (e.g. removing and reusing mercury from thermometers and thermostats).

Costs incurred by the producer in relation to waste management and the manufacturer’s obligation to cover these costs were introduced as a novelty in 2009 via the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste. A year later, the Rulebook on Reporting

Forms on Packaging and Packaging Waste Management was approved.

All companies that place packaging on the market are obliged to send annual reports on the packaging circulation to the Environmental Protection Agency. The use of waste as a raw material is the goal of the circular economy, that is, for all used materials to still have some use value. For instance, this type of waste can be used through recycling to produce a completely new product, or if the same waste is incinerated, energy could be generated from it. Also, in order to better control the problem of waste regulation, there is an option to separate waste into dry and wet.

Dry waste includes paper, cardboard, plastic, plastic and glass packaging, metal waste, carton packaging and PVC foil, while wet waste is food remnants, grass, leaves, ash, etc.

Tires pose another big problem related to landfills and disposal waste methods. They are most often burned, which can be extremely harmful due to the smoke that is released into the air which contains many toxic and carcinogenic substances that jeopardize human health. Also, when tires are burned, toxic oil substances are released and there is a danger of them ending up in waterways and soil. There are various ways in which this recycling problem could be solved, with one of them being contacting people who buy out or recycle tires or contacting recycling centres and tire recycling factories in Serbia.

The number of environmentally conscious citizens of Serbia who sort their waste is growing by the day. Garbage trucks then take all that waste to recycling centres where it is distributed and then forwarded to recycling companies. One of the other possible solutions for alleviating the harmful consequences of waste accumulation is creating so-called recycling islands, of which there are very few in Belgrade. This solution entails installing several large waste bins, which each bin marked in different colours – cardboard/blue, metal/yellow, and plastic/grey. This would facilitate and expedite the sorting of waste at landfills which can then be better prepared for the recycling process, i.e. for transporting waste to recycling centres. 

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ENERGY

ENERGY EFFICIENCY YEARNS FOR AN INCREASE

This year, the state authorities have set aside 2 billion dinars towards improving energy efficiency in households, which will be used for the replacement of doors and windows, installation of insulation, solar collectors and solar panels he importance of boosting energy efficiency is reflected in the efforts made by the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy, as well as the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS), the nation’s biggest electricity producer. The National Energy and Climate Plan was adopted, and 2 billion dinars were set aside, among other things, for the installation of solar panels that increase energy efficiency.

The term ‘energy efficiency’ has two possible meanings - one of which refers to devices, and the other to measures and behaviours. An energy-efficient device has a high degree of efficiency, i.e. it generates small losses during the transformation of one type of energy into another. For example, a classic light bulb converts a large part of electricity into ther-

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mal energy, and only a small part into useful light energy, and in that sense, it (the light bulb) is an energy-inefficient device.

The way electricity is produced affects both the climate and the environment. The amount of electricity that can be saved if you are energy efficient is tantamount to energy produced by an entire power plant.

Being energy efficient today is a behavioural model in the most developed countries and is increasingly becoming a reflection of one’s culture. Serbia consumes 2.5 times more electricity than the global average per unit of the social product, hence, we simply must reduce electricity consumption in order to preserve our natural resources for future generations, according to the Electric Power Industry of Serbia’s official website.

Energy transition is a process that affects all people in Serbia because energy and the environment should concern every one of us

The website also says that EPS’ primary obligation is to ensure a stable and reliable electricity supply for all customers. Resources and secure functioning of a complex technical-technological system are the basic prerequisites for that. One of the most important conditions for creating and maintaining a safe and reliable system is the rational consumption of electricity, by all of us together, because energy efficiency directly results in better life quality, economic competitiveness and secure energy supply.

This year, the state authorities have set aside 2 billion dinars towards improving energy efficiency in households, which will be used for the replacement of doors and windows, installation of insulation, solar collectors and solar panels, as well as the installation of boilers and stoves that use cleaner fuel, all to boost energy efficiency.

The 2021-2030 National Energy and Climate Plan defines goals related to increasing the share of renewable energy sources in final energy consumption, boosting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It also includes measures to achieve these goals and how to implement the energy transition. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Mining and Energy Minister, Zorana Mihajlović, has said that energy transition is a process that affects all people in Serbia because energy and the environment should concern every one of us. 

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KONČAR GROUP: CROATIA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL EXPORTER OF HIGHTECH SOLUTIONS

Following the record 2021, in which KONČAR Group celebrated a century of excellence and achieved the historically best operating revenue, 2022 started equally successfully

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ONČAR Group maintained a strong global presence, particularly in the largest global markets such as North America, where the company continues to deliver high – tech products to some of the leading energy utilities in the USA and Canada. A signal of further successful operations of KONČAR Group comes from the youngest subsidiary, KONČAR Digital, which signed a Cooperation Agreement with RITTAL Croatia at Hannover Messe 2022, the key international platform and hub of industrial transformation.

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A YEAR TO REMEMBER, AND Q1 TO BUILD ON Excellent results achieved last year have enabled KONČAR Group to successfully defeat unpredictable and exceptional situations, such as the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and further financially strengthen the position of the Group. Along with a strong financial position, excellent order intake has created the basis for revenue growth realised from the sales of products and services across all key markets.

In Q1 2022, sales revenues amounted to 117.9 million euros, which represents a 27.9% increase year-on-year. Revenues generated from sales of products and services in international markets were 14.8% up year-onyear and amounted to 70.4 million euros.

The share of exports in revenues from the sales of products and services amounted to 60%, two thirds of which had been realized in the EU market. Order intake matched good sales performance. The Book-to-bill ratio was 1.6. The excellent market performance is reflected in the financial results.

The realized net profit for Q1 2022 amounts to 15 million euros, which is 9.5 million euros more than the realized profit in the same period in 2021. The realized EBITDA amounted to 18.6 million euros and the EBITDA margin is 15.8 percent (in Q1 2021 it amounted to 8.9 percent). Normalized EBITDA amounted to 10.7 million euros, which is 3.5 million euros more than in the comparable period of 2021. Normalized EBITDA margin amounts to 9.1 percent. The priorities of KONČAR Group in the upcoming period remain the same - strong revenue and profitability growth, orientation on export markets, and the continuation of the investment and development cycle with a focus on sustainable development.

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MAINTAINING STRONG PRESENCE IN NORTH AMERICA In 2020, KONČAR - Generators and Motors (GIM) delivered four synchronous generators with a contactless excitation system and the associated equipment to the small hydro power plant (SHPP) Madison Dam, Montana, USA. The delivery was completed in partnership with an Austrian turbine company and in addition to four 4100 kVA, 4000 V and 300 rpm generators, it also included excitation systems, automatic bearing lubrication systems and generator earthing systems. The project enabled GIM to establish good cooperation with colleagues in the USA, and it was compelling for GIM because of its technical specifications and requirements of the end customer. Supervision over the commissioning of the first generator was completed last December, while the last, fourth generator was successfully commissioned in March 2022. GIM is exceptionally proud of its first delivery and commissioning of compact generators for the US market.

Besides that, last year GIM also completed a technically demanding prequalification process for the Canadian company Ontario Power Generation (OPG) - one of the largest clean power generators in the region, whose portfolio includes 66 hydro power plants in Canada and 87 across the USA.

COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN KONČAR – DIGITAL AND RITTAL KONČAR – Digital and RITTAL Croatia signed a cooperation agreement at Hannover Messe on May 31st, which creates new opportunities for the development of IT infrastructure and efficient management of data centers in Croatia and the region.

KONČAR – Digital is a KONČAR Group member, focused on green energy transition and digital transformation projects. KONČAR experts have extensive experience in successfully developing digital solutions for energy management, critical and urban infrastructure, and smart cities. The company’s digital solutions are delivered to Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Furthermore, the company has launched new digital solutions for critical infrastructure management developed on the new software platform PROZA HAT, an innovative open-core software platform that supports complete SCADA functionality for monitoring and management of critical infrastructure, data centers, power generation, and transmission and distribution systems. On the other hand, RITTAL Croatia is a subsidiary of the German company Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, a member of the Friedhelm Loh Group, the world’s leading supplier of enclosures, power distribution systems, climate control and IT infrastructure. 

CLICK TO GO  www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

D I P L OM AC Y

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United Kingdom The

FOCUS ON

STONEHENGE The monument is claimed to be one of the oldest monuments in the world! Scientists believe that it was built over in 3,000 B.C.

INDIAN RESTAURANTS THE QUEEN Queen Elizabeth is the longestreigning Queen in the world.

It is estimated that there are more Indian restaurants in London than in Indian urban centres like New Delhi or Mumbai.

RED LION

NATIONAL PARKS

It is a common name for pubs in the UK. Around 500 pubs in the UK have the same name.

The U.K. has only 15 National Parks, but they only cover 8% of British land.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Long List of Opportunities

As we point out to British companies, the regional opportunity in the Western Balkans and the wider area makes Serbia an even more attractive proposition as a regional hub

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areer of Dr David Landsman OBE, chairman of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, spans senior positions in government and business. His connection to Serbia dates to 1997 when he joined the British Embassy in Belgrade. We talked with him about economic ties between Serbia and UK, Western Balkans and UK’s cultural products.

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The new economic reality has been created by the coronavirus-induced crisis, inflation, energy crisis and attempts at the implementation of the green agenda, all in light of the Ukraine war and pandemic. How has the UK been coping with all of this?

— We are now seeing everywhere the cumulative effects of multiple challenges from the coronavirus pandemic to the conflict in Ukraine. No country is unaffected and in Britain we are experiencing an energy crisis and inflation which remind many people of the 1970s. But much has changed for the better since then.

For example, the UK’s leading efforts in tackling climate change means that renewables and energy efficiency measures can play a significant role in blunting the effects of the crisis. Technology, where the UK is a leading player, helps reduce costs and support continued globalisation. Every crisis brings new opportunities and acts as a spur to innovation.

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DR DAVID LANDSMAN OBE Chairman of BSCC

Our two countries are looking at each other with a fresh eye

Will the new situation cut the economic ties or reinforce them, in sense of bigger trade volume and more FDIs? — We should never underestimate the benefits from globalisation, including to the poorest. Globalisation isn’t remotely finished, but it will change. Supply chains for goods will in some case be shortened. That will come at a price, but for essential supplies and components, we will recognise that “just in case” instead of “just in time” will be worth paying for. There will be more opportunities for midshoring and onshoring, which can benefit both Serbia and Britain.

But in many areas of today’s life, technology can take the geography out of trade, and in these areas globalisation will continue to advance, bringing developments for innovative sectors in both Britain and Serbia.

What are the chances for boosti n g t h e U K- S e r b i a e c o n o m i c cooperation?

— I have recently returned to the UK after the BSCC’s Trade Mission in Serbia. In the space of a week, we travelled across the country, visiting factories and vineyards, meeting Chambers of Commerce and business leaders from Vranje and Leskovac via Čačak and Kragujevac to Novi Sad and Belgrade. We met with many Chamber members, but equally exciting was to meet new companies who were also doing business between the two countries. After all our meetings, I’d say that the prospects for British-Serbian economic relations have never been better. The situation in Europe and the world is changing and both countries – governments and businesses – are actively looking for new opportunities. Our two countries are looking at each other with a fresh eye. After our week on the road, we have a long list of opportunities to follow up. And I’m sure there are many more.

The British companies are traditionally more orientated towards the Commonwealth and the EU. Will the Western Balkans come into focus any time soon?

— After Brexit, British companies have taken a pragmatic approach to making the best of the new opportunities and a new more global focus. We are seeing this in the number of enquiries we are receiving.

The British Government, especially the Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (which has allocated £4bn for projects in Serbia), are actively supporting businesses to find the opportunities. As we point out to British companies, the regional opportunity in the Western Balkans and the wider area (which is benefitting from substantial infrastructure investment to improve rail, road and electronic communications) makes Serbia an even more attractive proposition as a regional hub.

The entertainment industry is one of the British trademarks and Serbia has been traditionally influenced by British culture. Can we expect more of the UK's ‘cultural products’ because they are the true soft power?

— I walked along the riverside by Belgrade Waterfront a few days ago and was delighted to see the Trotters’ (Only Fools and Horses) van parked there as part of the tourism fair! It’s true that British entertainment and culture, from the Beatles to the Premier League and from high culture to Del Boy, have the power to attract people to Britain and so to build lasting relationships.

