InFocus America

America 2019

AMERICA & SERBIA

DEEPENING COOPERATION BASED ON MUTUAL INTEREST AND RESPECT Professor ZORANA MIHAJLOVIĆ

H.E. KYLE RANDOLPH SCOTT

PhD, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia

JELENA PAVLOVIĆ President of AmCham Serbia

02 RIVER

The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers combine to form the longest river system in the US and the fourth longest in the world.

01 AIRPORT SIZE

The entire Denver International Airport is twice the size of Manhattan. There are around 5,000 commercial airplanes flying over the United States at any given time.

06 ONE

DOLLLAR

The American one-dollar bill contains several hidden images, including a spider in the upper righthand corner.

05 TEXAS

BARBECUE

People around the world might like to stoke up a barbie on the weekend, but Texans live and die by the practice.

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03 THE LONGEST

COASTLINE

The US state of Alaska has the longest coastline compared to any other state in the country.

04 THE OLDEST CITY The oldest city in the United States is Saint Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565.

08 WORLD HOME

Venus Fly Traps can only be found natively in the Carolinas and nowhere else in the world.

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THE FLAG

The current flag of the USA was designed by a 17-year-old. His name was Robert G. Heft and he did it as a school project.

AMERICA 2019

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America 2019

TANJA BANKOVIĆ Editor in Chief

tanja.bankovic@color.rs

SANJA ŠOJIĆ Journalist

sanja.sojic@color.rs

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD”

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 06 IN SERBIA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED

A LONG-STANDING 28 PARTICIPANT IN THE SUPPLY CHAINS

Professor ZORANA MIHAJLOVIĆ

IVAN MILIĆEVIĆ

PhD, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure

SEE AND VALUE 10 WESERBIA’S POTENTIAL

Art director

H.E. KYLE RANDOLPH SCOTT

NATAŠA NEŠIĆ

IN OUR 14 OPTIMISTIC GROWTH PREDICTIONS

indigochild.ilija@gmail.com

Advertising director

natasa.nesic@color.rs

JOVANA MARKOVIĆ Advertising manager

jovana.markovic@color.rs

JELENA RANDJELOVIĆ Advertising manager

jelena.randjelovic@color.rs

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia

JELENA PAVLOVIĆ

President of AmCham Serbia

16 LEADING THE CHANGE BUSINESS WITH THE 18 DOING PURPOSE VERA NIKOLIĆ DIMIĆ

Executive Director of AmCham Serbia

PREDRAG MILINČIĆ

DRAGANA RADOVIĆ

Regional Market Director for Mars Balkan East

dragana.radovic@color.rs

RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ

TRADITION TO NEW 20 FROM TECHNOLOGIES

ruza.ristanovic@color.rs

General Manager for Southeast Europe at PMI

Advertising manager

Magazine director

ALEKSANDAR JAKOVLJEVIĆ

ROBERT ČOBAN

THE MOST MODERN OFFICE 22 SPACE IN THE HEART OF BELGRADE

Director

robert.coban@color.rs

Business Garden

Photos

GORAN ZLATKOVIĆ GETTY IMAGES Translation

SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ Print

ZLATNA KNJIGA

Jagodina, Bagrdanski put bb

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AMERICA 2019

IN THE LOGISTICS 29 DIGITIZATION SECTOR VUK MIJANOVIĆ

Nelt Group Logistics Operational Excellence Manager

(OR WI-FI 6) 30 802.11AX THE FUTURE OF WI-FI IS HERE! TWO BILLION CANS FROM 34 OVER SERBIA EACH YEAR Hewlett Packard Enterprise

BRANISLAV SAVIĆ

Plant Manager in Belgrade, Ball Corporation

NIKOLA NARANČIĆ

Sales Director South East Europe, Ball Corporation

MARKET IN SERBIA IS 36 THEGROWING ALEKSANDAR HANGIMANA

Managing Director ManpowerGroup Balkans

NEW INVESTMENTS CREATE 38 CHALLENGES FOR LEGAL PROFESSION TOO Dr NEBOJŠA STANKOVIĆ

Attorney at Law – Stanković & Partners Law Office, Niš, Serbia

FOCUSED ON HOTEL IN BELGRADE IN 24 HIGHLY DEVELOPING INNOVATIONS 40 NEW EARLY 2020 DRAGAN PENEZIĆ

Head of Legal and External Affairs BAT

AND ADEQUATE 26 STABLE QUALITY FOR ALL MARINKO UKROPINA

SGS Managing Director for Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

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Nelt Group Logistics Business Development Manager

ŽIVORAD VASIĆ

Vice President of Delta Holding

BUILDING 44 THE FUTURE, NURTURING THE TRADITION Jadran company

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BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN SERBIA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED Professor ZORANA MIHAJLOVIĆ

PhD, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure

In order to better coordinate reforms, the Joint Group for the Advancement of Serbia's Position on the World Bank’s Doing Business List was formed, whose members include ministers from different sectors, because only in this way we can achieve the results we want

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believe that the improvement of the bilateral relations between Serbia and the United States is in the best interest of the Serbian citizens because it implies stability, more investments and support for the reforms that we are implementing as a government. Serbia is a small country, with a good geographical position, and our strength lies in the connection with our regional neighbours and having good relations with all world powers. This is something that both the Serbian government and the country’s president have been working on,” says Professor Zorana Mihajlović, PhD, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.

”I

The US ambassador to Serbia commended you on several occasions for your contribution to the implementation of reforms in Serbia and the development of the bilateral cooperation. What is your view of the current relations between Serbia and the US?  When you are collaborating with the most developed countries in the world, such as the United States, there are a lot of things that can be done to make the bilateral cooperation even better, to the benefit of our citizens, first and foremost. Serbia benefits from re-establishment of Belgrade-New York flight, as well as when a globally active American company such as Bechtel comes to build motorway in our country, or when the United States monitors and supports the reforms we are implementing that will transform Serbia into a modern and well-organized society, as it was the case with electronic building permits.

Personally, I am very proud of the recognition I received from the US Embassy for fighting against gender-based violence two years ago, under the auspices of the global

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Investing in Serbia

campaign „16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence“. Creating a violence-free society is important for all citizens of Serbia, regardless of their gender, and I am pleased that other countries and international organizations such as UN Women recognize Serbia’s achievements in this segment.

What is your assessment of the effects of the US Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross’ visit to Serbia? 

PERSONALLY, I AM VERY PROUD OF THE RECOGNITION I RECEIVED FROM THE US EMBASSY FOR FIGHTING AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE TWO YEARS AGO The visit of the US Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross is significant because, during his visit, Serbia and the United States signed the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation in Infrastructure which creates space for greater engagement of American construction companies and other US companies in Serbia. This is the first umbrella document stipulating cooperation between the governments of Serbia and the United States in infrastructure, that should also boost the interest of American companies in Serbia.

After signing of this memorandum, Bechtel signed a memorandum regarding the Moravian Corridor project and it will be the first US company that will work on a large-scale infrastructure project in Serbia.

This document also confirms the common interest in bolstering the business

relations between the two countries and promoting the involvement of US companies in infrastructure projects in Serbia, with the support of the relevant US institutions, agencies and programmes.

According to the Memorandum, all of this will be realized by Serbia exchanging information on priority infrastructure projects with the United States, while the United States will promote the participation of US companies in infrastructure projects in Serbia and provide information to private companies in the US on potential project financing opportunities.

During this visit, the Serbian government was given suggestions for improving the business environment. What do American companies need and don’t have here in terms of the business environment?  The Government of Serbia is well acquainted with the requirements of foreign investors, given that we have very good and busy communication with all business and foreign investor associations, also through our joint working groups.

In a regulatory sense, investors always insist on the predictability of the business environment and having a dialogue with companies before regulation is drafted. This is something that the Serbian government pays a great deal of attention to. The implementation of electronic building permits was declared "the reform of the decade" and is also a great example of domestic and foreign business associations and various experts working together. As a result, in the period of three years, Serbia has jumped from 186th to the 10th place on the World Bank’s Doing Business List in the segment of building permits. It is important for investors to see that the state invests in infrastructure and that it has good transport connectivity and good business environment. In this

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I'M SURE THAT INVESTORS ARE FOLLOWING WHAT WE ARE DOING AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL POSITIVELY AFFECT THEIR BUSINESS DECISIONS WHEN IT COMES TO INVESTING IN SERBIA AMERICA 2019

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is important because Serbia is open to all everybody who wants to work in our country and who can bring the latest global experiences and new technologies.

The value of the project is close to 800 million euro and entails the construction of a motorway, regulation of rivers, primarily the Western Morava and all of its tributaries, as well as the installation of telecommunication infrastructure along the motorway.

Moravian Corridor is a very important project for Serbia because this is the first motorway that will connect Serbia from east to west, and connect Corridor 10 to Corridor 11, from Pojate to Preljine. About 500,000 people live in this part of Serbia and over 20,000 companies operate here. Also, there are more than 10 business zones and one free zone here. This motorway will connect all major towns in the region, which will also mean more work for our companies during the construction. In the long run, it will also bring more investments in this part of Serbia and expedite the development of this region.

respect, Serbia has achieved good results and has clear plans for the future.

Over the past four years, about 300 kilometres of motorways have been paved and more than 500 kilometres of railways have been restored. We are going to finish building Corridor 10 in 2019 and open a section of Corridor 11, from Obrenovac to Čačak, to traffic. At the same time, we are embarking on a new investment cycle, worth over 5 billion euro.

The new investment cycle will focus on establishing links with the region, through the construction of the Belgrade-Sarajevo motorway (two routes), the continuation of the construction of Corridor 11, the construction of the Niš-Merdare-Pristina-Tirana-Durres motorway, the modernization of the Niš-Dimitrovgrad railroad and the construction of the Belgrade-Budapest fast railroad.

In terms of issuance of building permits, Serbia stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the most developed countries in the world on the Doing Business List which speaks volumes about the quality of the business

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environment in the country. We are currently ranked 48th in terms of overall business environment but we are not happy with that and can do much better. Through reforming the cadastre and implementing a number of other reforms under the auspices of the Joint Group for the Advancement of Serbia's Position on the World Bank’s Doing Business List, we are trying to further improve the business conditions and additionally boost the rating that we have as a country.

The US company Bechtel and Serbian authorities signed the Memorandum about the Moravian Corridor at the end of last year. How important is this project and the cooperation with this US company?  The arrival of a great American investor such as Bechtel shows us how much the image of Serbia has changed in the world. So far, we have had contractors and financial institutions from the EU, China, and Russia as partners. Bechtel will be the first US company that we will have as project partners. This

OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, ABOUT 300 KILOMETRES OF MOTORWAYS HAVE BEEN PAVED AND MORE THAN 500 KILOMETRES OF RAILWAYS HAVE BEEN RESTORED Our plan is to start the works on the motorway this year, in summer, because the project documentation has already been completed for two out of the three sections.

When it comes to financing, both US and British capital are involved in this business through UK Finance Bank and EXIM Bank from the US, which are currently negotiating with our Ministry of Finance regarding terms and conditions of financing.

Do you expect to see cooperation with some companies from this construction field? How can Serbian and the US companies cooperate even more?  American companies in Serbia employ more than 16,000 workers, and this is the best reference for new investments in Serbia. I believe that the cooperation with a global company such as Bechtel is also the best reference for other US companies to find out

more about investment opportunities in Serbia in the field of infrastructure, especially considering that the new investment cycle is starting in 2019.

I believe that most important thing in attracting more foreign investments, including investments from the United States, is for Serbia to maintain its political stability, to contribute to the stability of the region, and to do everything in its power to create a good environment for investments.

The Serbian government is diligently working on this - from the infrastructure projects that we implement to all the reforms aimed at improving the business environment. I'm sure that investors are following what we are doing and I believe that this will positively affect their business decisions when it comes to investing in Serbia.

The Belgrade-New York flight was launched in 2016. What is your view of this move from today’s perspective and how important is this flight for the relations between Serbia and the US?  Re-launching the direct flight between Belgrade and New York, 24 years after the last flight, was an important event for our air traffic and a good indicator of the better political and economic relations between our country and the US. On the one hand, Belgrade airport and our air traffic institutions have fulfilled the strict conditions of the US aviation authorities. Serbia has signed the Air Transport Agreement with the USA and is classified as Category 1 in the Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service in the international civil aviation of the US Federal Aviation Administration.

On the other hand, this was important for further improvement of economic relations, new investments, and promoting Belgrade as a tourist destination. Currently, there are six weekly flights, which changes depending on the season. It is important for Belgrade to be the point that connects the region with Europe via a direct flight.

According to the latest AmCham survey, the reforms of public enterprises, healthcare and justice system did not yield expected results. Although your Ministry is not in charge of all of these segments, can you tell us what is the Government doing to improve these areas?  Speaking about reforming public enterprises, we must bear in mind that the main reforms in the railroad sector began only in 2015 and

that for decades before that, nobody had the will or the courage to try to improve the very functioning of the railway system.

Now we have four separate companies to do that. For the first time ever, we have compiled a list of railway assets, we tackled the accumulated debts and we opened up the cargo segment to competition. The number of employees has been reduced thanks to the redundancy programme and after a long time, we started to employ younger train drivers. Today, we have a railway system that is very different from the one from 3 or 4

RE-LAUNCHING THE DIRECT FLIGHT BETWEEN BELGRADE AND NEW YORK, 24 YEARS AFTER THE LAST FLIGHT, WAS AN IMPORTANT EVENT FOR OUR AIR TRAFFIC AND A GOOD INDICATOR OF THE BETTER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS

years ago. This was not only validated by the Serbian government, but also by the World Bank, the IMF and the EU. There is still a lot of work ahead of us because if we, as a state, are investing billions of euros in the modernization of the railways, we have to have companies that are able to execute that.

The next big reform we started is the one in the road sector. After more than 20 years, for the first time ever, road maintenance companies are chosen via tenders.

In the future, road maintenance companies will be paid according to the quality of their work and their performance, because we need to use the maintenance money more efficiently.

Based on our Ministry’s experience with reforms in the construction sector, I can tell you that when there is enough political will and determination, it is quite possible to implement reforms that seem inconceivable at first. When we started implementing e-permits, Serbia was at the bottom of the Doing Business List in terms of issuing building permits. Today, we are competing with the best in the world, and the reform itself has been declared the best reform in the last few years. It would be good to have as many such examples as possible in all sectors and to have three or four reforms that are competing for an award at the end of the year.

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WE SEE AND VALUE SERBIA’S POTENTIAL H.E. KYLE RANDOLPH SCOTT U.S. Ambassador to Serbia

Since 2001, the United States has paid about $1 billion into assistance programs implemented throughout Serbia, thus supporting the Serbian reform agenda in many ways

.S. support to Serbia’s EU accession process and reforms are undisputable. The reforms will bring about a stronger rule of law, a flourishing economy that can compete in the international economic arena, and social and environmental policies that are aligned with international standards. “We’re here to help because we see and value Serbia’s potential. I am confident Serbia will succeed,” said H.E. Kyle Ran-

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dolph Scott, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, for InFocus America.

How would you assess the current level of bilateral relations between Serbia and USA?  This is a complicated question. On a practical level, we have very open, honest, and productive relations between our governments.

We work together on many shared priorities,

including fighting international crime, boosting trade, and building stronger educational exchanges. This is a reflection of our shared values and a relationship that stretches back nearly 150 years. On the other hand, I need to be honest and say that I’m frustrated that we also seem to be stuck, with the tabloid media and some politicians perpetually fanning the flames of anti-Americanism. In fact, I think we’ve seen troubling steps backward in this arena in recent years, with more one-sided

reporting of anti-American conspiracies and a lot of hateful rhetoric. My question is: why?

We share Serbia’s goal of trying to integrate the country into its rightful place in Europe, of boosting economic growth, of promoting a free and independent media.

While the Serbians I meet have been extremely hospitable and friendly, there is an endless amount of hateful, anti-American sentiment pumped out by the tabloids and social media trolls. I travel constantly throughout Serbia and am convinced these extremists don’t represent the values and perspectives of most Serbs. Unfortunately, their views are amplified by the tabloids and social media, providing what I believe is a very distorted picture of Serbia.

In which areas do you see space for further collaboration?  Security, innovation, and culture are the obvious fields. We have excellent relationships with Serbia’s law enforcement authorities and have robust cooperation programs in place, and we hope to see more military cooperation. In March, in fact, our U.S. Navy SEALs trained with some of Serbia’s elite law enforcement and military units. This is a direct reflection of our two nations’ shared values of fighting international criminal threats and providing a secure environment for our citizens. Innovation is another area.

Serbia has a lot of brain power and a deserved reputation in science. I have worked hard to promote more American investment here because I’m bullish about Serbia’s potential for economic growth and for its ability to provide educated workers for American technology and services firms who have come to Serbia.

I like to see high quality jobs created right here in Serbia. I’m also a fan of the arts and have seen some amazing cultural collaborations here, from film production to joint

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musical performances. Serbia has a vibrant arts scene. America is also home to a large Serbian-American population who forge an especially strong bond between our countries, and the Serbian Orthodox Church is frequently the main conduit that Serbs in America connect back to Belgrade.

What is your opinion about the current level of reforms, in which areas Serbia advanced during the last year, and where more effort is needed? 

I’M ALSO A FAN OF THE ARTS AND HAVE SEEN SOME AMAZING CULTURAL COLLABORATIONS HERE, FROM FILM PRODUCTION TO JOINT MUSICAL PERFORMANCES In terms of EU accession, Serbia has opened 16 chapters, and provisionally closed two.

The government has put a lot of work into the required reforms, but there are areas where the involvement of civil society experts and a more patient, collaborative approach would have allowed for reforms that last. This is the case with some of the judicial reforms for Chapters 23 and 24. Serbia is on the right path by making these reforms – we have to remember the reforms aren’t done just to join the European Union. The point of the reforms is to help Serbia develop its full capacity as a nation and people.

I am confident Serbia will succeed. The reforms will help bring more rule of law, a flourishing economy that can compete on

the international economic arena, and social and environmental policies that are aligned with international standards. In other words, when Serbia becomes a place where young people see a future for themselves. I also share concerns I have heard from the EU about Serbia’s slow rate of alignment with EU foreign policy. We are committed to supporting Serbia on this path by assisting with making these reforms that often require a lot of work and coordination with the international community. We’re here to help because we see and value Serbia’s potential.

To what extent the current situation with regard to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is affecting the pace of the EU accession and the functioning of the CEFTA agreement?  My observations are based on that of an outside party because clearly, we are not an EU member. Serbia’s EU path is conditioned on normalizing relations with Kosovo. From this perspective, a stalled dialogue means a major roadblock in Serbia’s path to the EU. But that doesn’t mean Serbia should let a slowdown in the dialogue affect its preparations for EU membership. Many reforms are needed to meet the EU acquis, reforms that have nothing to do with the dialogue with Kosovo – from fisheries, to transport, to environmental standards.

I would say that showing progress on these is critical to demonstrate that Serbia is “all in” and committed. As Johannes Hahn, the EU’s enlargement commissioner said a few days ago, "It would be a mistake to stop everything just because the dialogue is in a deadlock." Regarding CEFTA, Kosovo’s tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia is a major problem that violates the spirit and letter of Kosovo’s commitments to their regional partners. The U.S. has played an active and vocal role in calling on Pristina to remove the tariffs.

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COOPERATION BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY OF SERBIAN DEVELOPERS AND THE SILICON VALLEY ARE ALREADY STRONG, AND WE SUPPORT EFFORTS TO MAKE THEM EVEN STRONGER AMERICA 2019

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CEFTA and its member states should also take a more active role in resolving the tariffs issue.

Are the US companies working in Serbia affected by the effective ban on goods from Serbia in the Kosovo market? How do you explain that this market disruption is still in place?  A number of U.S. companies operating in Serbia are affected by the tariff dispute. For those companies, and for us as a government, this is a very serious issue. Serbia and Kosovo need to get back to the dialogue, and anything that prevents that is unwelcome.

What prospective US investors see as potentials of the Serbian market, and what do they worry about?  U.S. companies are drawn to Serbia by the strong technical and language skills of the local labor force. These U.S. companies offer high paying jobs with good career development options, incentivizing top talents to stay in Serbia, and to return to Serbia. The key concerns we hear are about predictability in taxes and regulations, transparency, and rule of law. The fastest way to deter a potential investor is if they think it will be impossible to comply with the rules despite their best efforts, if they cannot forecast their risks, costs, and obligations, and if they have no fair recourse in the courts for when

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THROUGH USAID, WE HELPED STREAMLINE SERBIA’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION PERMITS AND BUSINESS INSPECTIONS problems do arise. Much progress has been made, but the work is far from over.

As you know there are many initiatives of the Serbian IT community to make stronger connections with the Silicon Valley.

Where the Embassy see its role in supporting these connections?  U.S. companies lead the world in technological innovation, and we are very pleased that so many of Serbia’s most successful information technology companies are tied to the U.S. Cooperation between the community of Serbian developers and the Silicon Valley are already strong, and we support efforts to make them even stronger.

Often, the public sees just the political dimensions of our bilateral relations. What are your favourite examples of cooper-

ation which public may not be well informed about?  I think we would need another issue of your magazine to properly answer this question because I really feel many Serbs do not understand the depth and impact of the $1 billion in assistance from the government of United States in Serbia since 2001. In fact, we have so many examples that I asked my team to compile a map that is now available on our Embassy’s website. They range from fixing schools in small towns to paving roads to bureaucratic reform efforts. Let me describe a few of my favourite areas of cooperation – they might not be flashy projects with golden shovels or ribbon cutting ceremonies, but we believe they have made a real difference.

Promoting business: Through USAID, we helped streamline Serbia’s business environment, including construction permits and business inspections. This assistance launched an electronic permitting system that made Serbia the tenth best country globally for ease of securing a permit. In fact, the work helped IKEA to become the first foreign investor in Serbia to receive an electronic construction permit in 2015 – a full 25 years after their first attempt to enter the Serbian market. The U.S. Export-Import (EXIM) Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) are also both now working in Serbia to help provide financing and risk insurance for major development projects.

Cultural programs and professional exchanges: Since 2001, thousands of Serbs have participated in our educational and cultural exchanges, including doctors, religious leaders, journalists, scientists, and high school students. Through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, we have funded ten projects worth $500,000 since 2001 to help preserve Serbia’s cultural heritage. Our militaries and law enforcement officers increasingly train side-by-side, knowing we can only protect our citizens against international threats if we cooperate.

Good governance: Legal reform, increasing media freedom, and tackling corruption have been the focus of multiple projects, ranging from helping to establish a new whistle-blower protection law to electronic registries and case management systems in your courts. As I said, these are not flashy projects, but the court management system alone has reduced case backlog by 80 percent in some courts and generated more than 100 million euros for Serbia’s budget through court costs and fines.

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OPTIMISTIC IN OUR GROWTH PREDICTIONS JELENA PAVLOVIĆ

President of AmCham Serbia

The state should act as the main facilitator and regulator of the business environment

here are many US companies operating in Serbia, and they are all assembled around AmCham. We are talking to the President of AmCham, Jelena Pavlović about how these companies view the business environment in Serbia, how to expedite our country's economic growth and the objections contained in their 2018 annual report.

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How can Serbia expedite its economic growth?  AmCham member companies seek a level playing field and a business-friendly environment, with limited involvement of the Government. The state should act as the main facilitator and regulator of the business environment, rather than being an active player in the market. The role of businesses is to

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create jobs and generate value; the state should be there to help companies by establishing independent and capable institutions fit for a market economy.