As a Chamber in Serbia, we benefit from “Brand Britain“. It’s great when our members can join in supporting cultural activities. Personally, I look forward to seeing more Serbian culture in the UK as well.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Attracting Investment to Serbia

We are the only organisation in the UK looking after Serbian economic and commercial interests and work closely with the Serbian Embassy in London

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ichard Robinson, Executive Director BSCC Serbia talked with us about British investments, business environment and workforce and nearshoring in Serbia.

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What can Serbia and the WB6 do to attract even more British investments in the future?

— The British Serbian Chamber of Commerce is working hard to attract investment to Serbia. We are regularly receiving new enquiries and support them in whatever way is needed providing information, advice and introductions in Serbia.

We are the only organisation in the UK looking after Serbian economic and commercial interests and work closely with the Serbian Embassy in London. In a post Brexit world, many UK businesses are considering investing the Western Balkans for the first time. Also, the Serbian government should continue its successful programme of digitalisation and continue improving the business environment. And of course, we would like the Serbian state to put more resources into investment promotion.

Recently, we supported several Serbian food and drinks companies to attend in London IFE, the premier UK food and drink trade fair.

Following the companies’ success there, both the Serbian and Vojvodina Chambers of Commerce (PKS and PKV) are now planning to attend next year.

Three out of six Western Balkan economies have joined the Open Balkans initiative. The new Montenegrin PM, Dritan Abazović, claims Montenegro will be the

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RICHARD ROBINSON Executive Director BSCC Serbia

We welcome any initiative that makes it easier for investors to treat the Western Balkans as a single economic area

4th country to join. Do you think that this initiative would facilitate FDIs and trade since the market is going to become much bigger?

— We welcome any initiative that makes it easier for investors to treat the Western Balkans as a single economic area. The Open Balkans Initiative (OSI) has a long way to go. I believe that the OSI will need to establish a permanent secretariat and develop enforcement mechanism as it becomes more successful. However, the OSI is not the only means of achieving greater economic integration. Building on the successful new bilateral trade treaty, the BSCC is working with the PKS and the British Chambers of Commerce in London to persuade the UK to join the Pan Euro Mediterranean (PEM) Convention on Rules of Origin enabling regional sourcing to become tariff free.

We also have members who continue to rely on CEFTA for the legal basis of regional trade. Ultimately, all these different treaties and bodies are the means to achieve the goal of greater economic integration.

British companies are traditionally more orientated towards the Commonwealth and the EU. Is this because of inertia or Serbia is simply worse regarding the business environment and workforce?

— As exporting to the EU has become more bureaucratic for many UK companies, it has become relatively easier to export to the Western Balkans. So, many of them are looking at the Western Balkans and Serbia in particular, as an export market. The improvement in the Serbian business environment acts as additional encouragement. The BSCC hopes that the new government prioritises customs processes as one of the next areas of its digitalisation programme as this improve

matters further following the UK example introducing new online customs systems later this year.

We have to overcome the energy crisis this year, as well as the disruption of the old routes of trade with Russia and Ukraine. How can the UK help the WB6 countries with these problems?

— The UK has much to offer Serbia both in addressing the immediate energy crisis and in helping Serbia achieve its decarbonisation targets.

Earlier this year, the UK Minister of Energy, Greg Hands, visited Serbia.

We will see the first results shortly including a signed memorandum of understanding. Meanwhile, the UK is a good source of expertise and finance for renewable energy generation: UK Export Finance . the UK credit guarantee agency, is very active in this area. One of our members, Vanguard, is working with Serbian Railways to retro fit locomotives to run on green hydrogen.

Is nearshoring an opportunity for Serbia in the context of the EU+UK markets?

— There are nearshoring opportunities in a wide range of sectors and an UK companies approach the BSCC regularly asking for help in sourcing.

We work closely with both PKS and PKV to identify appropriate Serbian companies. How big the opportunities are for nearshoring will depend on a wide range of international trends including the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the continuing logistics problems and the consequent costs of shipping from the far east, especially containers from China. I believe that Serbia is in a good position to exploit these changes and the BSCC will work hard to connect UK and Serbian companies and increase bilateral trade.

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The Path of Innovation is Our Chosen Path

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On a global level but also as G4S Serbia, we are constantly working on implementing cutting-edge technologies in integrated security solutions. We have several ongoing new projects that will be soon introduced to the Serbian market C O R P O R AT E

DAWID SOLD Managing Director of G4S

n his interview, Dawid Sold, Managing Director of G4S, talked to us about the challenges of G4S’ employees, their and the company’s needs, the company’s development and providing quality security services.

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In Serbia, G4S has about 3,500 employees and after last year's acquisition by Allied Universal®, that number globally now stands at more than 800,000. What challenges do your employees face?

— We are proud that G4S Serbia provides stable working conditions for our employees which is confirmed by our sustainable growth in Serbia, at the same time global acquisition by Allied Universal makes us the largest Security Company in the world. This is exactly what G4S Serbia aims at – to remain a reliable partner and stable employer. Providing service excellence whilst creating job opportunities is our modus operandi. That said, G4S Serbia brings together security experts, top (electronic security systems) engineers, health and safety professionals, fire protection experts and specialists in supporting roles, HR and finance.

A major industry challenge is the lack of licensed candidates for the job of a security officer.

The main reasons for this are relatively low salaries in the security industry both in Serbia and globally. These are dictated by the low market going rates. One of the biggest challenges affecting our industry is the grey zone in security. Unfortunately, Covid and the war in Ukraine and subsequent market uncertainty have pushed the economy even further into a lack of compliance.

Furthermore, being a low-margin industry, security needs certain law amendments in

order to offer more to its first-line employees. Together with chambers of commerce and industry peers, G4S is working closely to support those and share best practices from other geographies. It is also important to note that our people on the first line are not “doormen” or “guards” but licensed security officers with relevant training. During the lockdowns and strict Covid protocols they were the part of critical infrastructure supporting our common safety. A change of mindset is also needed so that our colleagues get well-deserved appreciation.

G4S in Serbia has over 5,000 facilities under its supervision and it provides protection 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How do you harmonize the needs of your company and employees with customer requirements?

— It’s all about having the right people working together towards the common goal.

In a nutshell - always have a strategic approach to make the best out of your know-

It’s all about having the right people working together towards the common goal

how, make clear-cut procedures to enable workflow. Invest in your employees and let them show their expertise. Practice their knowledge and work independently and in a team, and listen to both customers' and employees’ needs. Many answers to everyday challenges can be found when you “walk a mile in another person’s shoes”. We are also building and nurturing relationships with internal and external stakeholders, as nothing beats honest and friendly professional cooperation. G4S Serbia has the infrastructure, expertise and global experience and

the number of 5,000 supervised facilities is only the beginning.

How difficult is it to provide quality security services when it comes to cash and valuables?

— Challenging, to begin with, but not in terms of delivering the service - G4S Serbia has an ever-growing fleet of specialized vehicles and well-equipped Cash Centres and employs trained people. The biggest challenge in the market is the lack of knowledge of what true compliance represents. Having a licence to deliver the service does not necessarily mean one has the insurance to cover the possible loss. When we talk about the risk associated with cash management, it is very important to make sure all insurance policies are valid and in place. It’s not only important that there is an insurance policy, but also that it is up-to-date and covers all the required details. Do you know which risks are covered by your policy or rather the policy you think you have?

G4S Serbia strictly complies with all internal and other relevant procedures, goes through regular G4S Group security controls and offers the service with all the applicable insurance policies.

It is about time to start thinking about risks when choosing a service provider. We are glad to be able to help.

You believe that in today's world there is no greater purpose than to serve and protect clients, community and people. Are there any new types of protection that you plan to include in your offer?

— The path of Innovation is our chosen path.

We, on a global level, but also as G4S Serbia, work constantly on implementing cutting-edge technologies into integrated security solutions. New projects are ongoing and are soon to be introduced to the Serbian market.

We aim to lead the way to the ManTech (Man and Technology) approach in security, focusing on product development. Stay tuned!

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THE UNITED KINGDOM

British Companies are Interested in Investing in Agriculture The United Kingdom is ranked 20th, as the country of export destination of Serbia, with a share of 1.7% in total Serbian exports to the world. Looking at imports from the world, the United Kingdom is ranked 26th, with a share of 0.7% in total Serbian imports from the world

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ased on the latest data of the Republic Bureau of Statistics, for the period January – March 2022, the total value of realized foreign trade amounted to EUR 171 million (increase of 24% compared to the same period in 2021). In this period, a surplus of EUR 42 million was realized. Coverage of exports with imports is 165%.

For the period January - December 2021, the total value of realized foreign trade amounted to EUR 623 million (increase of 17.7% compared to the same period in 2020). In this period, a surplus of EUR 91 million was realized. Coverage of exports with imports is 134%. The United Kingdom is ranked 20th, as the country of export destination of Serbia, with a share of 1.7% in total Serbian exports to the world. Looking at imports from the world, the United Kingdom is ranked 26th, with a share of 0.7% in total Serbian imports from the world.

January – March 2022, the realized value of Serbian exports to the UK is 106 million EUR (an increase of 22.5% compared to the same period in 2021), while the total import of goods worth 65 million EUR (an increase of 27% compared to for the same period in 2021). Products that were mostly exported in the period January - December 2021: new pneumatic tires new for passenger cars; ignition wiring sets for vehicles; circulating pumps for heating systems and the like; lead ores and concentrates; raspberries, frozen, not containing added sugar; fruit, whether or not cooked, whether or not containing sugar, frozen; parts

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Looking at the period January December 2021, FDI from the UK amounts to EUR 335 million

of seats, of other materials; pipes and hoses, solid, of other plastics, ice cream, not containing or containing milkfats <3%.

Products that were mostly imported, in the period January - December 2021: parts of other gas turbines; other precious metal compounds; other medicines, for retail purposes; cars, petrol,> 1000 = <1500cm3, new; other yarn, single thread; nickel alloy bars and profiles; other precious metal compounds; opium alkaloids and derivatives.

In international trade with the United Kingdom, the exchange of services dominates: January - February 2022: the value of exports of services from Serbia to the United Kingdom amounted to EUR 126 million, while the value of imports of services from the United Kingdom was EUR 77 million. In this period, Great Britain was on the 3rd place in terms of the value of exchange of services with Serbia (ahead of Germany and the USA) For the period January-December 2021, the value of exports of Serbian services to the United Kingdom amounted to EUR 596 million, while the value of imports of services from the United Kingdom was EUR 510

million. (3rd ranked).

Based on data from the NBS RS, UK net investments in Serbia for the period 2010 - 2019 amount to EUR 608.35 million, and it was ranked 10th in terms of investment. For the period January-December 2020, according to the NBS, FDI from the United Kingdom to Serbia amounted to EUR 106.4 million.

Looking at the period January - December 2021, FDI from the UK amounts to EUR 335 million. It was noticed that British companies are interested in investing in agriculture, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, primarily in production for export to the British, but also third markets.

The specificity of British investments in Serbia is the significant presence of institutional investors (mainly investment funds), but in the meantime some of these funds sold previously purchased companies in Serbia. Many of the investment funds with majority British capital, which are still active in Serbia, are registered in Switzerland, Cyprus and the Netherlands, and it is assumed that the value of previous British investments is higher than the presented NBS data.

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More than 20 Years of Successful Entrepreneurship G3 Spirits & Hendrick’s gin at BSCC exclusive dinner at Klub privrednika Belgrade 3 Spirits Group is one of the leading representatives and distributors of alcoholic beverages and global brands in the region. More than 20 years of successful entrepreneurship and management of a carefully selected and well-balanced portfolio in an efficient organization enabled us to remain one of the leading companies in the region. Striving for constant progress our goal is not to become the biggest, but to remain the best.

Our continuous pursuit for quality positively affected G3 Spirits result in quantity as well. According to data from the latest report published

by IWSR (www.theiwsr.com), a global leading source of information for the global spirit market, wine and beer, G3 Spirits has become the largest distributing company in the Western Balkans territory in the Standard and Premium price segments with over 3.8 million bottles sold.

One of the main contributors of such a success is William Grant & Sons, one of the UK's best-known distilleries, which continues to grow seriously throughout the ex-Yu region under G3 Spirits management, with the brands that have established themselves as market leaders in their

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respective categories. Hendricks Gin is the best-selling gin in the super premium segment in Serbia and regionally, with one of highest growth rate recorded in our industry.

The work of the BSCC in Serbia is extremely important for our business, as well as the function that this body performs. In the previous 2 years, this cooperation gained additional importance and included extensive and frequent communication to understand the needs of group members, informing members about the status and progress of Brexit negotiations, as well as the role of the bridge that this group represents between the governments and regulations of two countries. G3 Spirits always strived to be a reliable partner to BSCC in Serbia throughout various areas of cooperation such as information sharing, assistance for events organization and logistical support.

As a part of this cooperation, G3 Spirits was delighted to be one of the supporting partners with Hendrick’s gin at BSCC Exclusive Dinner. The Exclusive Dinner took place on May 27th and was organized at Klub Privrednika Belgrade in Belgrade for representatives of the diplomatic core. Traditionally, many distinguished guests at-

C O R P O R AT E

Striving for constant progress our goal is not to become the biggest, but to remain the best

tended the event, and had a chance to enjoy delicious specialities and the most exquisite flavours of Hendrick’s gin, paired with different flavours of Thomas Henry premium mixers. For the first time in Serbia, guest had a chance to taste Hendrick’s Neptunia, a limited release that captures the magic of the sea, in a gin. Master Distiller Ms. Lesley Gracie's creation is as refreshing as her muse, the mighty waves that lash the Ayrshire coast. Infused with an exquisite blend of locally sourced coastal botanicals and with a remarkable smooth citrus finish.

Hendrick’s Neptunia proudly supports PROJECT SEAGRASS, an environmental charity devoted to the conservation and restoration of seagrass ecosystems. Their mission is to lead societal change to enable the global recovery of seagrass ecosystems which provide biodiversity, food security, and long-term carbon storage.

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THE UNITED KINGDOM by ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

ECONOM Y

From Empire to Riches On its own way

s of recently, the UK's economy is completely independent of any integration, following Brexit and the break with the EU. It is still one of the world's largest economies, and it accounts for 3.3% of the global economy.

A hundred years ago, if we viewed the British Empire's economy as a single entity, it was the largest in the world. Although the Americans began to match the UK with their mass production and industrialization as early as the late 19th century, and Germany began to breathe behind its neck around the same time, the UK was still the largest superpower. After the devastating consequences of World War II and the loss of the colonies, everything was significantly reduced. Still, the UK's economy remains impressive – the

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It remains to be seen how successful he will be and how much he will manage to avoid the traps this time around

Brits have the 6th largest national economy in the world measured in the nominal gross domestic product (GDP), 8th in purchasing power parity and 25th in GDP per capita.

The British economy embarked on globalization a long time ago, and it is not surprising that it is today one of the most globalized economies in the world - peanuts for butter started to be grown in East Africa a long time ago, and sheep were raised on Antipodes, while the population was "exported" to dominions. In 2020, the United Kingdom was the fifth largest exporter in the world and the fifth-largest importer. It also had the third-largest inward direct investments and the fifth largest outward direct investments. Data from nine years ago, i.e.

2013, show that Great Britain was the leading country in Europe in terms of foreign direct investments (FDI) which amounted to 26.51 billion dollars, a 19.31% share of the European market. In contrast, the UK was second in Europe in terms of outward foreign direct investments, amounting to $42.59 billion, a 17.24% share of the European market. Impressive for "small islands" with a "big name", isn't it?

In 2020, Great Britain's trade with the 27 member states of the European Union accounted for 49% of the country's exports and 52% of its imports - so the EU is not "fin-

ished" after all and the two neighbours are still cooperating. During Baroness Thatcher’s term as PM, mines and many factories were closed, and mass production gave way to services. So today, the British economy is one of the most pronounced service-based economies, because services make up as much as 81% of state GDP. Of these, financial services are the most important, and London is one of the largest financial centres in the world. Hope that Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris or Frankfurt will replace London as the financial hub has remained largely futile.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of "left behind areas" in the UK, euphemistically speaking, as there are big differences in regional development, which is partly historical heritage and partly a consequence of Thatcherism - southern England and northeast Scotland are the two most developed regions. London is enormously rich as it has the highest GDP per capita in all of Europe from the Urals to Greenland. They say that this disparity was what brought Brexit about. Prime Minister Johnson vowed to use his plan to develop those UK regions, which supported him during the Brexit referendum and last elections. It remains to be seen how successful he will be and how much he will manage to avoid the traps this time around.

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Excellent Results of the BAT Factory in the Area of Sustainability visit from the delegation of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce to British American Tobacco factory (BAT) in Vranje once again shown outstanding company results in modernization of Vranje’s factory, as well as innovations and alignment of BAT’s business activities within the principles of sustainable development and environmental protection.

Investments and the company’s determination to reducing harmful impacts of business on the society have led to the factory’s results which can be viewed through the reduction of waste disposal at the landfill by 35 percent, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 56 percent and recycling waste of as much as 95 percent. In addition, the factory is using a 100 percent of electricity from renewable sources, while a switch from using fuel oil to natu-

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ral gas is happening in the meantime, with noticeable reduction of emissions. These results within the topic of sustainability have placed the company amongst the regional leaders in the race for carbon neutrality, while it is confirmed by the company that this goal will be realized by 2023.

During 2022, with the help of its employees BAT has continued to contribute to the fulfilment of the sustainability mission, as well as participating in all initiatives that

create additional value for the society and community. Besides the aid the company has provided to the health and social system during the crisis, its employees have also shown social responsibility by engaging in all charitable activities, as well as those interested in creating a better natural environment. So, in the beginning of the month, marking the World Environmental Day, BAT employees had joined strengths with local public enterprises in organ-

izing an action to clean Vranje’s water drainage channels in order to protect the ecosystem and highlight the importance of environmental protection. Shortly before that, in collaboration with NALED, BAT had supported an opening of a recycling yard, the first of its kind in Serbia, thanks to whom the citizens of Sremska Mitrovica will have an opportunity to dispose of bulky waste and in that way provide additional contribution to the society.

As far as further priorities of the company go, they stay dedicated to listening to the needs of their consumers, the local community and their employees, simultaneously fulfilling the goals of the ESG strategy and building A Better Tomorrow. Science and innovations stay amongst the main initiators of BATs development, while social responsibility is one of the fundamental principles in business.

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THE UNITED KINGDOM

BSCC Serbian Trade Mission

The BSCC delegation, led by Chairman Dr David Landsman, visited several cities across the country including Leskovac, Vranje, Čačak, Kragujevac, Orašac, Novi Sad and finally Belgrade. BSCC Serbian Trade Mission (23-27 May) had the goal of strengthening trade and business between the UK and Serbia irst stop was Leskovac where they were warmly welcomed by Goran Jović, director of Leskovac Chamber of Commerce and his wonderful team. They went to the beautiful Vinarija Aleksić in Vranje where three sisters and founders of the vineyard Dragana, Maja and Marija showed them how they turned their passion for wine into a hugely successful business. The first day of their tour continued in Vranje where they had the opportunity to visit BAT! The second day of the BSCC Serbian Trade Mission started by visit to their member AUTOSTOP AVIATION and their factory in Leskovac.

They finished the day by visiting Naučno tehnološki park Čačak - Science Technology Park Čačak, which is an influential factor in local and regional economic growth that provides conditions for the development of entrepreneurship, application of innovations and cooperation between science and economy in Western Serbia.

Day 3 was reserved for the visit to British Motors Srbija, their premium member in Čačak. They are the exclusive importer of Jaguar

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and Land Rover vehicles for Serbia.

After Čačak, they continued their tour across the country and visited MIND - Milanović Industries Group near Kragujevac, where they were greeted by Marion Georgi and her wonderful team Jan Georgi, Darko Đorić and Ana Račić. The final stop for the day of their Serbian Trade Mission was to the beautiful Matijašević Vinogradi!

Day 4 of the BSCC Serbian Trade Mission was reserved for Novi Sad. They also paid a visit to British Motors, their premium member and OMR Group at the National Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad. The final day of the BSCC Serbian Trade Mission was reserved for Belgrade where they had the opportunity to meet with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and their representatives Mr. Mihailo Vesović, Director of Division for Strategic Analyses, Services and Internationalisation and Ms. Marica Vidanović, Head of Business Development for North, Central and South America and Australia of Division for Strategic Analyses, Services and Internationalisation.

To complete the Serbian Trade Mission, they organised an exclu-

T R A DE M IS SION

To complete the Serbian Trade Mission, they organised an exclusive reception and dinner at Klub Privrednika

sive reception and dinner at Klub Privrednika in Belgrade on Friday 27 May 2022. The event was attended

by H.E Sian MacLeod, UK Ambassador to Serbia and was opened by Dr David Landsman, the BSCC Chair and Mr Predrag Leković, member of Board Directors of our Premium member Porto Montenegro who was the Golden Sponsor. The guests included the BSCC members and friends of the Chamber and the programme was followed by incredible musical performance by young talents from Musical School Stanković and ArtLink.

C H A RT W E L L -

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Towards

• British curriculum based international school • Accredited by Cambridge Assessment International Education • Accredited by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia

S C H O O L

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•A ccredited by Council of British International Schools •S tudents representing over 40 nationalities • 20 years of experience •W ide range of daily after school activities

• 7 languages taught • Monthly outings to the theater/museums • 2 residential trips per year •T he only international school with its own catering • Involved in community service projects

Enrolling

NOW!

for the 2022/23 school year

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THE UNITED KINGDOM

The Sensitivity of an English Writer

C U LT U R E

Some of the most famous literary works in the world come from the pen of the English writer Jane Austen. Her characters and stories have been an inspiration to many girls and women around the world, as well as to filmmakers who have made numerous films based on her books ane Austen was born in Steventon, Hampshire, on 16 December 1775.

She was born a month later than her parents expected; her father wrote of her arrival in a letter that her mother "certainly expected to have been brought to bed a month ago". He added that the newborn infant was "a present plaything for Cassy and a future companion". The winter of 1776 was particularly harsh and it was not until 5 April that she was baptised at the local church with the single name Jane.

She was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique,

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and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her use of biting irony, along with her realism and social commentary, have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.

With the publication of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), she achieved

Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security

modest success and little fame in her lifetime, as the books were published anonymously. She wrote two other novels—Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818—and began another, eventually titled Sanditon, but died before its completion. She also left behind: three volumes of juvenile writings in manuscript; the short epistolary novel Lady Susan; and another unfinished novel, The Watsons.

Austen gained far more status after her death, and her six full-length novels have rarely been out of print.

A significant transition in her posthumous reputation occurred in 1833, when her novels were republished in Richard Bentley's Standard Novels series, illustrated by Ferdinand Pickering, and sold as a set.

They gradually gained wider acclaim and popular readership. In 1869, fifty-two years after her death, her nephew's publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced a compelling version of her writing career and supposedly uneventful life to an eager audience.

Austen has inspired a large number of critical essays and literary anthologies. Her novels have inspired many films, from 1940s Pride and Prejudice to more recent productions like Love & Friendship (2016) and Emma (2020).

Morris Dancing

T R A DI T ION

In the 1950s and especially the 1960s, there was an explosion of new dance teams, some of them women's or mixed sides

orris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers. In a small number of dances for one or two people, steps are near and across a pair of clay tobacco pipes laid one across the other on the floor. They clap their sticks, swords, or handkerchiefs together to match with the dance.

Throughout history, the Morris seems to have been common. It was imported from village festivities into popular entertainment after the invention of the court masque

by Henry VIII. The word Morris apparently derived from “morisco,”

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meaning “Moorish.” Cecil Sharp, whose collecting of Morris dances preserved many from extinction, suggested that it might have arisen from the dancers’ blacking their faces as part of the necessary ritual disguise.

The name is first recorded in English in the mid-15th century as Morisk dance, moreys daunce, morisse daunce, i.e. "Moorish dance". The term entered English via Flemish mooriske danse. While the earliest (15th-century) references place the Morris dance in a courtly setting, it appears that the dance became part of performances for the lower classes by the later 16th century; in 1600, the Shakespearean actor William Kempe Morris danced from London to Norwich, an event chronicled in his Nine Daies Wonder (1600).

In the first few decades of the

The name is first recorded in English in the mid-15th century as Morisk dance, moreys daunce, morisse daunce, i.e. "Moorish dance"

20th century, several men's sides were formed, and in 1934 the Morris Ring was founded by six revival sides. In the 1950s and especially the 1960s, there was an explosion of new dance teams, some of them women's or mixed sides. At the time, there was often heated debate over the propriety and even legitimacy of women dancing the Morris, even though there is evidence as far back as the 16th century that there were female Morris dancers. There are now male, female and mixed sides to be found.