In addition to FDIs, domestic private investments also hold huge potential: last year they amounted to as little as 9 per cent

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ENCOURAGE BUSINESSES THAT ALREADY OPERATE IN SERBIA TO INVEST MORE BY CREATING CERTAINTY AND PREDICTABILITY

of Serbian GDP. The Government should encourage businesses that already operate in Serbia to invest more by creating certainty and predictability. Legislation should be the reasonable outcome of an open discussion, while court cases should be resolved quickly and fairly. The risk of doing business should be minimal, while safeguards for private property and enforcement of contracts should be as effective as possible.

Is a “stable C”, the grade that your members gave to Serbia, something that should make us happy or worried?  The moderate optimism of our members reflects Serbia’s macroeconomic stability and the Government’s success in cutting public debt and growing the economy during the fiscal consolidation. Several other reforms

are either completed or in progress – construction permitting, labour legislation, and inspections legislation; e-Government is also starting to be implemented.

AmCham’s members feel the greatest obstacles to both domestic and foreign investment are corruption, lack of the rule of law, inconsistent implementation of regulations, the shadow economy, inefficient judiciary, and underdeveloped education and healthcare. That is why large-scale, systemic reforms are needed.

AmCham believes that public-private dialogue is crucial for sustainable and successful reforms. We will continue constructively contributing to public consultations and will promote capacity-building of public institutions to allow them to implement regulations efficiently, consistently, and impartially.

How do your member companies assess their own growth and what do they consider as the best features of the business environment in Serbia?  AmCham’s member companies are optimistic in their growth predictions. Based on our annual research, almost 73% of our members expect their business to grow, while 58% plan new hiring in 2019. Over the past two years, our members have recorded higher than expected growth (by 10 pp on average for both business expansion and new jobs), which is certainly very encouraging.

Last year, among other things, you were focusing on reforming the tax system and boosting the efficiency of the Serbian Tax Administration. Have you noticed any changes in the last year or so?  Crucial priorities for AmCham members considering new investments include the predictability of tax regulations and their consistent implementation. The Tax Admin-

istration has significantly simplified the procedure for filing tax returns and invested considerable efforts in combating the informal economy. The business community supports further improvements to the Tax Administration, especially in its use of risk assessment and consistent application of regulations.

THE ABOLITION OF NONTARIFF BARRIERS IS A FOREIGN TRADE PRIORITY FOR THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND AN IMPORTANT PRECONDITION FOR THE GROWTH OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY At the end of last year, you estimated that the new Law on Charges for Use of Public Goods violated the principles of predictability of the business environment. Do you expect the Government to correct these solutions, considering that the businesses have been petitioning for years for the para-fiscal charges to be better regulated?  The Law on Charges for Use of Public Goods was initiated by the private sector in 2013 to abolish para-fiscal charges and make new fees more predictable and existing ones more transparent. The newly adopted Law has succeeded in inventorying all charges in one piece of legislation, improved assessment rules for a number of levies, and abolished some of the minor dues. But the Law does not clearly define how the environ-

mental protection fee is assessed and is not unambiguous in stipulating which companies are subject to this levy. However, the bylaw under preparation by the Government should shed more light on these issues.

Which reform-related topics are you going to focus this year on?  Year after year, pending institutional reforms, have been growing in significance for AmCham members. Promoting the rule of law and capacity of public administration to enforce regulations, enhancing the efficiency of the judiciary, and mainstreaming active public-private dialogue are fast becoming indispensable preconditions for any effective sectoral reforms. Other key priorities are predictability of the taxation system and greater efficiency of the Tax Administration, additional anti-corruption initiatives, and continued efforts to tackle the shadow economy.

Do you believe the Western Balkans is willing to reduce trade barriers?  Following the establishment of the National Coordination Body for Trade Facilitation, just over a year and a half ago, the authorities have developed Action Plans set to be implemented by the end of 2019. The abolition of non-tariff barriers is a foreign trade priority for the American Chamber of Commerce and an important precondition for the growth of economic activity.

How, in this context, do you view Kosovo imposing tax on Serbian goods? How many of your members have been affected by this measure?  A number of AmCham member companies are affected by those measures and we have called for them to be withdrawn urgently.

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ALMOST 73% OF AMCHAM MEMBERS EXPECT THEIR BUSINESS TO GROW, WHILE 58% PLAN NEW HIRING IN 2019 AMERICA 2019

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LEADING THE CHANGE VERA NIKOLIĆ DIMIĆ

Executive Director of AmCham Serbia

AmCham is always prepared to support our members’ needs and serve as a platform to help them achieve their business interests

t’s been 18 years since AmCham’s inception in Serbia. We are talking to Vera Nikolić Dimić, Executive Director of AmCham, about the Chamber's future plans, reform goals and their collaboration with the US Embassy in Serbia.

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You have recently presented a report about AmCham’s results from last year.

Which achievements would you like to single out?  2019th is the year of our “coming-of-age”, as we are now 18 years old! First, it was a group of enthusiasts that gathered around the idea of the creation of the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia and now we are ten times bigger and we represent more than 200 most successful American, international and domestic companies that are the healthiest and the most prosperous part of the Serbian economy. We are one of the most active AmChams out of the 44-member network of AmChams in Europe that provide our members with a high-level platform for networking and cover key issues facing the Serbian market and our members.

Looking back, one of the first public

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events that the newly appointed Finance Minister attended was our business breakfast, where we discussed issues relating to public finances, tax reform and an increase of tax regulations’ predictability. Also, we played host to Tax Administration Director, Dragana Marković and discussed topics like tax regulations, risk analyses, efficiency and combating shadow economy.

We held our sixth Lap Time Conference where we presented our annual survey, laying out AmCham’s key concerns in regard to improving the business environment.

Also, we presented the Global Illicit Trade Environment Index together with the Economist Intelligence Unit, as well as the Quarterly Monitor of University of Belgrade’s Faculty

WE BELIEVE THAT THE EQUALIZATION OF FOREIGN TRADE PROCEDURES IN THE REGION IS A GREAT EXPORT OPPORTUNITY FOR SERBIA

of Economics. We have organized numerous briefings, roundtables and seminars with relevant government ministries.

Which AmCham’s long-term initiatives do you consider the most important for achieving reform goals?  We are leading the change by echoing the voice of the Serbian economy. Our agenda and initiatives are defined two years in advance, based on the results of the AmCham member survey, and focus on issues that affect membership, such as combating shadow economy, improving healthcare system, environmental protection, improving tax, labor and business regulations, working on much more efficient procedures in the state administration, etc. Nevertheless, the rule of law, efficient public administration and judiciary and relentless fight against corruption are the main prerequisites for sustainable growth and development of the Serbian economy.

Together with 22 national AmChams, you participated in three-day Brussels Briefing meetings. What are your impressions and in which way should we change our eco-

nomic environment in order to stay competitive?  As part of the Transatlantic Week, AmCham EU hosted a three-day Brussels Briefing to facilitate exchange and discussion among national AmChams across Europe. This year’s Transatlantic Week was set against a backdrop of a rapidly changing global economy and new transatlantic challenges. The message from all speakers was one of optimism, reiterating that despite facing challenges, cooperation – not competition – is key to future growth. The free, fair and rules-based trade is a cornerstone of a competitive economic environment.

Which of the Chamber’s activities in 2019, geared towards your members, would you like to single out?  As a catalyst of inclusive economic change and committed promoter of good governance principles in Serbia, the American Chamber of Commerce is always prepared to support our members’ needs and serve as a platform to help them achieve their business interests. Through various activities, formats and events, we are always working on emphasizing their voice on needed policy improvements, helping them expand valuable contact network and facilitating their professional development. Our promise is to constantly create value for our members, and our work on fulfilling that promise made us the leading business community we are today.

With an aim of creating higher consistency in judicial practice, we will organize a series of topic-based roundtables with the judiciary representatives during that will tackle specific areas of judicial practice, such as bankruptcy, enforcement, labor regulations, illicit trade and IPR, real estate, etc. We will continue our work in bridging the gap between the formal education and

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Bridging the gap

ing the education system and cooperating with academia.

Which initiatives do you and the US Embassy in Serbia cooperate the most?  AmCham and the US Embassy have longterm cooperation and we have many joint initiatives based on our common values.

One example of our cooperation has very practical results that help business move the boundaries is related to trade facilitation and is realized together with the USAID REG Project. We believe that the equalization of foreign trade procedures in the region is a great export opportunity for Serbia, which needs to be built side by side with the simplification of import procedures. Our cooperation extends further to topics such as empowering women in the IT sector, cybersecurity and intellectual property rights.

THE RULE OF LAW, EFFICIENT PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND JUDICIARY AND RELENTLESS FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION ARE THE MAIN PREREQUISITES FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SERBIAN ECONOMY real market needs through our landmark program AmChamps that this year enrolled its sixth generation. Furthermore, this year we have awarded Dr Miodrag Stojkovic with the Leader in Change Award and we will continue fostering our commitment to improv-

One of your initiatives is called “Women in Tech Mentoring Program”. Could you elaborate, please?  This is one of the programs jointly created with the US Embassy. As a high-class interpersonal skills development & networking platform, Women in Tech Mentoring Program connected successful women from the business and startup community, willing to shatter glass ceilings all over the tech & digital industry. “Women in Tech” was designed to empower women to learn, act and connect. The program fostered mentorship, personal and career development workshops, inspirational speakers and networking opportunities. Program gathered a selected group of 24 exceptional women leaders from ICT industry – 12 women coming from AmCham member companies, taking up the role of mentors and up to 12 coming from the startup community, participating as mentees.

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WE WILL CONTINUE OUR WORK ON BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE FORMAL EDUCATION AND REAL MARKET NEEDS THROUGH OUR LANDMARK PROGRAM AMCHAMPS AMERICA 2019

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CORPORATE

Doing Business With

THE PURPOSE PREDRAG MILINČIĆ

Regional Market Director for Mars Balkan East

“The world we want tomorrow, starts with how we do business today”, is the driving force for Mars associates around the globe. We make sure the purpose is in everything we do. We have significantly changed our visual identity which now reflects more our focus on sustainable future and common wellbeing

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e are talking to Predrag Milinčić, Regional Market Director for Mars Balkan East, about the company's activities, business values, peculiarities of this market and further plans.

Mars has recently revealed its Mars Purpose.

What message does it relay?

— Mars Purpose reflects the values we have been advocating for over a century. We strive to constantly move the boundaries and set ourselves new challenges to transform the way we operate on a daily basis, because "the world we want tomorrow, starts with how we do business today", which is also the key message of our Purpose.

As such, Mars Purpose is a thread that connects all aspects of our business as a global, fast-growing company dedicated to having a positive impact on the people, environment

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and ecosystems in which we are present. We believe that since we are a big company, we can do more good things. Purpose without results is not possible, and results without a purpose are insignificant.

That's why, this year, we are even more determined to communicate Mars Purpose even louder to our associates, business partners, suppliers, and consumers.

We have significantly changed our visual identity which now reflects more our focus on sustainable future and our conviction that we cannot grow and progress if the planet, peo-

INOVATIVE THINKING

Innovation doesn't only imply new product, but also way of communication and doing business

ple and communities that we rely on are not growing together with us.

How do these changes fit the company's history and values set at the very beginning?

— From the very beginning, we have been a company that is led by principles. Mars Five Principles - quality, responsibility, reciprocity, efficiency and freedom – are deeply rooted in the company's history and culture. They unite and lead over 115,000 associates of different generations, languages and cultures around the world, and at the same time, strengthen relationships with consumers, business partners, and communities in which we are present.

It was based on these values that we have articulated our current Mars Purpose. We did not create it from the beginning, but owing to it, we now communicate what makes the foundation of our business in a much clearer manner.

In addition to the new visual identity, the company has also articulated its mission related to climate change and responsible procurement of resources. Can you tell us more about this?