Partly because women's and mixed sides were not eligible for full membership of the Morris Ring (this has now changed), two other national (and international) bodies were formed, the Morris Federation and Open Morris. All three bodies provide communication, advice, insurance, instructionals (teaching sessions) and social and dancing opportunities to their members. The three bodies co-operate on some issues, while maintaining their distinct identities. An umbrella body that includes all three, the Joint Morris Organisation, organises joint events and discusses issues that affect all members, such as access to both public liability and personal insurance cover.

SPECIAL EDITION

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THE UNITED KINGDOM

Windsor castle

TOURISM

Castles of England

A castle is a type of fortified structure, developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. The first castles appeared in France in the 10th century, and in England during the 11th century

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SPECIAL EDITION

few castles are known to have been built in England before the Normans invaded in 1066; a great many were built in the years following, the principal mechanism by means of which the Normans were able to consolidate their control over the country.

Whilst a few important castles, such as the White Tower in the Tower of London, were built of stone, most early castles were motte-andbailey castles of earthwork and timber, which could be constructed quickly. Some were later rebuilt in stone, but there are a great many castle sites in England where all that is visible today are traces of earthworks.

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Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.

The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I (who reigned 1100–1135), it has been used by the reigning monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The castle's lavish early 19th-century state apartments were described by early 20th century art historian Hugh Roberts as "a superb and unrivalled sequence of rooms widely regarded as the fin-

Tower of London

lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built

by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite.

In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a

est and most complete expression of later Georgian taste". Inside the castle walls is the 15th-century St George's Chapel, considered by the historian John Martin Robinson to be "one of the supreme achievements of English Perpendicular Gothic" design.

Windsor Castle was used as a refuge by the royal family during the Luftwaffe bombing campaigns of the Second World War and survived a fire in 1992. It is a popular tourist attraction, a venue for hosting state visits, and is the main residence of Queen Elizabeth II since 2011.

The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It

prison and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public.

Today, the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, and operated by the Resident Governor of the Tower of London and Keeper of the Jewel House, the property is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.

Most early castles were motte-andbailey castles of earthwork and timber, which could be constructed quickly

SPECIAL EDITION

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Best of Serbia and Greece As we listen to the feedback from our customers, we develop our product range in a way to satisfy the choosiest ones

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WEBSITE

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MARC ERNEST GAROFANI General Manager of Veropoulos

o celebrate two decades of work, Super Vero is rewarding its consumers by launching a prize contest. On the occasion of this jubilee, we spoke with Marc Ernest Garofani, General Manager of Veropoulos, about expectations regarding the company, its offer, suppliers, development, the friendship between Serbia and Greece, and the expected prize draw.

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This year, the Super Vero supermarket chain is celebrating 20 years of business in Serbia. Can you do a quick retrospective of the last twenty years? Have Super Vero's expectations been met?

— It is interesting to note that we were the first hypermarket chain of the European Union to come and invest in Serbia shortly after the terrible events of 1999. In

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2001, when Mr Veropoulos decided to focus on the Serbian market, very few brands would have risked such an adventure. Today we have competitors who also come from the EU and personally, I find this beneficial for Serbia, but I am proud to lead the first large foreign distribution company to have come to invest in Serbia. We cele-

tional locations offering our customers proximity with all the advantages of a location located more on the outskirts (parking, large sales area).

We have achieved exceptional goals in our dimension. I don't really like to use bombastic epithets because it sounds pretentious and lacks humility, but I can assure

WE WANT TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND OFFER A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE TO THE SERBIAN MARKET brate the 20th anniversary of the opening of the first VERO but we were already present on the market at the end of the 2000s when Mr Veropoulos was personally studying the opportunities that Serbia offered us. We did not have a quantitative but qualitative expansion. We now have 6 stores (+1 Jumbo in Zemun-Park) in excep-

you that what I say is verifiable and therefore true.

New supermarket chains are arriving in Serbia, and competition is becoming fiercer. What does Veropoulos’ management do to keep existing customers or increase the customer base?

— As I had indicated in the pre-

vious answer, two giant global retailers are present in Serbia and that is good for all the customers and the increase in excellence in terms of the quality of the offer and the variety of the assortment.

In addition, these multinationals bring new technologies and new concepts that are always interesting to observe. The local Serbian channels have also made a big leap forward.

As far as Super Vero is concerned, we also constantly innovate while keeping the “grocer” spirit. I mean by this that we are regularly listening to our customers (it's easier when we have 7 stores) and we form our assortment and our specificity in direct synergy with our customers.

We listen to them with great attention and we train ourselves to give them as much comfort as possible.

We want to keep it simple and offer a unique experience to the Serbian market. Our managers are constantly consulted, and we give great importance to the initiative of our employees in our modus operandi. Managers, if they want to achieve notable results, must take into account all the parameters present in their environment and above all know how to erase and listen to collaborators who will bring the final touch which will allow you to slow down and win the set or the match. We must have a three-dimensional vision of the environment around us to better seize opportunities. The best way to achieve this is to be proactive.

How does the product offer in Super Vero stand out from other retail chains? Consumers are used to finding some products and brands in Super Vero that are not available in other stores.

Will Super Vero continue to expand its number of suppliers and range of new products?

— We are and will remain grocers. This means that we are closer to the reality in the field than to the algorithms telling you what to do. We live with and from the products that we sell. The advan-

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tage of our format is that we can state that we have successfully launched the „short-chain “. This implies direct cooperation with local and Greek producers, without intermediaries. We are going to look for the product where it is, it is not up to him to come to us but the reverse. My team and I travel thousands of km a year to find the rare pearl. And it works!!!

The opening of a large Super Vero shopping centre in Novi Sad has been announced. Do you know when will this happen?

Are there any other new locations planned?

— After several years of calm in terms of development (this strategy was voluntarily chosen by the owners of the company), we have with Mr Veropoulos and Mr Batayas to assure our expansion in the second city of Serbia, Novi Sad. We were exceptionally received by the local authorities and we started to explore the city and its surroundings from top to bottom. We discovered what was going to become our future location and after in-depth geo-marketing studies, we validated and bought this location.

Our hypermarket will have a sales area spanning 12,000 m2, where our two brands, SUPER VERO and JUMBO will be present. As you probably know, we are exclusive owners of the JUMBO franchise for the Serbian market. The design of the store is, also as in Vero-Jumbo Novi Beograd, led by Schweitzer. It will be stunning.

Has the COVID pandemic slowed the implementation of the company's plans and development?

— Thanks to the extraordinary team that I lead, both in the stores and offices and this is something I will reiterate over and over again, we have overcome this terrible challenge with a success that has no equal in retail business in Belgrade. I have to congratulate the women and men who work at Super Vero and Jumbo for these achievements. In 2019, our results were in clear progression compared to 2018 partly thanks to the magnificent renovation of our store in Novi Beograd, while in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the number of new customers has been constantly growing, partly thanks also to the launch of our loyalty card, which is now used by more than 100,000 shoppers.

We are humbled by this fact and are continuing on this jour-

GREECE AND SERBIA HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON AND THE FOOD IS JUST ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BRING US EVEN CLOSER TOGETHER ney which began 20 years ago with the same passion and the same enthusiasm.

Does the friendship between Serbia and Greece and the affection of Serbs towards Greece and the Greek people influence the company's business? Serbs love Greek dairy products, olives and olive oil, halva, wines, Ouzo and Metaxa, and fruits and vegetables known for their top quality... Can we find any of these products on Super Vero’s shelves?

— Greece and Serbia have so much in common and the food is just one of the things that bring us even closer together. Besides that, Greek food reminds customers of the great experience they had on their Greek vacation. In a way, people looking for the groceries from this beautiful sunny country are also looking to evoke good memories. It is double pleasure, as the products we import are the most loved among Serbs. Greek

fruits and vegetables that grow in a country that has so many sunny days are so much tastier. But the quality we insist on is the main reason why customers keep getting back after buying some products because of curiosity or to bring memories from vacation back. As we listen to feedback from our customers, we develop assortment in a way to satisfy the choosiest too. That is the reason why we have more than 600 products from Greece and continuously work on widening of range. The last we added was Ouzo, under our private label Vero. Its secret recipe with anise from Lesvos and other aromatic seeds from the Aeolian land is the exquisite heritage of the past.

The "Super Vero - We have been sailing together for 20 years" prize contest is in progress. The prizes include vouchers for vacations in Greece, Serbia's favourite holiday destination.

Can you tell us more about this sweepstake?

— I would like to use this opportunity to thank all consumers, partners and employees for the first twenty years in Serbia.

Thanks to you, the first foreign hypermarket in Serbia has been operating successfully for two decades, uniting the best of Serbia and Greece.

In that name, we dedicated the traditional Greek month to the celebration of the jubilee. Consumers have the opportunity to buy Greek products with a discount of up to 20% and participate in a prize competition and win a holiday worth up to 3,000 euros for two.

The winners will fly to a Greek island and will be accommodated in a five-star hotel. You can read more details about the competition on www.supervero.rs .

We have been sailing together for 20 years and we intend to continue in the same style, providing consumers with a unique experience of pleasant shopping. In June, the experience will be complemented by Greek music in the markets as well as scenes from the Greek islands depicted on large billboards. Greek specialities, which recipes you can find on the aforementioned website, will be prepared in our supermarkets and you can find all ingredients for them in Super Vero.

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

12 MAY

TASTE OF THE KOREAN SPIRIT

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Serbia hosted a traditional Korean liquor tasting event at the Ambassador's residence under the theme of "Taste of the Korean Spirit" on the 12th of May. This was the very first time that Korean liquors were introduced in Serbia. About 70 public figures had the opportunity to taste 7 kinds of ‘Cheongju’ and ‘Soju’ made in the traditional way, as well as munches prepared by a Korean chef. In his speech, the South

Korean Ambassador, H.E. Jaewoong Lee, explained that the event was based on the idea that not only the Serbian rakija and Korean traditional alcohol were similar in taste, but also that Koreans and Serbs share many joint values, such as respecting elders and cherishing family bonds. Also, the Ambassador said that the South Korean Embassy in Serbia plans to have more diverse cultural exchanges.

Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality and H.E. Jaewoong Lee with spouse

25 MAY

AFRICA DAY CELEBRATED AT THE SERBIA PALACE

H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj

25 MAY

NATIONAL DAY OF ARGENTINA

Milan Antonijević, lawyer and H.E. Jaewoong Lee with spouse

The Moroccan Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj, hosted this year’s celebration of Africa Day. On the occasion, he said that Africa’s great friendship with Serbia has been lasting since 1963 when the African Union was founded and that the friendship was based on the assistance that the former Yugoslavia provided to African

Ambassadors of African countries

Argentina's National Day was also marked on May 25 in Belgrade, with a reception at the embassy of this South American country. The celebration was attended by Argentines living in Serbia, representatives of the Serbian authorities and the diplomatic corps and religious, academic, cultural and economic figures. The

H.E.Osvaldo Narciso Marsico, Ambassador of Argentina

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countries. He also called on Serbian companies to invest in African countries, adding that he hopes that the opening of new Serbian embassies in certain African countries will be a continuation of support for the continent. As he pointed out, Africa has more opportunities for development than all other continents.

Tanguango Quintet, tango dancers Maria Ines Bogado and Julio Savedra were in charge of the entertainment. The Amarone Company contributed to the great atmosphere with extraordinary Argentine wines produced by the renowned Zuccardi and Altos Las Hormigas wineries.

H.E. Bassel Salah Mustava Ahmed, Ambassador of Egypt with his wife

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

25 MAY

HE EMBASSY OF T AZERBAIJAN CELEBRATES THE REPUBLIC DAY

The Embassy of Azerbaijan hosted a reception in Belgrade on the occasion of the country’s national holiday – Republic Day. The guests were welcomed at the Hyatt Hotel in Belgrade by the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Serbia, H.E. Kamil Khasiyev. The reception was attended by political and cultural figures, the dip-

H.E. Kamil Khasiyev

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MAY

H.E. Kamil Khasiyev, with his wife

INDEPENDENCE AND STATEHOOD DAY OF GEORGIA

On May 30th, on the occasion of the National Day of Georgia, the Georgian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. David Dondua, hosted a reception at the Crowne Plaza Belgrade Hotel. The reception was attended by a large number of guests, representatives of the Serbian government, the diplomatic corps, business people, religious

H.E. David Dondua

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JUNE

THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC DAY

lomatic corps, church dignitaries and other guests. 104 years ago, on May 28, 1918, Azerbaijan became the first parliamentary republic of the East and the Muslim world in general, and that event had an irreversible impact on the political, cultural and social life of that part of the world.

dignitaries, and cultural and public figures. Georgia's National Day is celebrated on May 26 as Independence Day. On that day in 1918, the country passed the Independence Act, which established the Democratic Republic of Georgia. Georgia and Serbia have traditionally friendly relations, based on religious, cultural and historical ties.

H.E. Urs Schmid, Ambassador of Switzerland

The solemn reception on the occasion of the Italian Republic Day was held in the beautiful garden of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade. Together with his wife Alessandra, the Italian Ambassador, H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, hosted the reception. In his welcome speech, the ambassador said: "I am very happy to be able to be your host here today, at the celebration of the Italian Republic Day, following an im-

H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio

posed hiatus due to the pandemic. For me, this is an opportunity to say goodbye to all of you at the end of my term as Ambassador of Italy to Serbia." The guests included representatives of the Serbian government led by Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, the diplomatic corps, representatives of international and state institutions and business, and cultural and public figures.

Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister, wife of the Italian ambassador and Maja Gojković, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information

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PEOPLE & EVENTS

07 JUNE

GREEN SOCIETY IN THE SWEDISH WAY

The Embassy of Sweden marked the National Day of Sweden in Belgrade under the slogan "Green Society - Sustainable Lifestyle". The celebration was inspired by green topics and the support that Sweden provides to Serbia in environmental protection. Representing her team, the Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia, H.E. Annika Ben David, pointed out that the Embassy has been trying to set a good example in environmental protection and recycle all waste, as well as send out green waste to be processed

into biogas. She also reminded that Sweden is the largest donor to Serbia in the field of environment and that it cooperates with the Republic of Serbia’s government and the European Union in expediting reforms related to the EU Green Agenda to help Serbia prepare for EU membership. Ambassador Ben David also said that this year our two countries are marking the 105th anniversary of diplomatic relations, in the year when Sweden adopted a new, seven-year strategy for development cooperation.

H.E. Annika Ben David

08

JUNE

TWO DECADES OF AMCHAM

Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, as well as many representatives of AmCham members, renowned domestic and international companies, and media, cultural and public figures attended the celebration of AmCham’s 20th anniversary in Serbia. AmCham will con-

Stefan Lazarević, President of AmCham Serbia and Vera Nikolić, Executive director of AmCham Serbia

09

JUNE

Representatives of AmCham and Prime Minister Ana Brnabić

THE QUEEN’S Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee and her official birthday were celebrated at a reception at the British Embassy's resiPLATINUM JUBILEE DAY dence in Belgrade. The hosts of the reception, which was at-

tended by about 400 guests from the political, business, public and cultural life of Serbia, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Serbia, H.E. Sian MacLeod and her husband Richard Robinson. In addition to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of the Queen's official visit to Belgrade

H.E. Sian MacLeod

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tinue to strive to promote the values of American business and be a participant in every discussion about improving the economic environment, as well as other topics related to attracting investments, employment and adhering to the highest standards in all areas of business.

(and the then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) was also marked. Queen Elizabeth II is one of just six British monarchs who celebrated the so-called gold jubilee (50 years on the throne), and this year, she became the first British monarch to celebrate the platinum jubilee, i.e. 70 years of service to citizens of the United Kingdom, overseas territories and the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-serving British monarch and the second longest-serving ruler in history.

H.E. Sian MacLeod with her husband and Zorana Mihajilović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mining and Energy

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Exclusive Premiere at Beli Dvor The all-new BMW 7 Series and the new BMW X7 were premiered to the local audience at Belgrade's Beli Dvor (The White Palace). These exclusive models combine luxury and innovative features in a special way, which together with uncompromising comfort create a unique driving experience BRAND NEW BMW 7 SERIES After 45 years since its launch, this model now has its own fully electric version. Its exclusive features combine unique driving pleasure and uncompromising comfort complemented by impressive digital functions.

This is the longest generation 7 so far, which can only be delivered in an extended version of 5.4 metres. The elevated front end features redefined BMW design elements - illuminated grills, new split headlights, as well as adaptive LEDs with Matrix high beam that come as standard.

Optional BMW crystal headlights further underline the luxurious light effect, while the daytime running lights use LED technology and shine through Swarovski crystals arranged in an L-shape.

The interior of the new BMW 7 Series offers passengers an innovative Entertainment system and a BMW Theatre Screen that comes with a 31.3-inch screen with 8K resolution. In addition to these luxurious features, the rear of the new BMW 7 Series is easily transformed into a private cinema, where, among other things, passengers can enjoy watching movies and series, listening to their favourite music or playing video games.

All controls of this system are at your fingertips thanks to two

5.5-inch touch screen displays mounted in the rear door (BMW Touch Command).

With the Bowers & Wilkins audio system and the Executive Lounge set of rear seats, which are adjustable and have the option of transforming into a bed, you will feel as if you are staying in one of the luxury apartments.

THE NEW BMW X7 Exclusivity, dynamism and spaciousness - are the attributes that most closely describe the new BMW X7. BMW's largest SAV

comes with improved design and breathtaking performance.

The new features are immediately visible on the front of the car, which has split headlights and a distinctive, redesigned BMW kidney grille that can be optionally illuminated. The interior of the new BMW X7 is luxurious and spacious and features three rows of seats.

Modern style and progressive digitalisation of the interior are available thanks to the innovative BMW curved screen and the new-generation infotainment sys-

tem with the BMW 8.0 interface.

The BMW X7 also features an attractive Sky Lounge panoramic glass roof (with LED lighting) and a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround sound system that gives passengers a special, luxurious experience.

The new BMW X7 comes in three drive variants: BMW X7 xDrive 40i, BMW X7 M60i xDrive and BMW X7 xDrive 40d and for the first time, they are all equipped with an MHEV system that adds 9kW and an additional 200 Nm in the latest version.

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BUSINESS NEWS

01

MODERN, SPORTY LUXURY

The new GLC is the most dynamic model in the successful SUV family from Mercedes-Benz. Even at first glance, this is underlined by its design with unique proportions, dramatic surfaces, precisely moulded edges and a clearly laid-out, high-quality interior. It also impresses with its driving performance and efficiency. The GLC is available only as a hybrid: either as a plug-in hybrid or as a mild hybrid with 48-volt technology and an integrated starter-generator. The plug-in hybrids offer a range of more than more than 100 kilometres (WLTP) – perfect for predominantly electric everyday driving. The GLC is at home on any terrain: whether on or off the road, it impresses with its comfort and agility. The new rear-axle steering makes it even more manoeuvrable and safe. Off the road, it scores with numerous features such as the standard 4MATIC, purely electric off-road driving in the plug-in models, the off-road screen and the “transparent bonnet”.

02

PROGRAM OF SUPPORT TO SMALL ENTERPRISES

Eurobank Direktna this year again joined the Program of Support to Small Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Equipment Procurement in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, the Development Agency of Serbia and the “Serbia and the EU – Equipment for Economy” project financed by the EU. The aim of the program is the improvement of business environment and provision of working equipment for small enterprises. Eurobank Direktna implements the Program of Support to Small Enterprises in Equipment Procurement, aimed at enhancing competitiveness of legal entities, improving their business internationalisation, and technological production processes, supporting employment, increasing revenues and improving conditions for financing of small enterprises and entrepreneurs.

EVENT

SMEs as the Driving Force of the New Serbian Economy mall and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Serbia, like in other countries, form the backbone of the economy. Their share in the production of the business sector, excluding agriculture, is 60% (EUR 14 billion), they participate in the export of goods with 40% (EUR 6.5 billion) and employ almost a million people, or as much as 45% of all employees in Serbia. Through paid incomes and other taxes, SMEs directly and indirectly finance about 40% of the state's activities – employees, hospitals, schools, road construction and other investments. However, domestic small and medium enterprises do not enjoy the level of attention and support as large enterprises.

These “hidden champions” of Serbian economy were the focus of conference-exhibition titled "SME Serbia 2030: SME 100 Expo" organized in Kragujevac by CEVES and MIND Park, within the "Sustainable Development for All" Platform implemented by GIZ with the support of the governments of Switzerland and Germany. The conference was also supported by the Embassy of Slovenia in Belgrade.

"We are not here because these companies need help, they are already winners. Serbia needs them because there are too many companies that could have been winners, and yet they are not. Some things have started to change, there are good initiatives that have influenced the administration, but we still have

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a problem with the economic environment, especially towards small and medium enterprises. The problem is not whether someone prefers big companies, but the problem is the weak capacity of the state whose task is to separate the wheat from the chaff", said Kori Udovicki, President of the Board and Chief Economist of CEVES during the introductory panel, emphasizing the importance of SMEs initiatives, who teach us how to create a better economic environment.

Participants in 3 round tables and 2 panels discussed systemic problems, illogicalities and policies that harm SMEs, such as the fact that SMEs are not exempt from paying income

tax on investments, while large companies are, as well as the lack of adequate institutional "support" in international financial transactions, which is uncommon in other countries in the region.

Among the guests, panelists and moderators of the conference were the Ambassador of Germany to Serbia H.E. Thomas Schieb, Ambassador of Switzerland H.E. Urs Schmid, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Marko Cadez, representatives of the Serbian Development Agency, EBRD, Irish IDA, experts from the German Mittelstand, Slovenian entrepreneurship and representatives of successful domestic SMEs.

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CORPORATE

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Prezident Palace Hotel offers you 60 luxury rooms and prestigious suites, providing the most comfortable plush linen, most impressive room amenities including French windows with luxurious curtains and electronically controlled blinds, cashmere blankets and anti-allergic pillows, rich toiletries and beautiful view over the oldest part of the city. Every room is carefully designed to inspire your stay with royal experience and life of the last monarch couple.

Prezident Palace hotel take you to a luxury world of sophisticated baroque design, lavish aesthetics and ultimate comfort. All designed to provide spacious place

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EVERY ROOM IS CAREFULLY DESIGNED TO INSPIRE YOUR STAY WITH ROYAL EXPERIENCE AND LIFE OF THE LAST MONARCH COUPLE

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Inspired by the splendid Parisian elegance, each of the elegantly furnished units represents a little work of art, standing as an introduction to a unique experience and unmatchable sensation of extraordinary comfort.

Every piece of our furniture was designed in baroque style and it took almost 5 years for its production - from the point of design to choosing unique materials to hand crafted details and gold plating.

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The Roof will create memorable moments of pleasure and personalized service to each guest.

Welcome to Prezident Palace Hotel – place where fairytale becomes reality.

Address. Venizelosova 54, 11000 Belgrade Phone No. +381 11 77 77 100

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INTERVIEW

by Tanja Banković

Exhibition About Jovanka Broz as Part of the Heroines Programme While being respectful of the concept of Jovanka's "original" exhibition, we decided to present to the audience everything as exactly as Jovanka imagined and arranged it TIJANA PALKOVLJEVIĆ BUGARSKI Director of the Matica Srpska Gallery

NEDA KNEŽEVIĆ Director of the Museum of Yugoslavia

bout heroine that Jovanka Broz was, the importance of the exhibition about her and plans for this year we talked with Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, director of the Matica Srpska Gallery the director of the Museum of Yugoslavia and Neda Knežević.

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The exhibition titled "Partisan and Fragonard – Jovanka Broz’s Collection of Paintings” was staged under the auspices of the Heroines programme of the 2022 European Capital of Culture project. What kind of heroine was Jovanka Broz?

TIJANA: If you were to ask each of us "Who really was Jovanka Broz?", you would be given a myriad of different answers. The fact that Jovanka became a myth often comes as a result of not having enough historical data about someone or something or them being insufficiently researched.

As a partisan, and then the first lady of socialist Yugoslavia, her role and importance in creating the image of Yugoslavia in the world (and the region) was substantial. Everything that has to do with Jovanka Broz is inseparable from the history of a country, its society, politics, culture, fashion and other aspects of everyday life.

In that sense, as a personification of socialist Yugoslavia, Jovanka Broz is truly a heroine and a sacrosanct symbol of an epoch.

Created in cooperation with the Matica Srpska Gallery and the Museum of Yugoslavia, the exhibition "Partisan and Fragonard – Jovanka Broz's Collection of Paintings" showcases a number of her personal items. How hard was it to collect and preserve all these things?