— During its long tradition, Mars remained a family-owned business which gave us special freedom to plan our business long-term and to invest in innovative and sustainable practices. As a result of long-term research and monitoring of our environmental, social and economic impact, in 2017, we formulated the Sustainability in a Generation Plan, focusing on areas where we can make the most significant breakthroughs in addressing some of the world's biggest problems identified in the UN sustainable development goals. These are the healthy planet, thriving people and nourishing wellbeing.

Even before launching this plan, we made sure that our business was sustainable, and now we have defined the focus of our activities and the strategy. In the first year, we continued with the good practice that has yielded results so far, but we have also started transforming our supply chains, and building key partnerships with government, NGOs and the private sector.

We are aware that the changes are not immediate, but we take responsibility today to pave the way for changes that will allow us to create really good sustainable practices in the future.

Mars Purpose and the commitment to a sustainable future and mutual benefits are incorporated into the purpose of all your products. How much do you focus on the safety and quality of the ingredients you use in production?

— Mars, as the manufacturer of the globally renowned food brands for people and pets, was one of the first companies to have elevated marketing standards to a higher level in 2017 and developed consumer awareness about changing life habits for better. These standards include, inter alia, nutritional information, packaging, and promotion methods.

Today, all our products contain a nutritional label on the front of the packaging that clearly indicates the number of calories, the amount of sodium, sugar, protein, fat and saturated fat per serving.

By 2021, 95% of the company's portfolio, compared to the current 72%, will have met the WHO recommendations for the number of calories, added sugar, sodium and fats, which are included in Mars criteria for nutritional values of food.

In addition to being mindful of the quality of

FAMILY-OWNED

During its long tradition, Mars remained a family-owned business which gave us special freedom to plan our business long-term and to invest in innovative and sustainable practices ingredients that we procure from sustainable sources, we are trying to rely on renewable energy sources in production. For example, Mars purchases enough wind power to cover the production of the total quantity of M&M's, our number one brand in the world.

Are you satisfied with the market placing your products in a group of foods and confectionery products?

— Mars is one of the world's leaders in the segment of chocolate, chewing gums and pet food. According to the latest research, our brands Orbit and Airwaves occupy the No 1 spot in the category of chewing gums in Serbia, while the M&M's chocolates recorded an excellent growth of over 40% this year.

Does the confectionery market in Serbia change in line with the demands of the new generation of the Millennials?

— In recent years, international brands have been approaching consumers more strongly through product and promotional innovations.

We, in Mars, strive to satisfy the needs of our consumers, and we also like to surprise them with a limited series of specific products

or seasonal assortment. However, innovation for us does not only imply a new product, but also a way of communicating with consumers and the environment. Communication is adapting to new technological trends, which is important when it comes to the Millennials and new generations that spend a lot of their time online, on YouTube and Instagram platforms. Generally, today's consumers want to be informed, to know what is in the food they eat, but also they want to know about the company behind those products, and that's why transparency and openness have become important criteria for evaluating both the company and the brand.

What are the particularities of the regional market and how does Mars adapt to them?

— In addition to strong international brands, there are numerous renowned local producers with a long business tradition and a wide range of products in all subcategories (biscuits, chocolates, candies), operating in the region's markets. The important thing is that together we make a good market combination, there is enough room for everyone, and our roles are somewhat divided. International producers, which is what we are, are expected to lead in innovation and transfer global practices to local markets.

Mars was one of the first companies to introduce the category of bite-size chocolates through its M&M's brand. Traditional chocolate has been shaped into small bites, with the total weight being the same as whole bar of chocolate, thus making it ideal for sharing with others. This practice has been implemented in some local markets and we can see that local manufacturers have also started following this trend.

AMERICA 2019

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CORPORATE

From Tradition to New

TECHNOLOGIES ALEKSANDAR JAKOVLJEVIĆ

General Manager for Southeast Europe at PMI

Considering that the PMI decided to transform its Serbian branch office into a hub for its operations in Southeast Europe and for its factory in Serbia to produce cigarettes that are exported to 50 countries, it is quite clear that Serbia occupies a very high position in the global network of this multinational corporation

F

or years, the multinational company Philip Morris International (PMI) has been at the helm of changes in tobacco industry which can lead to a complete reversal in the perception of what it means to enjoy tobacco, as well as to all the benefits for those people who don't want to give up smoking. General Manager for Southeast Europe at PMI, Aleksandar Jakovljević speaks about the plans of this segment of the tobacco industry and the company's focus on export.

What are your expectations from the domestic cigarette market? What share does it have in your overall production in relation to your exports?

— Philip Morris is the leader in the domestic cigarette market. Although the leading position has been maintained since the time of Duvanska Industrija Niš (DIN), the thing that changed the most since Philip Morris acquired DIN fifteen years ago is the factory itself, its capacities and sales. We transformed a local factory that mainly produced cigarettes for the domestic market into a modern, efficient plant which is mainly export-oriented.

Thanks to this transformation, investments and expertise that PMI brought with it, today's export has increased 40 times compared to the period of 10 years ago, and 80% of the cigarettes manufactured in the Niš factory are exported.

What position does the Serbian branch and the Niš factory occupy in the Philip Morris system in terms of technology and market share?

— Considering that the Philip Morris Inter-

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national decided to transform its Serbian branch office into a hub for its operations in Southeast Europe and for its factory in Serbia to produce cigarettes that are exported to 50 countries, it is quite clear that Serbia occupies a very high position in the global network of this multinational corporation.

We are working hard on maintaining this position. On the one hand, we successfully manage six markets and different business models. On the other side, by rounding off our investment cycle worth $44 million in 2018, we proved that we are still actively investing in improving the factory's production performances, in order to continue to meet all the demands and deadlines that this big business and demanding consumers impose on us.

Many smokers welcomed the device, while fully understanding that this is not a well-designed fashion supplement that meets their needs since it contains real tobacco, but a product that is less harmful than cigarettes, does not generate tobacco smoke and does not cause passive smoking. However, as with any innovation, some consumers have embraced it immediately, while some are sceptical and require more time. Consequently, the consumption structure has not changed drastically, but it will certainly change, given that 6.6 million smokers worldwide have already switched to IQOS. This growth trend is continuing, primarily in the developed and influential markets, such as Japan, South Korea, Russia or Italy, from where it spills over to the rest of the world.

TRANSFORMATION

How fast is Philip Morris progressing technology-wise on a global scale and what does this mean for the number and structure of the workers you employ?

— From the initial traditional cigarette manufacturer, Philip Morris is slowly transitioning into a company based on technology, innovations and scientific achievements. In order to achieve a full transformation as soon as possible, we are working hard on bridging the gap between the traditionally slow corporate model, on one hand, and a quick, brave, and entrepreneurial way of thinking on the other.

Accordingly, there are no significant changes in the total number of employees, but we change their structure towards our employees possessing creative, specialized knowhow, while they are changing their mindset towards a "startup way".

We transformed a local factory that mainly produced cigarettes for the domestic market into a modern, efficient plant which is mainly export-oriented What does the structure of consumption of conventional and alternative tobacco products in the world look like today? Do smokers' habits change?

— The fact that the habits and expectations of consumers are changing is the reason why the company has developed IQOS, a device that heats up tobacco instead of burning it.

CORPORATE

BUSINESS GARDEN

The Most Modern Office Space in the

HEART OF BELGRADE

Business Garden has reached its final phase of construction and numerous companies are already getting ready to move their businesses to this new location

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usiness Garden, the first high-tech, class A office building in the very heart of Belgrade, will offer its tenants a number of benefits alike the most contemporary business complexes around the globe, alongside its prestigious location and good connections to all relevant institutions, courts, main roads and New Belgrade central business zone. Yet another successful venture by the Israeli companies AFI Europe and Shikun & Binui Group, constructed to the highest world standards, will provide a pleasant and comfortable working environment, high flexibility and functionality of office space that can be adapted to the business activities and needs of companies, and an underground employee parking with 220 parking spaces.

Business Garden has reached its final phase of construction and numerous companies are already getting ready to move their business-

es to this new location.

At the corner of Starine Novaka and Kneza Danila streets, an ideal location for all companies wishing to be right in the middle of all city happenings, Business Garden with its surface area of 16,000 sq m embodies the perfect working environment, boosting productivity, interaction and motivation of employees and allowing for the easy implementation of contemporary design and office space trends. Future

FLEXIBILITY

Future tenants will have the flexibility and possibility to adapt the workplace to the needs of their employees

tenants will have the flexibility and possibility to adapt the workplace to the needs of their employees. In addition, this new office building will be one of the few LEED certified buildings in Serbia vouching for its energy efficiency.

Business Garden is a part of the highly sought-after condominium Central Garden, enabling the employees to access a number of services and retail facilities at arm's length.

In cooperation with the nearby kindergarten, the employees will be able to make use of the children's pick-up service and the kindergarten's working hours tailored to their personal schedules.

The exclusive leasing representative for this modern office building in downtown Belgrade is the leading real estate consultancy in Serbia - CBS International, part of the Cushman & Wakefield Group.

CORPORATE

Highly Focused on

DEVELOPING INNOVATIONS

DRAGAN PENEZIĆ

Head of Legal and External Affairs BAT invested in the acquisition and modernization of the factory in Vranje. Since 2003 over two billion euros have been paid through taxes and excises to the budget of the Republic of Serbia and 300 million euros in the previous year alone, making BAT one of the largest taxpayers in Serbia. Today, British American Tobacco is the largest British investor in Serbia and one of the leading foreign investors in the country.

Along with good business results and advanced production processes, our company is highly focused on developing innovations that will have an undeniably positive impact, both for our consumers and for the complete environment. We created a new, innovative product - Glo - which heats, rather than burn tobacco, making it potentially less harmful than smoking. More than 2.5 billion dollars have been invested in the evolving of new products, aiming that by 2050 half of all smokers will use these or similar products.

British American Tobacco is one of the leading foreign investors in the country

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AT marked 15 years since the takeover of Tobacco industry Vranje last year. So far, through taxes and excises, the company has paid more than EUR 2 billion to the budget of the Republic of Serbia. Dragan Penezić, Head of Legal and External Affairs BAT, talks about further plans, gray economy and studies in America.

How satisfied are you with business in Serbia? What are your plans for our market?

— I am very pleased to say that our business operations on the Serbian market are expending each year. Over the last 15 years, BAT has directly invested more than 270 million euros, out of which more than 250 million has been

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What business results has BAT recorded in Serbia?

— We are truly satisfied with the achieved results we have In Serbia. Since the privatization of the factory, we have recorded a constant growth due to significant investments in new production plants and modernization of the

THE BEST

Vranje factory is considered to be one of the best within the BAT group work process with the help of new technologies. The annual production increased four times compared to the initial volumes, along with export-oriented production that amounts almost 30 percent, while BAT reached 30 percent of market share in Serbia.

Nowadays, our production plant in Vranje

became a production hub for CEFTA region which represents a positive impact not only on company’s results, but also on the foreign trade balance of the Republic of Serbia and its position in the region. We are very proud that our efforts have been recognized and that Vranje factory is considered to be one of the best within the BAT group.

You have hired new employees in Serbia who have become part of the global team for technologically innovative tobacco products of the new generation. You've planned a technological innovation of GLO, which heats tobacco without burning. Innovation is today the key to success, can you tell us what else BAT is doing in this field?

— We are very proud that our business results contribute to the development of the Serbian economy, local community, as well as the creation of new jobs. We currently engage more than 500 people and we will continue to expand that number in the future, mainly boosted by the development and innovation plans we are introducing, both globally and locally.

Serbia is among the first countries in the world where Glo has been launched, as well as the first country in Europe where capsulised sticks for heated tobacco with different aromas were presented. This is one more confirmation of the excellent results achieved so far in the market.

The company has also marked five consecutive years of operations without injury and professional illnesses, and the factory in Vranje has become the only company within the company's plant in its part of Europe with that result. What is the secret of such success?

— Care for our employees is among the basic principles of our company which is strategically committed to achieving and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment.

Moreover, corporate social responsibility has always been one of the core pillars of our company’s business operation in every country in which we operate and especially in Serbia.