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NEDA: After the death of Jovanka Broz, the state commission found a large number of cases in her house. The curators of the Museum of Yugoslavia were members of the state commission in 2016, and their task was to determine, as per the existing documentation, which of the things and objects found in the villa belonged to the Museum, that is, the

jects and furniture, which made up her immediate surroundings until the last day. Jovanka took great care of her personal items (clothes, accessories), as well as items for everyday use, almost like an art collector.

The exhibition focuses on items that were part of Jovanka Broz’s life out of the limelight for 33 years. The paintings that were

THE EXHIBITION FOCUSES ON ITEMS THAT WERE PART OF JOVANKA BROZ’S LIFE OUT OF THE LIMELIGHT FOR 33 YEARS former Josip Broz Tito Memorial Centre. Everything that used to be part of the residence of Josip Broz, as well as all the gifts that Tito and Jovanka had received, has been recorded and made a part of the museum. Jovanka had a special emotional relationship with the works of art, furniture and objects of applied art, which were transferred from the residence to the villa where she lived since 1980. The villa’s ambience was reminiscent of the residence in terms of the layout of paintings, decorative ob-

taken from the villa were handed over for conservation and restoration to the excellent conservation team of the Matica Srpska Gallery, and subsequently became the subject of this project. Thanks to the professional care and new interpretation of the Museum’s and Gallery’s curators, a small segment of the Museum of Yugoslavia’s abundant collection was thus transformed into an attractive exhibition.

The Museum of Yugoslavia and the Matica Srpska Gallery have

been developing partnership and inter-institutional cooperation for many years while bringing together professional staff, curators and conservators. Exhibitions and accompanying published material came as a result of this.

How important is this exhibition, that is, the items that Jovanka kept for more than 30 years?

TIJANA: All the items showcased at this exhibition were the backdrop to the life of the married couple Broz. They used to decorate the space of their home at 15, Užička Street, which Jovanka then transferred to the villa that was given to her after Tito's death.

This is a small collection of memorabilia, with Jovanka Broz herself being the curator of this unusual collection. The visitors now have a unique opportunity to see for the first time the items and paintings that the Broz family enjoyed, which Jovanka kept for years as a remembrance of the time she considered lost, as well as trying to preserve the memory of certain people and events. While being respectful of the concept of Jovanka's "original" exhibition, we de-

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cided to present to the audience everything as exactly as Jovanka imagined and arranged it. We recreated certain segments and thus tried to breathe a new lease of life into the first lady's collection, placing it in its original context.

It seemed to us that this was the best way for us to save from oblivion a space that could have been lost forever, while, at the same time, telling a story about it to the visitors’ delight Does the exhibition reflect the social and artistic circumstances of the former Yugoslavia?

NEDA: The 1960s were considered the golden years, an era with a very lively art scene, when new museums and galleries opened.

In the 1970s, art colonies emerged, and thus artistic events became more accessible to a larger audience.

The Broz couple, especially Tito, posed for many artists and knew some of them personally. Artwork that was later given as state gifts or was displayed at the residence was purchased from artists. Josip Broz was a patron of several cultural and artistic events. Thanks to that, Jovanka and Tito were recognized as admirers of art who were often gifted artwork that was incorporated into the Museum of Yugoslavia’s art collection.

What other public figures are featured in the Heroines programme?

TIJANA: As a programme arch, the Heroines is extremely diverse and offers the audience abundant content. In addition to Jovanka Broz’s collection of paintings, the visitors can also see the paintings of Serbian painters from the first half of the 20th century in the Pavlje Beljanski Memorial Collection. The Heroines progamme features paintings by Nadežda Petrović, Liza Križanić, Zora Petrović, Leposava Pavlović, Ljubica Sokić, Vidosava Kovačević and Milica Zorić. The Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina showcases the works by European artists from the second half of the 20th century in the exhibition "Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970's".

There is also the artwork from the Verbund Collection (based in Vienna), while the Museum of Vojvodina has an exhibition entitled "Scarves as a Cultural Signifier". In parallel with these diverse museum programmes and exhibitions that in various ways represent the

place, role and contribution of women in art, there are numerous concerts, theatre and ballet performances that promote women's creativity.

We are extremely proud of the fact that we put together the "Partisan and Fragonard – Jovanka Broz’s Collection of Paintings” in collaboration with the Museum of Yugoslavia, our longtime part-

tographs, we can reconstruct details from Jovanka's life and form an image of the time in which she lived.

Courtesy of Mrs Svetlana Aleksić, wife of Jovanka's nephew, who donated private items and personal belongings of Jovanka Broz, the gallery space took on the character of the original environment where these works of art were displayed,

EVERYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH JOVANKA BROZ IS INSEPARABLE FROM THE HISTORY OF A COUNTRY, ITS SOCIETY, POLITICS, CULTURE, FASHION AND OTHER ASPECTS OF EVERYDAY LIFE

ner and institution with which we have exceptional cooperation. We are also proud of presenting this exhibition and a part of so far unseen cultural heritage kept at Serbian museums in synergy with the public.

What can we deduce about Jovanka Broz from the exhibition artefacts?

NEDA: Based on the exhibited paintings, furniture, objects of applied art, personal items and pho-

while the exhibition gained an additional emotional dimension.

From the variety of exhibited objects, we can sense a constant duality, because Jovanka was, at the same time, the first lady and a partisan, housewife and worker, emancipated and traditional.

By entering this imaginary museum, we wanted the visitors to get a clear picture of who she was.

What are the Matica Srpska Gallery’s plans and future pro-

grammes, when it comes to Novi Sad, under the auspices of the 2022 European Capital of Culture project?

TIJANA: Throughout the summer, people will have the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition "Partisan and Fragonard – Jovanka Broz’s Collection of Paintings” with numerous accompanying programmes that will last until early September. On July 8, we will open the exhibition “Parallels Novi Sad/Timisoara”, which will present the artwork from two museums - Novi Sad and Timisoara - merged into a single exhibition under the auspices of the 2022 European Capital of Culture project. By drawing different parallels between the collections, artists and artwork, we will highlight the unity of the European art space.

Finally, on October 7, we will stage a large-scale retrospective exhibition about Uroš Predić and then the Uroš Predić programme in order to get a wider public better acquainted with the work of this famous national and European painter. Children will be able to learn about Predić through specially adapted programmes and publications, younger people will learn about him via comic books, while people with disabilities will enjoy Predić’s artwork with the help of specially designed content. In this way, we will highlight the creative work of one of the most important Serbian painters in a new, contemporary and innovative way, while at the same time, showing how open are 21st-century museums to local communities and all segments of the public.

Is the Museum of Yugoslavia planning on staging a similar exhibition in the coming period?

NEDA: On the tenth anniversary of Jovanka Broz's death and the centenary of her birth, we plan to add items from other collections to this exhibition. In that way, the character of the first lady will be seen through a multidisciplinary approach.

So far, nobody has published a comprehensive biography or historiographical study on Jovanka Broz, nor has her role in Yugoslav politics been thoroughly researched. Most of the information and articles about her life came from journalists. The story of Jovanka Broz will definitely be told only when the story of Josip Broz is told.

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EVENT

"Castles of Serbia: Protection of Cultural Heritage" The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Culture and Information, Maja Gojković, presented the project "Castles of Serbia: Protection of Cultural Heritage" at the Serbian Cultural Centre of Serbia in Paris he project’s goal is to find sustainable solutions for the restoration of the Serbian castles with the help of the countries which are known for putting their castles in the services of cultural diplomacy and tourism, such as France.

This very important and complex project was launched in November 2020 as a joint initiative of the two Serbian ministries – the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, as well as the civil sector, namely the Foundation for the Protection of Cultural and Historical Heritage - incorporates 118 castles and palaces in Serbia which are under state protection.

Ms Gojković also highlighted the importance of renovating castles, since they (and stately homes) can make a valuable contribution to economic development and boost the tourist potential of many parts of Serbia, but also demonstrate a new, more mature and responsible attitude towards our history and culture, which raises the awareness of national identity and relies on cultural heritage as a potential for future development.

Ms Gojković also reminded that many of those buildings are of great importance to Serbian history. i.e. the history of the Karadjordjević and Obrenović dynasties, renowned families such as Stratimirović and Dundjerski, but also successful industrialists and merchants such as Serbian textile kings Teokarović. She added that one of the largest castles in Serbia - the Karacsonyi Castle in Novo Miloševo – is a real example and a symbol of an undesirable value system, which dominated in the period from 1945 to 2000, when castles were turned into agricultural cooperatives and the like.

Just ahead of the panel discussion on "Palaces of Serbia", Ms Gojković expressed her satisfac-

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ONE OFTHE LARGEST CASTLES IN SERBIA THE KARACSONYI CASTLE IN NOVO MILOŠEVO – IS A REAL EXAMPLE AND A SYMBOL OF AN UNDESIRABLE VALUE SYSTEM tion with the consolidation of two other topics at the event, which are extremely important for Serbian culture, namely the exhibi-

tion about Nikola Tesla currently staged at the Serbian Cultural Centre and marking the 49th anniversary of the establishment of

the former Culture & Information Centre in Paris.

Former French Minister of Culture Frederic Mitterrand also spoke at the panel, highlighting the close cultural ties between Serbia and France and France's respect for Serbia. Mitterrand also noted the importance of cooperation in preserving cultural heritage and welcomed the beginning of a great project, such as the inventory and identification of castles, stately homes and summer houses, which need renovation and determination of purpose.

Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević also spoke at the panel, pointing out that the state authorities need to join the whole process.

She added that the future use of those facilities will depend on the country’s cultural policy and strategy so that subsequently they can be included in the tourist offer, used as museum spaces, conference venues and film locations.

Assistant Minister of Culture for Cultural Heritage and Digitalization, Danijela Vanušić, and director of the Museum of the City of Belgrade, Jelena Medaković, also spoke at the panel.

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CULTURAL HERITAGE BUILDING

The National Bank of Serbia Building

Text and photos: The National Bank of Serbia

The building that houses the National Bank of Serbia, built in the style of Neo-Renaissance academicism, is one of the largest and most beautiful architectural objects in Belgrade from the 19th century, which is why it is classified as a cultural monument that enjoys state protection

he National Bank of Serbia, one of the most important state institutions in the Republic of Serbia, was established as the sixteenth central bank in the world with domestic share capital.

It became operational on July 2, 1884, following the passing of the Law on the Privileged National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia, on January 6, 1883. The goal was to solve major financial problems, as dozens of different currencies were used in Serbia at that time, as well as to provide safe and cheap lending to the economy.

As the National Bank had not

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THE NATIONAL BANK OF SERBIA’S BUILDING IS ONE OF THE MOST MONUMENTAL BUILDINGS IN BELGRADE, NOT ONLY DURING THE ERA IN WHICH IT WAS BUILT BUT ALSO TODAY only major tasks concerning lending activities but also an issuing role, it had to have its own building. As noted in the relevant documents, the Bank had to be housed in its own building that would in every way meet its needs for many years to come. As early as 1886,

the National Bank bought a plot of land in the centre of the Serbian capital, at 12 Dubrovačka Street (today Kralja Petra), on the site where Branislav Nušić was born.

According to the report of the Bank’s Board of Directors, it was decided in 1887 that the building

would be built and designed by Konstantin A. Jovanović, an architect from Vienna.

Jovanović's architectural oeuvre territorially included three countries: Austria-Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, he had designed a number of buildings, most notably the National Parliament building in Sofia.

The building that houses the National Bank of Serbia, built in the style of Neo-Renaissance academicism, is one of the largest and most beautiful architectural objects in Belgrade from the 19th century, which is why it is classi-

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fied as a cultural monument that enjoys state protection. The National Bank employees moved in in 1890, while Konstantin Jovanović received the Order of Saint Sava III for the architectural design of the building. The then administration, aware of how important is the building for Belgrade, architecturally-wise, wrote the following:” The National Bank has its own house now, which is completely solid in terms of the materials used, construction, layout and architectural beauty, as it perfectly suits the Bank’s needs and reputation.”

After the proclamation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the building was upgraded from 1922 to 1925 due to the increased volume of work of the newly formed state. The extended part, built in the same style and with the same material as the original building, blended in nicely and style-wise, formed a complementing entity, taking up a complete block between Kralja Pe-

VARIOUS ARTS AND CRAFTS WERE USED IN INTERIOR DECORATION AND A COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES WAS APPLIED tra, Gračanička, Nikola Spasića and Cara Lazara streets.