Since our arrival on the Serbian market, we have invested more than one million euros in socially responsible projects.

Last year we donated valuable IT equipment to the Ministry of Education and City of Vranje. With great help and devotion of our employees and local partners in Vranje we completely renovated and equipped the city swimming pool which was out of function for many years. Besides that, we implemented a project of youth tobacco access prevention, supported by National Consumer Organization. Furthermore, we are devoted to dual ed-

ucation and helping young people in acquiring their first business experiences and jobs.

Tobacco industry is one of the most prevalent grey economies. On behalf of BAT, you are a President of the Anti-Illicit Trade Committee in Foreign Investors Council, and member of NALED and AmCham teams for fighting grey economy. As someone who has been dealing with the protection of competition and this problem for many years, what do you think can solve this problem?

— The grey economy has a negative impact on all economy actors. Companies that are struggling with unfair competition are not able to achieve targeted revenues, nor to invest into development, employment or researches in order to offer new and high-quality products to their consumers. At the same time, the grey economy has a great impact to the state budget, making it difficult for the

PROUD

We are very proud that our business results contribute to the development of the Serbian economy, local community, as well as the creation of new jobs

state to achieve its social and development plans and needs.

This problem cannot be eradicated by ad hoc measures or individual activities but must be approached systematically. This implies a strategy that will include coordinated work of government institutions, as well as cooperation with relevant business entities that have resources, knowledge and experience from other markets. Education of consumers is also very important, since raising awareness of the importance of suppressing the gray economy increases the "tax morale" and produces a positive effect.

You have several years of experience in the state administration, as Assistant Minister in the Ministry of International Economic Relations, then in the Ministry of Trade and Services as Assistant Minister in the Trade and Consumer Protection sector and later as Secretary General of the Commission for Protection of Competition. What are the issues or problems in cooperation between private and public sector?

— Mainly it is misunderstanding, different approach, as well as the difficulties to incorporate the undeniable advantages of the private sector into the work of public sector. In order to develop successful Public Private Partnership projects, it is necessary to have an open dialogue regarding regulatory framework, acceptance and distribution of a reasonable level of risk. But most importantly, exclusion of any political context and influence is condition number one.

I consider with certainty that, through PPP projects, state and local governments could significantly improve their capacities and satisfy the needs of citizens at a far higher level.

In the end, you are known to have studied in America. Can you tell us what you think we need to learn from Americans that we can use in Serbia?

— I had the fantastic opportunity and honor to specialize and improve my knowledge through

the prestigious IVLP Program in USA, funded by the Department of State. Spending time there, touring various states in this fantastic country and working with colleagues from different state entities and universities, had greatly influenced my professional development and further career. Among the biggest differences of our two countries, I would particularly emphasize a well-organized system in USA, transparency in all segments, as well as exceptional strength of state institutions. Debates are an integral part of any change, from regulatory to political framework, and this gives opportunity for everyone to express their opinion.

AMERICA 2019

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CORPORATE

Stable and Adequate

QUALITY FOR ALL MARINKO UKROPINA

SGS Managing Director for Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

The state, oil companies and consumers all have direct and significant benefits from fuel marking and quality control

S

GS is the world's leading company for control, verification, testing and certification. The programme of marking petroleum products in Serbia was introduced in February 2014, and the monitoring of fuel quality has been implemented since December 2015. We are talking to SGS Managing Director for Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, Marinko Ukropina about the effects the implementation of this programme in the Serbian market, and the impact it had on the industry, consumers and environmental protection.

It is estimated that, in the next 20 years, the demand for crude oil in the world will grow by 50%, which means that the danger of forgery and illegal trafficking will also grow. How much can fuel marking mitigate this problem?

— Fuel marking is an anti-corruption programme that produces the right effects if it applied to the very source of corruption, as it was done in Serbia. The fuel marking programme starts with the oil company registered for derivates trading (warehouse and refinery) and stops at the end of the control process (gas stations and end users). Therefore, in addition to being a good approach

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in fighting corruption, we also have a good allocation of responsibilities in the distribution chain, plus, the penalty system is very clear and entails huge fines, so, all in all, it is in everybody’s best interest to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

Marking is a process that ensures traceability in terms of quality, from the manufacturer to the consumer. It also enables checking up and verifying of the initial values of the marker concentration at any time.

UNIQUE MARKER

The fuel marking programme begins with adding a unique marker based on nanotechnology to various types of fuel The process brings the following benefits – the state budget getting more money on the account of paid fuel tax, the legal consumption of fuel grows, as does the production and import of fuel via legal channels, consumer

trust in legal origin of fuel is fortified, car engines are protected since premium fuels do not contain irregular additives, the emission of harmful gases is reduced and we are getting closer to fulfilling the requirements laid out in the EMAS regulation.

The programme of marking petroleum products in Serbia was introduced in February 2014 with the aim of suppressing illegal activities in the energy sector, as well as protecting end consumers. What are the results of using fuel labeling for the past five years?

— With this programme, the shadow economy in the oil derivatives sector has been reduced from 10% to below 1% in 2014. Parallel with that, in 2014., the sales of base oil, which is often illegally mixed with diesel, fell seven times compared to the same period in 2013.

This ensured the increase in the legal trade in oil derivatives and, and hence, the higher turnover generating by the oil company registered for derivates trading (oil companies).

Also, diesel sales went up by 18%, while there was a 14% increase in gas sales relative to 2013.

In 2018, of the 5,284 samples taken at retail facilities, only 0.12% of the samples had an unmarked marker concentration. We have also

noticed a constant growth of marked oil derivatives year-on-year, where, for example, in 2018, compared to 2017, there was a 5% increase, or 130 million litres of marked diesel and petrol more than in the previous year.

Can you elaborate on what exactly fuel marking in Serbia entails?

— The fuel marking programme begins with adding a unique marker based on nanotechnology to various types of fuel. Fuel samples are collected from petrol stations and are analyzed to identify the source of fuel, as well as to check if the appropriate marker concentration is present. The programme is managed by an integrated set of software applications designed to enable successful implementation and operation of the authentication programme. These modules enable the management of all parts of the programme - marking of fuel, taking samples, performing field and laboratory testing, and reporting on the results of the programme.

Given that SGS controls the quality of oil derivatives, can you tell us about the quality of fuel that is sold in Serbia? What does having a stable fuel quality mean for the fleet's longevity?

— The monitoring of fuel quality is a programme that is an integral part of the marking programme, and this programme has been implemented in Serbia since December 2015.

Here, we have expanded the fuel monitoring programme by adding more diesel and petrol parametres, which made it possible for us to have a broader insight into the quality of the fuel distributed in retail. Based on the number of samples tested and certain petrol and diesel parametres, we can say that the quality of fuel in Serbia is satisfactory and that it is in accordance with the relevant regulations and European norms. The results show that the percentage of tested parameters that do not meet the standard requirements fell from 3.84% in 2016 to 1.74% in 2018.

The monitoring programme has significantly contributed to raising awareness about how important fuel quality is, especially with vendors, so we have noticed that more and more petrol stations now sell fuel with additives, which is an upgrade of the basic quality fuel. Stable and adequate quality is the most important feature not only when it comes to fuel for cars, but the automotive industry as a whole and environmental protection.

dinars for small businesses and agricultural estates to 2 million dinars for legal entities.

Do you know how many fines were executed since the programme started and how many last year?

— Since we embarked on field controls with the representatives of RTI in August 2014, we have found over 300 samples with an unsatisfactory concentration of markers which were tested in a lab. In line with the relevant regulation, every single case or a negative sample found at a legal entity or with an individual has to be reported to relevant state authorities.

Those energy companies, i.e. legal entities that sold the fuel with the inadequate concentration of markers are entitled to do their own analysis of the arbitrarily taken sample in an independent national laboratory.

However, all the arbitrarily tested samples proved the results that we have obtained at the SGS laboratory.

The oil derivative marking and monitoring programme in Serbia also stems from the need to eliminate the shadow economy. How much does the state benefit from implement-

INVESTING

Investing in equipment, people and staff training are one of the keys and goals of any company's development. SGS does not lag behind in this regard, but it is at the helm

ing this marking process?

— The programme of marking petroleum products in Serbia was introduced in February 2014. The state, oil companies and consumers all have direct and significant benefits from fuel marking and quality control. As a result of large quantities of fuel now being sold legally, more money was paid into the Serbian state budget. In the first year of the programme, the state budget received over 139 million euro more from fuel excise than in 2013. The growth trend continued in the coming years. For example, in 2017 compared to 2018, the growth was 6.1%. According to the available data, the Serbian state budget received 800 million euro more from collecting the excise in the period from the launch of the marking programme until the end of 2018.

For the purposes of fuel quality monitoring, SGS has invested close to 2.4 million euro in its laboratory and expanded the scope of accreditation for new test methods. Are you planning on investing further in fuel quality monitoring in the upcoming period?

— Investing in equipment, people and staff training are one of the keys and goals of any company's development. SGS does not lag behind in this regard, but it is at the helm. We follow the proper requirements of quality standards and their changes. Part of the investment is always directed towards monitoring changes, and part of the investment is devoted to the development of new methods that would be interesting to customers. We follow global trends and demands and work to facilitate their fulfillment, because they are inevitable and will come to Serbia too.

The fines for selling trafficked fuel, i.e. the fuel that does not have an adequate concentration of markers, range from 500,000 AMERICA 2019

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CORPORATE

Leader in Distribution

AND LOGISTICS Innovations facilitate business, save time and reduce costs

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ontinous innovations, the quest for finding optimal solutions in tasks realization and intently listening to clients' needs is a simple but very important philosophy for every successful company. Nelt, one of our largest business systems which operate on two continents, has been maintaining the leading position in distribution and logistics for years, guid-

ed by these principles. The company is recognized by the way it operates, its professionalism and transparency, as well as by investing constant efforts into integrating good business practices from global companies with which it cooperates into its business processes.

Nelt Group Logistics Business Development Manager, Ivan Milićević and Nelt Group

Logistics Operational Excellence Manager, Vuk Mijanović talked with us about the way in which the company implemented its standards, its compliance with relevant regulation, implementation of the most successful business models and innovation which all ensure that Nelt is continuously growing while maintaining its leading position both in the domestic and regional market.

A LONG-STANDING PARTICIPANT IN THE SUPPLY CHAINS IVAN MILIĆEVIĆ

Nelt Group Logistics Business Development Manager

M

r. Milićević recently participated in the forum "Possibilities and Challenges of Trade between Serbia and Romania", hosted by the Logistics Association of Romania

and companies such as Continental Automotive Serbia, Zoppas Industries, and auditing company Deloitte, also attended. We tried to point out to our partners the comparative

You held a presentation on the topic "Can Belgrade become a new intermodal gate for overseas operations of companies from Western Romania?" What were your main messages for your colleagues in the region?

— The event, that took place in Timisoara, was an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas, and besides the representatives of state institutions and embassies from both countries, a number of business associations

GOAL

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Our goal is to higlight the evident decrease in the total travel time and traveled route, also the significant impact on reducing fuel consumption and harmful emissions

advantages of using Nelt's intermodal terminal, which is connected by rail with the port of Piraeus and the company’s existing solutions regarding the shipment of containers from the Far East to the region of Western Romania via the ports of Constanta, Rijeka and Koper. Our goal is to higlight the evident decrease in the total travel time and traveled route, also the significant impact on reducing fuel consumption and harmful emissions. What is very important to us is that representatives of companies and institutions have shown great interest in the presented solutions.

The conference titled "Transport and Logistics of South-East Europe and the Danube Region

- TIL 2019" was held in late March, with Nelt participating in the panel called "Safety Challenges in Supply Chain".

How important is the security system implemented in Nelt and how have you been investing in its development?

— Nelt, as a long-standing participant in the supply chains in the challenging markets such as the Western Balkans and sub-Saharan Africa and a partner to leading global brands, places a great emphasis on security. In line with global trends and business requirements, we work in accordance with the ISO28000, ISO 27001 and TAPA FSR and TAPA TSR standards.

Nelt has the status of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), which was introduced in response to the security challenges following the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City on 11th September 2001. How important is the AEO for Nelt and what are its benefits?

— In 2017, Nelt was assigned the highest level of this status - AEO F - which confirms that the company is in compliance with strict security requirements across its supply chain. Nelt being given the AEO F status is the result of the teamwork of several sectors in the company - logistics, external trade, security, finance, IT and HR. Thanks to this status, we can provide our clients with fast customs clearance services and, more importantly, we have extremely high security and safety standards. This certificate is important for Nelt, and at the same time, it is proof of the top quality services we provide.

Also, the certificate enables simplified and expedited customs procedures resulting in shorter transport times, cost savings and improvement in meeting customer requirements.

DIGITIZATION IN THE LOGISTICS SECTOR VUK MIJANOVIĆ

Nelt Group Logistics Operational Excellence Manager

I

n early April, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia hosted the Second Digital Summit of the Western Balkans, bringing together key decision makers in digitization, representatives of business communities, regional organizations and associations, academia and youth. The event was attended by more than 3,000 participants, 2,000 companies and 200 speakers from the country and abroad.

Nelt Group Logistics Operational Excellence Manager, Vuk Mijanović participated in the panel discussion „Digitization in the Logistics Sector“ and spoke about digitization facilitating business, reducing paperwork, and considerably saving time and overhead in logistics companies.

What is your view of digitization in logistics and what are its advantages?

— Vuk Mijanović: The decision to digitize the logistics processes is based on resource optimization, but the most important segment is reducing the complexity in the delivery of goods, i.e. simplifying the task of goods delivery, in order to motivate employees and boost their commitment. I have to underline that such an exchange of documentation with customers makes the whole chain more efficient and creates new opportunities.

Are there any obstacles in the implementation of digitization and, if so, what concrete steps and solutions did you apply to overcome them?

— Vuk Mijanović: There are challenges regarding the implementation of new solutions, mostly due to the fact that the relevant regulation is not harmonized enough to support these processes.

Fortunately, we have established excellent communication with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia and the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce, and have devised clear steps that should lead us to implementation. In accordance with its development strategy, Nelt has identified specific resources to establish an agile organization that can quickly adapt to changing market conditions. By this I mean the implementation and development of digital/new technologies.

RECOGNITION FOR CONTRIBUTION TO DEVELOPMENT OF THE ONE BELT, ONE ROAD PROJECT

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t this year's business conference "Transport and Logistics 2019", Nelt received the 2019 Brand Leader Award for outstanding cooperation and contribution to the development of the Chinese project "One Belt, One Road". The award is given by Dragon Maritime Group, a representative of one of the biggest logistics companies in China, COSCO, based on a set of standar-

dized criteria that include professionalism, innovation and a high degree of market recognition.

The COSCO Company, with which Nelt has been cooperating with since 2017, is one of the main contractors of the national project "One Belt, One Road", which is implemented by the Chinese government and involves establishing a strategically important connection between the port of Piraeus to various

destinations in the Balkans and the countries of Central Europe. Nelt's intermodal terminal in Belgrade has become a logistics hub of the Balkans thanks to its excellent location, technical and technological advantages.

The set of logistics services initiated by the activation of the intermodal terminal enables customers to reduce logistics costs, as well as faster, safer and better quality transport services.

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CORPORATE

802.11ax (or Wi-Fi 6)

THE FUTURE OF WI-FI IS HERE!

T

he demand for wireless access from users has shifted from a nice to have to a necessity. Due to this, network performance has become a business-critical requirement. Both workers and consumers have come to expect a reliable Wi-Fi connection – the absence of which can influence their decision to enter an establishment or to leave. In order to attract and retain customers and employees, companies need to offer reliable Wi-Fi and an amazing experience, or risk losing business. Additionally, due to the growing number of mobile and IoT devices, improvements to the efficiency of a wireless network have become a key factor of success.

A lot has changed in recent years. The growth and diversity of clients as well as the types of applications and traffic being generated meant wireless standards needed to evolve to keep pace. Latency sensitive voice and video traffic are sharing airspace with IoT devices that are sending small data packets – which will slow down a wireless network. To solve this problem, wireless networks need to provide a more efficient way to handle this growing and diverse amount of traffic as well as bandwidth needs.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Wi-Fi Alliance have

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worked together to identify areas of improvement to the current standard (802.11ac). The conclusion was to focus on performance under “typical” conditions to holistically raise the performance of the entire network. This is a departure from the previous model – where the focus was to look at advanced peak data rates under “perfect” conditions. A new standard called 802.11ax was published in early 2018

STANDARD

This latest standard will not only deliver higher speeds, but will enable new business services and use cases

and was recently renamed Wi-Fi 6 by the WiFi Alliance. One of its main focus is to enhance the efficiency of how access points handle devices simultaneously. It’s no longer about comparing Wi-Fi speeds; it’s more about the capacity of the network to provide the optimal throughput for all clients.

This latest standard addresses today’s biggest Wi-Fi challenges: performance and the increasing density of devices and diversity of applications. To handle these challenges, 802.11ax increases throughput capacity by up to four times that of 802.11ac and backwards compatibility ensures that existing 802.11a/b/g/ ac clients will be supported.

This latest standard will not only deliver higher speeds, but will enable new business services and use cases, including: IT/IoT convergence and smart building deployments, real-time application support for enterprise-grade video collaboration and augmented or virtual reality, secure Wi-Fi within the enterprise and open networks.

One of the first 802.11ax networks in the world has been heavily beta-tested and finally implemented in our close vicinity – in the neighbouring country of Croatia. Aruba Networks, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, is proud to have been a part of this project in hotel Jure, which is part of Amadria Park hotel complex.

First integrations of Wi-Fi 6 standard with mobile phones are expected to happen in the fall of 2019, but with Aruba you can use the advantages of Wi-Fi 6 standard already today!

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BUS I N E S S & F I N A N C E

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A HUB OF CUT-THROAT CAPITALISM Wall Street has such a significant impact on the economy as it is the trading hub of the largest financial markets in the world's richest nation

he most important financial center in the world? A fabled place of silver spoons and golden parachutes? A hub of cut-throat capitalism? Or all of the above.

Wall Street is many things to many people, and the perception of what it really is depends on who you ask. Although people’s views of Wall Street may differ widely, what is beyond dispute is its enduring impact not just on the American economy, but on the global one.

Wall Street physically takes up only a few blocks that amount to less than a mile in the borough of Manhattan in New York City; however, its clout extends worldwide. The term “Wall Street” was initially used to refer to the select group of large independent brokerage firms that dominated the U.S. investment industry. But with the lines between investment banks and commercial banks having been blurred since 2008, Wall Street in current financial parlance is the collective term for the numerous parties involved in the U.S. investment and financial industry.

This includes the biggest investment banks, commercial banks, hedge funds, mutual funds, asset management firms, insurance companies, broker-dealers, currency and commodity traders, financial institutions

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and so on.

Although many of these entities may have their headquarters in other cities such as Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco, the media still refers to the U.S. investment and financial industry as Wall Street or simply “The Street.” Interestingly, the popularity of the term “Wall Street” as a proxy for the U.S. investment industry has led to similar “Streets” in certain cities where the investment industry is clustered being used to refer to that nation’s financial sector, such as Bay Street in Canada and Dalal Street in India.

Wall Street has such a significant impact on the economy because it is the trading hub of the biggest financial markets in

STREET FIRMS TOGETHER CONTROL TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FINANCIAL ASSETS, WHILE NEW YORK IS THE SECOND LARGEST TRADING CENTER IN THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET

the world’s richest nation. Wall Street is home to the venerable New York Stock Exchange (now called NYSE Euronext), which is the undisputed leader worldwide in terms of average daily share trading volume and total market capitalization of its listed companies. Nasdaq OMX, the second-largest exchange globally, also has its headquarters on Wall Street. Street firms together control trillions of dollars in financial assets, while New York is the second-largest trading center in the foreign exchange market, where daily trading volumes exceed $5 trillion.

The stock market and the economy have a symbiotic relationship, and during good times, one drives the other in a positive feedback loop. But during uncertain times, the interdependence of the stock market and the broad economy can have a severely negative effect. A substantial downturn in the stock market is regarded as a harbinger of a recession, but this is by no means an infallible indicator. For example, the Wall Street crash of 1929 led to the Great Depression of the 1930s, but the crash of 1987 did not trigger a recession. This inconsistency led Nobel laureate Paul Samuelson to famously remark that the stock market had predicted nine of the last four recessions.

CORPORATE

Over Two Billion Cans from

SERBIA EACH YEAR

BRANISLAV SAVIĆ

NIKOLA NARANČIĆ

Plant Manager in Belgrade

Investment in beverage can production is invest in packaging with the highest recycling rate

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Sales Director South East Europe

T

he global leader in alu-packaging production, the Ball Corporation, has been operating successfully in Serbia for fourteen years now. This year will be marked by business expansion, launch of the third production line, new jobs, winning of new beverage categories and setup of Ball's central graphics centre for Europe in Belgrade.

“In previous years, we’ve turned from a significant Greenfield investment into the most sophisticated plant with three production lines.

Today, we have more than 200 employees in our country and export cans we produce to more than 20 countries. We’ve accomplished all that thanks to our operations in line with the values that the Ball brothers defined when setting up the company nearly 140 years ago, and those are integrity, being close to the customers, commitment to details and innovation, as well as development of a sentiment among all employees that the company they work for is theirs as well.”

Branislav Savić, Plant Manager in Belgrade, notes that he is proud of his team in Serbia, who is ready for the challenge of launching the third production line and all the advantages of Ball’s future European central graphics department in Belgrade.

PRIORITY

The company’s priority is to be close with its customers everywhere where it operates “The new line will significantly expand our capacities in Serbia and enable the production of more than two billion cans per annually. This investment has resulted in creating 40 new jobs in the Belgrade-based factory, one of the largest exporters in the country,

with 70 percent of its output marketed in more than 20 countries.

In addition, Ball is developing its European graphics centre in Belgrade, which we expect to bring higher efficiency, maximum quality and innovation, as well as easier achievement of our partners’ business objectives and their cans that consumers will perceive as little artworks. In all that, we’ll follow the mission of being the most sustainable company possible.

Therefore, we see any improvement, including graphics, as an opportunity to distinguish beverage alu-packaging as our greatest environmental ally. We’ve already proven that we have high-quality employees in Belgrade, who are able to respond to the needs of foreign markets. Let me remind you that the Global Business Services office located here provides support to all our operations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Currently, our team consists of more than 100 experts in the areas of business development, control, finance, human resources management and internal audit.”

The Ball Corporation has earned and maintained its leadership position primarily owing to its constant efforts to be a role model in its industry and a pioneer in innovation. The company’s priority is to be close with its customers everywhere where it operates. Sales Director South East Europe Nikola Narančić confirms that the company has big plans in the market that he is in charge of.

“Today, the SEE market is one of the most dynamic markets where Ball operates. It in-

cludes Serbia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro... We are proud to say that we are the leader in this part of the planet as well, owing to partner relations we’ve established with our customers. Each customer is equally important for Ball and there is no compromise in regard to quality. Both small producers and large multinationals have been our loyal partners for

GRAPHICS CENTRE

Ball is developing its graphics European centre in Belgrade, which we expect to bring higher efficiency, maximum quality and innovation years, because they know that we strive to perfection, pay attention to details, insist on innovativeness in everything we do. Together, we’ve successfully positioned a can in the SEE market. We’re planning to take a step further and, together with our customers, we are already working on developing new categories of beverages packed in cans, such as craft beer, water, coffee, non-carbonated drinks, ice teas, and that will be in our focus in the upcoming period as well.”

Ball is proud of being the best ambassador

of care for environmental protection, together with its employees. Narančić underlines that it is equally important for the company to be the business leader and the sustainability leader.