Well-known building contractors from Szeged, Jirasek and Kraus, had been hired to carry out the construction work, while the façade is the work of the renowned façade master and painter Petras. An excellent connoisseur of the Renaissance, Konstantin Jovanović used the academic style characteristic of that time, showing his masterful skills in shaping both the exterior and interior of the building. He was also the interior decorator and chose all decorative details, doors and windows, stucco decorations and furniture, while the famous sculptor and painter Paško Vučetić, whom

Moše Pijade helped out as his private student, painted the walls and vaulted ceiling.

Various arts and crafts were used in interior decoration and a combination of different materials and techniques was applied. Pillars and wall cladding in the halls, ground floor and first floor were made from multi-coloured marble and the stucco technique was used on some walls. Vaulted glass ceiling segments were made from multi-coloured stained glass.

The floors in the corridors and halls, in the old and extended part of the building, are made of ceramics using mosaics, except in the ceremonial hall, where they are paved with ceramic tiles paint-

ed with floral motifs. There is a ceremonial hall in the old part of the building, where high-level meetings are held. The hall’s appearance hasn’t changed since the building got its extension.

In the gallery of the ceremonial hall, above the fan-shaped white marble staircase, there is a bronze bust called ‘Serbia’, the work of sculptor Đorđe Jovanović, identical to the one that is a part of the Monument to Kosovo Heroes sculpture in Kruševac. The National Bank bought the sculpture after it was exhibited in the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris.

The National Bank of Serbia’s building is one of the greatest achievements of Serbian academic architecture and the best example of a building in the Neo-Renaissance style. It is one of the most monumental buildings in Belgrade, not only during the era in which it was built, but also today, and has remained one of the few buildings that has retained its original appearance and purpose.

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FOOD PLANET

by Tanja Banković

Including Serbian Recipes in Cook Book Serbian people are very friendly and they like to spend time with family and friends, just like we do in my country

MRS. MARÍA ROSARIO TERREROS GÓMEZ The wife of the Spanish Ambassador to Serbia

rs. María Rosario Terreros Gómez, the wife of the Spanish Ambassador to Serbia, talked about Spanish cusine, can it be made in Serbia and about life in Belgrade.

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What are the main features of Spanish cuisine?

— When one speaks of Spanish food, most people immediately think of paella but Spanish cuisine is a lot more than that. It has a richness of elaborate dishes that are completely different depending on the regions, even when the same ingredients are used.

One kind of tuna fish for example, in the North is cooked with tomato and pepper sauce while in the South of Spain a different kind of tuna, the red one, is main-

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ly grilled.

Some common features would be the use of olive oil and the great passion for fish. As you know, Spain is a peninsula surrounded by both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, which are considered to be important natural sources of nourishment in my country.

Culinary education is very im-

how to combine and use them in a healthy way.

Some of the worldwide acclaimed and the most prestigious culinary training centers can be found in Spain. Students from all over the world strive to get enlisted and prepared for their future careers there. Now, some of their graduates are renowned as the best chefs on the planet.

WHEN ONE SPEAKS OF SPANISH FOOD, MOST PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY THINK OF PAELLA BUT SPANISH CUISINE IS A LOT MORE THAN THAT portant for the people of Spain since the early years. Children are taught about traditional family recipes and they also get regular school training. Schools teach children about the variety and different features of products and

What do you miss the most about from your country? Can you find all the necessary ingredients for the preparation of traditional Spanish dishes in Serbia?

— In my experience, Serbia has

raw products of high quality. Serbia can be proud of their dairy products and also a great variety of vegetables in season. I particularly enjoy delicious tomatoes and red peppers. I was equally delighted by fruits in Serbia. It is always a good idea to buy apples, for example from small farmers as they have a special flavor and are completely organic.

I was specially surprised by the production of berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. I always find the best quality products in the green markets. Meat products are also excellent. I have no difficulties in finding all the necessary ingredients for preparation of all the Spanish recipes based on different kinds of meat and poultry.

I discovered dried and smoked meat and poultry which I use when I have Spanish guests to introduce them to these new flavors.

In Spain we also have this kind of products but the treatment is different, the meat is only salted and air dried. Among these, the most famous is our jamón which is also highly appreciated in Serbia.

I’ve also tasted some interesting homemade bread and I’ve learnt that good quality bread is very important for the Serbs, as it is for me. They will be quite picky when it comes to their choice of bakeries and their savory crispy loaves.

Also, I had a chance to enjoy local desserts such as crunchy biscuits and cakes which are delicious and also vary a lot from region to region. The things I miss the most are seafood and an assortment of sea fish which are used a lot in our traditional cuisine.

Do you like Serbian cuisine and what is your favourite Serbian dish?

— I have been here for three years and I have tasted many dishes and I can say that I like Serbian cuisine. I have included a whole variety of Serbian recipes in my cook

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Gazpacho I share this excellent Spanish recipe because in Serbia you have very good tomatoes and red peppers and this recipe is prepared for this season of summer.

I HAVE INCLUDED A WHOLE VARIETY OF SERBIAN RECIPES IN MY COOK BOOK TO STAY WITH ME WHEREVER I GO book to stay with me wherever I go; some of these are sarma, Karađorđeva, burek, pljeskavica…

If I had to chose one I enjoy the most, it would be a piece of homemade toasted bread on which I spread kajmak and put a little bit of ajvar on top!

What do you think of life in Belgrade? Did you manage to visit some other places in Serbia and what would you recommended to your friends to see here?

— I like living in Belgrade. It is a great city, lively and vibrant. Serbian people are very friendly and they like to spend time with family and friends, just like we do in

my country. I have had the opportunity to visit a lot of places in Serbia even though the coronavirus made it very difficult to travel. I enjoyed everything: from Art Nouveau architecture of Subotica to medieval Monasteries in the South like Studenica, Žiča, Manasija, and of course the National park of Fruška Gora.

The thing I would like to recommend to my friends is to visit one of the Serbian many spas. Serbia is rich in hot springs and water with healing properties. It was something new for me, and I have very nice memories of my stay in Vrnjačka Banja, Aranđelovačka banja and Banja Vrdnik.

PREPARATION INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE • 1 Kg of ripe tomatoes, • 2 small cucumbers • 2 garlic cloves • 100 g of farmhouse bread • 250 ml of water with a little olive oil and sherry vinegar to soak the bread • 150 g of red peppers baked in the oven, peeled and seasoned with salt and olive oil • 5 tbsp of extra pure olive oil • 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar • salt • 500 ml of water • 2 boiled eggs for decoration

Peel the garlic and the cucumber and slice them Soak the bread in a bowl with water, olive oil and sherry vinegar for about 15 to 20 minutes Cut the tomatoes in 8 portions with the skin.

Mix all the vegetables, oil, vinegar, salt and water depending on how thick you want the soup to be.

Blend all the ingredients together using a hand blender, and then pass them through a colander to remove the remaining skins and seeds. If necessary, you can add some cold water to make the process easier.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 4 hours You can serve the gazpacho garnished with some croutons, a hardboiled egg a little virgin olive oil, and of course, if you could find some died iberico ham.

Hope you enjoy!

ONLY

34€ PER YEAR!

SUBSCRIBE NOW! PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS: www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs /subscription Call us or send us request on: Email: pretplata-dc@color.rs Phone: +381 11 4044 960

IN PRINT AND ONLINE.

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POSTCARD

by Robert Čoban

Stalin, Bell Ringer of the Armenian Church As of late April, Venice is brimming with more or less eccentric artists from all over the world who are touring the pavilions of the 59th Art Biennale, first time held in 1895 as part of the silver wedding anniversary of King Umberto I and Queen Margaret of Savoy

t the Marco Polo airport, we are struggling to get an available “water taxi", because - "It's the Biennale, you'll wait at least an hour!"A man in a dark blue uniform shakes his head. However, one of the boats had just brought the passengers to the airport, so we quickly board it and set off for the Excelsior Hotel on the Lido. Between the wooden pillars eroded by the saltwater of the Lagoon, we pass several abandoned small islands and reach Murano, our shortcut to Lido. We pass through a canal in the middle of this Venetian island, world-famous for its glass production.

From one of the anchored ships, someone signals our "taxi driver" to slow down because "this is not open sea".

We find ourselves in the Lagoon again, passing by the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, the home of an Armenian monastery, the only one in Venice that Napoleon did not close when he abolished the Venetian Republic in 1797. Allegedly, that decision was mostly influenced by one of Napoleon's bodyguards, Roustam Raza, who was of Arme-

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nian origin.

Many famous people stayed on the island, including Lord Byron, numerous heads of state and royalty (Jacques Offenbach, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Wagner, Gioachino Rossini, Georges Sand, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, Umberto I of Italy, Carlo of Romania, Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, Ludwig I of Bavaria, Maximilian I of Mexico, Charlotte of Mexico, Edward VII, Napoleon III, Pedro II of Brazil, Alexander I of Russia, US President Ulysses Grant, etc.).

One of the especially bizarre facts I learned when I visited the island three years ago was that Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili Stalin lived here in 1907 and that he worked as a bell ringer in the monastery.

Namely, as a young Georgian, Stalin, a member of the Bolshevik wing of the Russian Social Democratic Party, fled his country in 1907, hidden on a cargo ship transporting grain from Odessa to Ancona. His intention was to join Lenin in Switzerland to agree on the details of the robberies he would take part in to get the money to finance his revolutionary ac-

tivities. He first worked in Ancona for a while as a suitcase carrier at the Rome and Peace Hotel, after which he hid in the boiler room of a ship and arrived in Venice, where he was welcomed by members of the anarchist group Bepi del Giasso. As he spoke solid Armenian, he managed to get a job in a monastery where he worked as a bell ringer for a while.

By the way, the monastery library has 200,000 books in Armenian and the languages of other European nations, of which as many as 30,000 were printed before 1800.

While chatting about these things with my somewhat disinterested companions, we reach Lido and through a narrow canal, under two bridges (when the water is high - acqua alta, the boat can't pass there) we finally arrive at the Excelsior Hotel.

The hotel’s boat dock is the place where many of the most famous renowned actors were photographed. Namely, most of them stayed here during the famous Venice International Film Festival, which is always held in late summer.

The woman from the reception follows us to the lift and explains that the outdoor pool is working, that the water is currently being heated up and that the boats from the hotel to St. Mark's Square leave every half hour.

The Excelsior Hotel had its grand opening on July 21st, 1908.

Over 3,000 guests from all over the world and 30,000 Venetians came to the Lido to celebrate this occasion. The construction of the hotel was ordered by the famous businessman of that time, Nicolo Spada, and the hotel had been designed by the architect Giovanni Sardia. Nicolo Spada’s vision was to transform the Lido into something more than just a sand barrier between the Lagoon and the famous Venice. The lavish and relaxed atmosphere of the belle epoque was the ideal backdrop for the opening of this new destination of the international jet setting scene. Lido quickly became a luxury haven for guests from all over the world - endless sandy beaches overlooking the Adriatic Sea on one side, parks on the other and Venice just a 15-minute boat ride away - made Lido a favourite hol-

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iday spot for people from all over the world. Very quickly, a large number of villas, residences and luxury hotels began to spring up on Lido.

In the 1930s, the hotel gained importance even more after the founding of the Venice International Film Festival (1938) and the opening of the Casino of Venice.

In the years that followed, almost everybody on the who's-who-list stayed at this hotel at least once from Barbara Hutton to the Duke of Windsor, from Errol Flynn to Elizabeth Taylor, from Ingrid Bergman and Winston Churchill. Today, the Excelsior is a mixture of charm from times long gone and the winds that bring the habits and customs of today's guests.

When we stayed at the hotel in 2013, to attend the gala dinner on the occasion of the Feast of the Assumption marked on August 15th, we ended at a DJ party at the pool, which was more like a party in Ibiza than elegant parties with classical music from the time of Professor Aschenbach from Mann's novel "Death in Venice", which is marking its 110th anniversary this year.

We arrive in the city in the early evening and it is already crowded due to the opening of the Biennale. We go to eat at our restaurant Trattoria alla Madonna, where we have been dining regularly since 2011 on the recommendation of

Vlado Pištal. The restaurant is located on a narrow, winding street near the Rialto Bridge, and it’s known for affordable prices and delicious food and is frequented mostly by locals.

The next day I saw my wife Sandra off to the hairdresser's and went to the Church of the Holy Saviour right next door. Near the front door lies a cannon left over from the revolutionary events of 1849, when Austria bombed Venice, after which Daniele Manin proclaimed the Republic of San Marco, a short-lived attempt to restore the glory of the Venetian Republic. By the way, balloons were used during the Austrian attack, so that was officially the first aerial bombing of a city in history. There are many important works of art in the church, including Titian's painting "The Annunciation".

Near the Danieli Hotel, I stop next to the monument dedicated to King Vittorio Emanuele II and the Unification of Italy. My attention is drawn to the displayed numbers - 641,758 citizens of the province of Veneto voted "for" and only 69 "against" in the plebiscite on joining the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. Since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Venice was part of Austria.

Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević, whose father built a special exhibition space for the King-

dom of Yugoslavia in 1938 at this most prestigious art festival in the world, is coming to the dinner held in honour of the delegation members who will attend the opening of the Serbia Pavilion at the Biennale tomorrow. Princess Jelisaveta recently celebrated her 87th birthday but walks and thinks faster than most of my peers.

After returning to the Excelsior, where she and her husband Dragan are accommodated, in the hotel hallway, we look at black and white photos of world-renowned celebrities who stayed during the Venice film festival in the 1950s and 60s - Sophia Loren, Carlo Ponti, Brigitte Bardot… As we come up to the photograph of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Barton, Princess Jelisaveta lets out a telling chuckle.

A day later, we arrive at the opening of the Serbia Pavilion at the 59th Venice Art Biennale. Our pavilion is located in Giardini, a former park of Venetian doges, which has been used as an exhibition space for the Biennale since the beginning of the 20th century.

It all happened on April 19, 1893, when the Venice City Council decided to hold the Bienniale Art Exhibition as part of the silver wedding anniversary of King Umberto I and Queen Margaret of Savoy, who opened the first edition of this event on April 30, 1895.

The first Biennale had 224,000

visitors.

From 1907 to 1914, many European countries built their own pavilions here -Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, France and Russia.

During the First World War, the Biennales of 1916 and 1918 were cancelled. During Mussolini's time, in addition to fine arts, the Biennale had three other events the Biennale of Music (1930), the Film Festival (1932) and the International Theatre Festival (1934).

The artists from this era, i.e. before the Kingdom of Yugoslavia built its pavilion in 1938, included Vlaho Bukovac (participated several times since 1897), Ivan Meštrović (also participated several times and exhibited "Kosovo Cycle" in 1914), Robert Frangeš-Mihanović and Milo Milunović.

The Biennale of Architecture, launched in 1980, was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic but it did take place last year, and then again in 2022, despite the Biennale taking place every two years.

We enter Giardini and immediately on the right we notice the Russian Pavilion, an elegant building from 1914, built during the reign of Tsar Nicholas. Two policemen are standing in front as the Russian Pavilion is closed.

As we later learned, four days after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the commissioner of the

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Russian pavilion resigned, and all the artists who were supposed to exhibit withdrew their works in protest of Putin's invasion of the neighbouring country.

We cross the bridge over a few canals and arrive in the part of Giardini where the pavilions of Austria, Serbia, Egypt, Romania, Poland, Greece, Brazil and the city of Venice are located.

Our pavilion is already crowded - there are many people here from all corners of the globe: artists such as Uroš Djurić, Biljana Srbljanović and Dušan Jovović, advisors to the President of Serbia Suzana Vasiljević and Tanja Jović, film producer Andjelka Vlaisavljević, lawyer and activist Milan Antonijević and directors of several Serbian museums and galleries including Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, Neda Knežević, Jelena Medaković and Biljana Jotić. There is also the Serbian Ambassador to Italy, H.E. Goran Aleksić (who is Jovanka Broz's nephew) with his wife Svetlana (a Russian woman from Ukraine and former Minister of Culture of the City of Kyiv).

After speeches given by the Minister of Culture and Information, Maja Gojković, Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjević, Maja Kolarić, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade and Biljana Ćirić, the exhibition’s commissioner, we entered the darkened space of the Serbia Pavilion in groups of 20 to see "Walk

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with Water", created by Vladimir Nikolić. The author of this artwork did not want to speak in public.

I also visit several pavilions nearby. I liked what I saw in the Polish Pavilion the most. Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, an artist of Roma origin, covered the façade of the Polish Pavilion as well as all the walls inside in handmade painted pieces of textile. The work presents her reinterpretation of 500-year-old frescoes from the Palazzo Schifanoi in Ferrari, Italy, focusing on scenes from the daily life of the Roma population in her country. Her work also represents a kind of protest against the efforts of the ruling Law and Justice Party in Poland to appoint people affiliated with the party as heads of the art institutions and eliminate all artistic events that the party considers "non-Christian".

The Brazilian pavilion features a big ear at the entrance and one at the exit door, so here "you enter through one ear, and exit through the other".

The road from Giardini to St. Mark's Square these days looks like the catwalk of an eccentric fashion designer. Thousands of artists from all over the world are mingling in a few square kilometres of space, so it is possible to see various styles. I noticed a couple - a man and a woman in their late fifties - with shaved heads dressed in identical pink fur

coats. One man has been walking around the city for days with a toilet seat slung over his shoulders with the message: "Now, every shit is art".

Heavy rain, reminiscent of the ones from Bob Dylan's song, fell the next day and prevented me from looking at the other pavilions, so I hope that another opportunity will appear by November this year when the Venice Biennale ends.

I only managed to see Marc Quinn’s exhibition “Historynow” at the National Archaeological Museum. Mark created his artwork first as print screens of current news on his mobile phone.

Later, the artist finished them with paint and acrylic, and they have “a dialogue” with the exhibited objects that are over 2,000 years old.

During the last dinner, while sipping on the wine which took him a long time to choose, inspired by the fact that every house in Venice is over three centuries old, Ambassador Goran Aleksić told us an interesting story. The story is about The Henokiens (in French, Les Hénokiens), an association which brings together companies owned and run by the same family for over 200 years.

The association was named after Enoch, the Old Testament patriarch who, according to the Bible, lived for 365 years (his son Methuselah lived even longer, allegedly

969 years).

The Association was founded in 1981 by Marie Bizard and initially had only four members from France. Today, it has 47 members, all from Europe and Japan. The oldest company in the hands of one family is the Japanese hostel chain Hoshi, founded in 717, and the youngest member is the Austrian jewellery house A. E. Köchert (founded in 1814).

Ambassador Aleksić found out about this association when the head and member of the 14th generation of the Italian Beretta family, famous Italian arms manufacturers (founded in 1526), told him that he had a meeting that was more important than the one with the head of state. It turned out that Hugo Beretta was going to the annual meeting of The Henokiens.

I wonder how many more decades, maybe even centuries, will have to pass for The Henokiens to have a member from Serbia. According to the statistics I heard at our conference "Family Companies", only 22% of family-run companies in our region survive the transition from the first to the second generation and only 1% reach the third. Wars, revolutions and nationalizations that have interrupted continuity in the past two centuries are not our only problem.

Venice, where every house is "older than America", always makes you ponder such topics.

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EVENT

Second Let's Chef Together Event Hosted by the Ambassador of Indonesia

he second event within the project Let’s chef together was held in the unique ambience of the President Palace Belgrade Hotel on May 30, organized by Color Media Communications in partnership with Lidl Serbia and the aforementioned President Palace Belgrade Hotel.

"Food can be used as a strategic tool to strengthen a country's tourism industry. The Indonesian government has strongly supported the development of culinary tourism as a special tourism sector, intensively promoted abroad. Indonesian culinary tourism is not just about rich traditional food there is, more importantly, the socio-cultural values

T

behind the food itself "- stated the Ambassador of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Yudha.

As H.E. Mr. Yudha told us, "Indonesia is now reopened to international travelers who would like to visit the country. Fully vaccinated travelers are no longer required to show a negative RT-PCR test on arrival and are no longer subjects to quarantine. ".

The performance of the traditional Indonesian dance "Cendrawasih" performed by the dance group Bidadari, which was founded and operates within the Embassy of Indonesia, was the highpoint of the event.

"It is a great honor for us to embark on a gastronomic adventure

with the Embassy of Indonesia this week, where we made exotic dishes with the help of Lidl groceries that took us to this beautiful land of scattered islands and rice fields." This way, we invite our consumers to use Lidl groceries to feel the charms of cuisines all over the world, even those countries that they have not had the opportunity to visit ", said Martina Petrović, Head of Corporate Communications at Lidl Serbia.

"This time, in our hotel, we met and introduced the guests to the culture and beauty of Indonesia.

I have to admit that I am a big fan of Indonesian food, so this gathering was really special and authen-

tic for me, especially thanks to the performance of traditional folklore and the opportunity to introduce guests to the great dance performed in our restaurant. We are looking forward to the next challenges and new embassies that we will host, but also to all the specialties of excellent chefs who will prepare top dishes side by side with our chef "- said Olivera Škorić, marketing manager at Presidential Palace Belgrade Hotel.

A numerous number of guests attend the event. Members of the diplomatic corps, media, bloggers and influencers enjoyed the Indonesian dishes and the warm sound of their traditional music in an informal atmosphere.

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CULTURE

Festival cities, Artists for Nature ArtLink Festival, this year in its tenth edition, with the motto Festival cities, Artists for Nature, will be held from June 25 to September 25 at various locations in several cities in Serbia and the Western Balkan region usic on the fortresses with the sounds of water are the theme of the festival, which is the part of a new platform Festival cities in cooperation with European Festivals Association. The festival is also the initiator of the new regional platform for the promotion of the region as a cultural and tourist destination with the campaign Artists for Nature with the support of the Western Balkan Fund and European Union. The programs of the 10th Art Link Festival will take place at Belgrade Fortress, at the fortresses in Golubac, Ram, Pirot, Petrovaradin and Felix Romuliana,.

The festival will be on tour in Kotor, Luštica Bay in Montenegro, Skoplje, Tirana, Prizren and Vareš.

Artists from Austria, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Morocco, Egypt, Israel and the region will revive some of the most important and beautiful cultural monuments in Serbia and the region with their performances and at the same time support the nature protection campaign. said Jovanka Višekruna Janković, founder and Artistic Director of the Festival.

The grand opening of the fes-

M

tival will be held at the Belgrade Fortress on June 25 with the performance of the ensemble Janoška, with their program Big Bs’. The festival program will present piano duo Dina Bensaid and Adi Neuhaus, Vaško Dantaš and Isabel Vaz, Luis Agius from Spain, Pablo Rossi, Mohamed Shams, Camerata Balcanica with concert master Fe-

KOLARAC

dor Rudin and soloist Jan Vogler.

The Festival will present Internal Comedy with John Malkovich at Felix Romiliana.

This year, there will also be a music marathon, which will be performed by Danish cellist Toke Moldrup, who will run and play Bach in the 36-kilometer marathon. The partners of the festi-

Sunday, 19th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE PROM'S

Programme

Love Songs/ Duo Kšištof Dimković Kšištof Šumanjski, bariton Bojana Dimković, piano Programme: Wojciech Kilar, William Byrd, Strauss

Monday, 20th at 18.30 Concert Hall YOUNG MUSICIAN Music Workshop Čarobna frula

Tuesday, 14th at 18.30 Concert Hall YOUNG MUSICIAN Music Workshop Čarobna frula

Thursday, 16th at 18.30 Concert Hall DARIJA MILETIĆ Soprano

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Thursday, 16th at 20.00 Concert Hall BALLET GALA CONCERT

from Tchaikovsky/The Nutcracker Production: Guitar Art Festival

Saturday, 18th at 11.00, 13.00 Concert Hall YOUNG MUSICIAN

Music Workshop Čarobna frula

Tuesday, 21st at 20.00 Concert Hall RTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

LP Duo/ Sonja Lončar & Andrija Pavlović Conductor: Bojan Suđić Programme: Debussy, Naiman, Ravel Production: RTS Music Production

Thursday, 23rd at 20.00 Concert

val are support City of Belgrade, Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Serbia Water, Embassies of Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Brazil, Germany, Izrael, Italian Institute of Culture, Austrian Cultural Forum, British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, company Zepter and general sponsor is UNIQA insurance.

Hall ORCHESTRA FILARMONICA VITTORIO CALAMANI Production: Unipromet

Saturday, 25th at 11.00 Concert Hall BELGRADE PROM'S Irina Pejoska, harp Production: Music Centre

Wednesday, 29th at 20.00 Concert Hall MAXIM VENGEROV, VIOLIN & SIMON TRPCHESKI Production: CEBEF

Thursday, 30th at 20.00 Concert Hall KOLARAC/ YOUR MUSIC WORLD Beethoven's sonatas Alksandar Mardzar, piano op.57, op. 54, op. 53

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