“Across the world, a can is an increasingly popular type of beverage packaging. It is the best answer to growing concerns about a negative impact of plastic packaging. A can is the most sustainable type of packaging because aluminium can be recycled over and over again, with no effect on quality and regardless of colour or design. In Europe, as much as 74 percent of all produced cans are recycled. A trend of reducing an environmental footprint and the upcoming ban of single use plastic in the European Union have distinguished a can as one of the best solutions. We will increase the production of this beverage packaging in Serbia and continue with strong campaigns promoting recycling as a lifestyle and educating the general public in that area. So far, we have had an excellent feedback of the population in Serbia via the Recan Foundation’s campaigns. This year, the Recan Foundation is expanding its activities to the market where we operate – SEE. Primarily through entertaining and educational programs at music festivals, it will strengthen its position in the region and increase the number of can fans.”

For Ball, care for the planet is as important as achievement of business objectives. That is why it will continue to work with the same enthusiasm on improving business operations and the environment where we live and work in Serbia in 2019 as well.

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CORPORATE

The Market in Serbia

IS GROWING ALEKSANDAR HANGIMANA

Managing Director ManpowerGroup Balkans

It is an interesting trend that where we can observe investors expectation shifting from low and intensive labour towards more qualified, available working population

A

leksandar Hangimana started his career at ManpowerGroup Serbia in 2012. as a part of the Sales team. Shortly thereafter he was recognized as a leader of the company, which still leads with great success at the position of Managing Director. The company ManpowerGroup share their knowledge, expertise and resources, in order that everyone understands what is important now and what are the next activities in the labor market. Vision, that Aleksandar share is that the company need to become a leader in creating and providing innovative HR solutions and services. In December 2016, at the Serbian Association of Managers Annual Awards event, Aleksandar received The Young Manager of the Year award. His business is based on values that promote people, knowledge and innovation.

The company's success he attributes to its employees considering that every business success is conditioned by the quality of the people who work there. Business policy that Aleksandar follows is that each contribution employees, clients and candidates, need to be encouraged and rewarded. ManpowerGroup today, with 90 internal employees and 3000 employees that are sent to work at the client, is one of the fastest growing companies in its industry in Serbia.

Which candidate profile is there the most demand for? Which are the hardest to find?

— We need to be aware that high demanding professions in Serbia are not as deficit as they are in EU countries. However, the market in Serbia is growing with foreign investments, mainly in automotive production industry thus

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different engineering profiles are in high demand. The market is furthermore being recognized as interesting for investments in R&D centers, so the demand for R&D engineers is rising. High demand for software developers is still ongoing and growing, and there need to be more ways of educating high quality experts.

What can companies do in order to attract and keep quality human resources?

— The entire process surrounding employment and employees' satisfaction needs to be led by highest quality experts as it all influences motivation, employer brand and other factors that effect attracting and keeping

WORKFORCE

Serbia unlike other countries in the region of SEE can still offer a great pool of available workforce talents. I mean firstly start by high quality recruitment process, followed by regular communication and transparency in the process, strong onboarding, and then continue listening to your employees. It’s not all about material benefits, employees want appreciation, recognition and to be heard. Along with this you need to keep being competitive and follow the market movements on the talent you want to engage and keep.

What are your projections for future trends in the labor market?

— Certainly, with the current Serbian industrial growth we can expect further decrease of the national unemployment rate going within next three year below 10%. The Internal demands and growth have been the strongest drivers of the labour market. Beside internal factors we can see two other, mainly external, factors which will be primarily shaping the future landscape of the labor market. Firstly, we kept receiving more and more FDI especially in an automotive-production sector. Unlike previous years where in the most of cases we had usually labour-intensive and low-paid production jobs, whereas, nowadays we see that new investors are not so concerned about labour cost but population – availability and quality of the local workforce. Therefore, they are eager to pay more than local market levels are, just to secure stabile intake of the local workforce. It is an interesting trend that where we can observe investors expectation shifting from low and intensive labour towards more qualified, available working population. Second driver is even more external. Serbia unlike other countries in the region of SEE can still offer a great pool of available workforce that is needed for markets in foreign countries predominantly in central and western Europe in countries such as: Germany, Austria, Czech and others. This potential has been spotted by the companies and agencies abroad which have started recruiting significant number of the population for these foreign markets. Even though it may seems minor but such job-immigration driven from outside will have an impact on the labour market. Similar experience has been noticed in the neighboring countries where big part of population found jobs in EU.

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INTERVIEW

New Investments Create Challenges for

LEGAL PROFESSION TOO Dr NEBOJŠA STANKOVIĆ

Attorney at Law – Stanković & Partners Law Office, Niš, Serbia

American investments are of strategic importance to the Serbian economy not only because of their size and structure but also because they bring the latest technologies and encourage the implementation of innovations

A

fter making first tentative steps in what was then futuristic IT industry in the last decade of the 20th century, the millennial bug sent our interlocutor, Dr Nebojša Stanković, on a path to becoming an attorney. As a legal representative of companies that are a result of US investments, a member of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Serbia, and a partner in a law firm with the headquarters in Niš, Dr Stanković talks for Focus In from the standpoint of his long-standing practice gained from living in the 'hailstorm'

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that is the Balkan reality and in the surroundings that are far removed from the privileges of big cities and power centres.

CONFIDENCE

Legal uncertainty undoubtedly affects the confidence of investors who need to make decisions about starting and developing business

How important are US investments for Serbia?

— Relevant numbers show that, during more than one hundred years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, the United States of America has become and remained one of the leading business partners of Serbia. Still, as a witness of economic goings-on at a micro-level, I think that the importance of US investments is even greater. American investments are of strategic importance to the Serbian economy not only because of their size and structure but also because they bring the latest tech-

nologies and encourage the implementation of innovations. Their presence ensures the implementation of the latest operational and managerial know-how and experiences while, at the same time, they validate local human resources, that is, the knowledge and skills of our people. The investment climate in our country is greatly influenced by the American companies here and their practical experiences and results because all of this, individually and together, significantly influences the decision of investors from all over the world to invest in Serbia.

As an attorney, your task is to represent your clients in front of institutions and participates in settlement of disputes, while protecting their interests. Are there some legal categories that are of special importance for the legal framework that regulates investors in Serbia?

— It is especially important for every investor that the principles of legal certainty and equality of parties in the legal process are strictly adhered to. The principle of legal certainty, among other things, implies that the rules are known in advance, as are the consequences for those who (do not) act upon them. Different and subsequent interpretations of legal regulations may adversely affect the predictability of the business environment. Legal uncertainty undoubtedly affects the confidence of investors who need to make decisions about starting and developing business.

Significant misapprehensions about daily work and business can result in various interpretations of regulation, especially in the field of labour relations and fiscal regulations. The principle of equality of parties guarantees equal treatment in court proceedings irrespective of whether the party is a natural person (a citizen of Serbia), or a multinational company (an investor). Unfortunately, in court practice, the myth of David and Goliath is sometimes reversed. It is difficult to explain some court behaviours to foreign clients like, for instance, determining and collecting court fees, or implementation of regulation regarding orderliness of client representation, in a procedural sense, or courts not accepting documents drafted by our state authorities as evidence, in a material sense.

Crypto-currencies are a global phenomenon.

How are they regulated?

— Legal treatment of crypto-currencies is very diverse. It ranges from no legal norms being applied to them and attempting to regulate the relations stemming from cryp-

to-currencies with traditional legal solutions to creating brand new legal categories. As the synonym for the digital world, the United States is a pioneer in the crypto legislature, because the federal states have very diverse legal solutions. Unlike in the US, where, in order to deal in crypto-currency, you need to obtain a license from competent institutions, this area is not regulated in Serbia.

The National Bank of Serbia, as a central bank and financial market controller, does not issue any licenses for dealing with crypto-currency. We can say that, when it comes to crypto-currency, both legal systems have some similarities like crypto-payments are not considered legal means of payment, and that those who deal with this type of busi-

ANSWERS

Attorneys will have to provide their clients with practical answers to the questions that are derived from working and doing business in the new environment

ness have to adhere to stringent working and business conditions. The current situation is understandable given the fact that legal systems are obligated to combat the threats associated with terrorist financing and prevent money laundering.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly winning over individual segments of our lives. If we were to adhere to any form of legal subjectivism, would the legal basis of artificial intelligence and guaranteed and universally accepted human rights be in jeopardy?

— It is certain that the further inclusion of artificial intelligence in our daily lives will change the established system that guarantees human rights. As individuals in the digital world, all of us, through our personal and work life, have become increasingly dependent on everything that helps us or that we believe it helps us. And we call this artificial intelligence, which is not exactly a precise definition of it.

Existing relationships can perhaps be described through the principles of the so-called happy slave theory. In order to use their freedoms and rights in the digital world faster, it seems that they are willing to voluntarily renounce all personal, universal rights which

they have been fighting for in their lives, and transfer them to other subjects. If we look at the algorithm as the basic cell of artificial intelligence, it would be more important to provide answers to more complex questions before we deal with the issues of possible legal subjectivity of artificial intelligence. These questions include – “Is the creative or evolutionist principle applied to the development of algorithms?” or “Are the algorithms always going to be under the absolute control of the human mind?”

What are your tasks as a long-standing participant in the implementation of the influential World Justice Project (WJP)?

— The task is identical to that of all other selected legal experts from all over the world, namely compiling the periodic rule of law index for each individual country of over a hundred countries that are subject to the evaluation. Countries are assessed by a number of previously assigned categories, such as the implementation of basic human rights, the level of corruption and its impact on social relations, perceptions of accessibility to rights, the manner of functioning of civil and criminal proceedings, etc. The WJP provides the opportunity for governmental and non-governmental organizations to connect with each other and establish multi-sectoral cooperation based on the common theme - "Achieving Justice for All". It is an honour to be part of this big global chain aimed at increasing access to justice for everyone.

What is the impact of new investments on the legal profession?

— New investments create new challenges for the legal profession too. Legislators will have to draft laws that will regulate relations stemming from new categories such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Robotics, blockchain technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity and others.

The future legacy of the legal profession is that it will have to provide their clients with practical answers to the questions that are derived from working and doing business in the new environment.

What is the future for further investments in Serbia?

— When observed independently, or as part of a larger regional market, the Serbian market has great potential for investments. Serbia is on track to establish a predictable normative framework that will ensure quality and fair market competition that makes the long-term perspective for investments a positive one.

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CORPORATE

New Hotel in Belgrade

IN EARLY 2020 ŽIVORAD VASIĆ

Vice President of Delta Holding

Our goal is to have four hotels in Belgrade that will satisfy all the tastes of the guests in our capital city

„W

e are pleased with the results achieved by our hotel business last year which was extremely dynamic for Delta Holding. Our hotel business is a very significant and profitable segment for us, and we want to further expand it in that direction. In the upcoming period, we are planning to open hotels in Belgrade and Ljubljana, as well as reach an agreement with the Belgrade authorities regarding the concession for the Sava Centre,“ says Vice President of Delta Holding, Živorad Vasić in an interview for InFocus America.

Delta Holding has expressed its interest in the Save Centre. What is happening with that and how much money do you need for investments?

— The story with the Sava Centre has been going on for a very long time and the talks with the Belgrade authorities regarding this issue

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EXPAND

Our hotel business is a very significant and profitable segment for us, and we want to further expand it in that direction have been continued. The city's decision is not to invest in a public-private partnership, but to opt for concession. Such development suits us for two reasons. The first is that we have already seen the implementation of various concessions, such as Belgrade Airport and garages in Belgrade. The second reason is that concession is not a partnership deal, but rather Delta Holding would manage the Sava Centre independently for a number of years.

And we have a clear picture of how to man-

age this congress centre independently, with clearly defined obligations. I think that the city government is also willing to go for this option.

On the other hand, the required investments in the Sava Centre amount to about EUR 25 million, but we believe that they should be somewhat higher. We have devised a business plan which stipulates the amount of EUR 35 million. With this amount, the Sava Centre can be improved to fully fit its purpose, whereby it would remain the same on the outside and would be completely renovated inside.

You opened a hotel in Ljubljana and announced the opening of yet another one. You also currently have two hotels in Belgrade. Are you satisfied with the achieved business results? — First and foremost, I would like to announce the opening of the Indigo Hotel in January 2020 in Knez Mihailova Street. The works on the hotel are in their final stage and we are very happy that we will have another hotel in Belgrade. If you compare the markets of Belgrade and Ljubljana, the number of overnight stays is higher in Ljubljana, but on the other hand, the hotel business in Belgrade is improving. An increasing number of tourists is coming to the city, while the number of overnight stays is also growing. However, what Belgrade needs are more events.

Regardless, we have generated a higher profit again, with the average occupancy of our hotels being 79%, which is an extremely high percentage.

We are continuing with the development of our hotel business. We bought another land plot in Ljubljana, and as for the hotel in Novi Beograd, we have made substantial progress in obtaining location and building permits.

As of January 2020, we will have three dif-

PLANS

As of January 2020, we will have three different brands and hotels under the umbrella of the InterContinental Group - Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Indigo ferent brands and hotels under the umbrella of the InterContinental Group - Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Indigo. We hope that next year we will begin to build the fourth hotel InterContinental Belgrade - which would be the crowning achievement of our hotel business. With these four hotels, we will round off this segment of our business and cover the ac-

commodation needs of the guests who come to Belgrade. As for Ljubljana, we are planning to build a Holiday Inn Hotel there.

I would also like to underline that our hotel business is very important and very profitable for us and that we want to expand it in that direction.

You sold the Park Hotel in Belgrade in January this year. Can you elaborate on this decision? — The Park Hotel did not fit into our business concept. There was no possibility to convert it to resemble the brands of the InterContinental Group, as its rooms are very small and do not meet the relevant standards. The decision to sell the hotel was a strategic one which was carried out as soon as we got the asking price for it.

In several interviews, you talked about the lack of workforce in the hotel industry. What is the solution to this problem? — The lack of workforce is a problem that is noticeable in entire Europe. It's hard to find good managers, chefs, waiters and maids.

This problem is even more pronounced in the European Union. We are one of the very few companies in Serbia, perhaps the only one, that provides its employees with an opportunity to grow and change positions, without leaving their hometown.

We like to hire people who have no work experience and have just graduated from school because we can teach them about standards from the very beginning. On the other hand, our company has a clear goal and strategy that entails taking care of our employees through different activities. I think that Serbia is ready to pay more for lower job positions and that wages in the hotel industry will go up soon.

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E CON OMY

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THE GOLDILOCKS PRINCIPLE

The US economy still has healthy indicators, with the most critical indicator being the gross domestic product, which measures the nation's production output. Also, there is no pronounced inflation or deflation oday's US economy is characterized by the Goldilocks principle.

The Goldilocks principle is analogical to the fairytale The Three Bears, in which a little girl named Goldilocks tastes three different bowls of porridge and finds that she prefers porridge that is neither too hot nor too cold but has just the right temperature. Since the fairytale is wellknown across cultures, the concept of "just the right amount" is easily understood and applied to a wide range of disciplines. The Goldilocks economy sustains moderate economic growth and low inflation, which

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allows a market-friendly monetary policy.

The U.S. GDP growth will slow to 2.1% in 2019 from 3% in 2018. It will stand at 1.9% in 2020, and 1.8% in 2021. That's according to the

THE WHITE HOUSE EXPECTS THE ROUGHLY 3% GROWTH TO CONTINUE IN 2019 AND IN THE NEAR FUTURE

most recent forecast released at the Federal Open Market Committee. The White House expects the roughly 3% growth to continue in 2019 and in the near future. Very few independent economists agree. With the effects of the tax cuts and spending increases fading, the Federal Reserve expects growth to slow down to 2.3% in 2019, and many economists are even more pessimistic.

The US economy still has healthy indicators, with the most critical indicator being the gross domestic product, which measures the nation's production output. Also, there is no pronounced inflation or deflation.

The US economy seems to have dodged a bullet in late 2018, but the coast is not clear.

Some analysts are worried that slowing economies elsewhere in the world, especially in China and Europe, will drag down the American economic growth. They are taking the GDP data with a grain of salt since they reflect December retail-sales drop that contradicted strong reports from major companies, while weakness in proxy for business-equipment spending may have wrong-footed economists.

The US economy depends on trade with the aforementioned countries. The rising trade tensions between the United States and some of its trading partners have damaged sales of several major US companies, including Apple and Caterpillar. New orders for many factories have slowed down at the end of last year. But with unemployment near a 50-year low, consumer spending is still strong, and business investments are even stronger, rising by 6.2%, which, in turn, bolstered the overall growth. The solid growth in the fourth quarter resulted in the economy recording a 2.9% growth for the full year. That's the best year growth-wise since 2015. Low unemployment is good for consumers but businesses have had trouble finding workers they need, which can slow the growth pace.

The Chinese and European economies could slow down even further, dragging down the US growth, especially considering the uncertainty regarding what will happen when the UK leaves the European Union later this year.

The US manufacturing sector is forecast to increase faster than the general economy.

The MAPI Foundation says that increased capital growth and higher exports will boost manufacturing, as it also predicts that production will grow 3.9% in 2019. It will slow slightly to 2.4% in 2020 and 1.9% in 2021.

To many economists, it seems as though

mittee’s statement to say that they would be “patient” in making policy and removed a clause indicating that the Fed was likely to continue raising rates.

Secondly, talks with China appear to be nearing a conclusion that will not alter the status quo too much. The prospects of further tariff increases seem to be receding, as both Chinese and US negotiators seem relatively optimistic. The most likely outcome is a set of relatively small, cosmetic changes to the US-China trade regime.

That’s good news for short-term economic growth. This means that two of the three significant risks for a slowing economy in 2020 have at least moderated. Unfortunately, one risk has not - the fiscal risk. While the recent government shutdown is now history, the president's FY 2020 budget, like all recent presidential budgets, will probably be declared dead on arrival.

And then, of course, there is the debt ceiling. Officially, the temporary lifting of the ceiling goes away in March. The US Treasury accountants will rely on “extraordinary measures” to allow full funding of government operations. By August, or perhaps September, providing that the government once again raises the ceiling, “extraordinary measures” will disappear, and the Treasury will need to begin defaulting on some payments.

SOME ANALYSTS ARE WORRIED THAT SLOWING ECONOMIES ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY IN CHINA AND EUROPE, WILL DRAG DOWN THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC GROWTH US policymakers have designed economic policy to deliver weakness in 2020. But recent events may have blunted two of the three main policy initiatives that created this weakness.

Firstly, in just a few months, the Federal Reserve re-focused and changed their likely near-term policy path. The September Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) projections showed that Fed officials were assuming that the long-run Fed funds rate would be at least 3.0%. That rate was reduced to 2.8% in the December meeting.1 At the January 31–February 1 meeting, the Open Market Committee did not raise rates, as expected. But members did change the com-

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Predicts

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THE MAPI FOUNDATION SAYS THAT INCREASED CAPITAL GROWTH AND HIGHER EXPORTS WILL BOOST MANUFACTURING, AS IT ALSO PREDICTS THAT PRODUCTION WILL GROW 3.9% IN 2019 AMERICA 2019

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CORPORATE

Building the Future, Nurturing

THE TRADITION Thanks to the donation from the US Embassy in Belgrade, the construction company Jadran from Belgrade was commissioned to restore the front of one of the most beautiful buildings in Belgrade – the Svetozar Marković University Library

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he long-awaited restoration of the building that houses the Svetozar Marković University Library, which was completed last year, is a result of two months of work carried out by the Jadran Company, thanks to the US Embassy's donation in the amount of $106,000.

The reconstruction of one of the most important, but also one of the oldest city buildings, that dates back to 1926, is just one of the 15,000 projects implemented by Jadran in the last 70 years. The Small Staircase (Malo Stepenište), the Mehmed Paša Sokolović's fountain, the Damad Ali-Paša Turbe on Kalemegdan Fortress, the old headquarters of the Serbian Army, and the state-protected buildings in Kosančićev Venac are just some of the symbols of our capital city that had their old glory

restored by Jadran.

Under the slogan „Building the future, nurturing the tradition“, Jadran continues to develop and work on important projects. One of the most important projects for the company is definitely the construction of the Nikola Tesla Elementary School in Leštane. „This project is valued at 545 million dinars.

Mehmed Paša Sokolović's fountain

The Small Staircase

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IN NUMBERS

The building that houses the Svetozar Marković University Library was officially opened on 24th May, 1926

The new school building will be one of the most modern in the city, and will be able take 720 pupils. It will also have all the required facilities such as a gym, volleyball and handball courts, swings, a space for rest and relaxation, etc. At the same time, we are starting work on the complete reconstruction of the Health Centre in Mladenovac and we are working on the revitalization of the Mali Zvornik hydropower plant. We currently have more than 30 active construction sites throughout the country,“ says Nikola Malbaša, CEO of Jadran.

In addition to reconstruction, restoration and other finishing works in construction, Jadran is a market leader in maintenance of infrastructure facilities and corrosion protection. „In this sector alone, we have close to 100 employees out of a total of 400 people that work in our company. We are trained in sanding and corrosion protection of various facilities, bridges, passageways, power lines, railway pillars, etc. Also, we have set up a department for electrical installation works, and we are also working on repairing all types of damage to concrete structures. Jadran is one of those rare companies in Serbia that can boast providing complete services in the construction industry. That's why a number of state institutions, ministries, public and private companies have entrusted us with projects in the last seven decades,“ Mr Malbaša concludes.

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COOPERATION

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IT ALL BEGAN WITH A PRUNE The first Serbian food product that crossed the Atlantic was prunes

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ast year marked the centenary of Serbian flag flew atop the White House. Our relationship with the United States began with prunes which marked the beginning of the political and economic relations between Serbia and the United States. Serbia initiated it in support of its first trade agreement with the Americans, who wanted to import prunes.

In 1879, Serbian King Milan issued an order to establish a Honorary Consulate of Serbia in New York. The trade and navigation agreement concluded between the Principality of Serbia and the United States was signed in October 1881, and adopted a year later. At that time, the United States also appointed its first diplomatic representative in Belgrade.

The data show that since then, until the World War I, the export of prunes to America amounted to about a million dollars annually. The war started, and in 1917, America decided to send a million dollars in monthly

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aid to Serbia. During the war, the Serbian delegation sought American support for the Thessaloniki Front and the unification of the South Slavs, and it was also present in the Congress when the then President of the USA, Woodrow Wilson, read his famous 14 points on the postwar world order. Item 11 directly mentions Serbia, asking the occupiers to leave its territory, and to recognize Serbia's access to the sea.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THEN Today, the US is one of the largest donors in Serbia. American companies in Serbia employ nearly 20,000 workers, their investments amounted to over 3 billion dollars, and more than 1 billion dollars has been spent on the development aid programmes.

Various associations and chambers have been established with the view of promoting friendly and economic relations between the two countries.

Some of the leading US investors in Serbia

include KKR, Ball Packaging, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Cooper Tire and Van Drunen Farms.

Many other leading U.S. firms, from various industrial and service sectors, have a significant presence in Serbia. There has been a strong interest from U.S. ICT companies in Serbia with specific emphasis on opportunities in e-government, cloud computing, digitization, systems integration and IT security.

U.S. companies often bring with them new technology, high labour and environmental standards, and good corporate practices. Many of them are investing in expansion of production facilities, like Ball Packaging, whiloe others are significantly increasing the number of their employees in Serbia, like NCR. With the help of our Foreign Commercial Service, the U.S. commercial interest in Serbia continues to grow. U.S. investments in Serbia are boosting the economy and creat-

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THE U.S. EMBASSY BELGRADE IS ACTIVE IN PROMOTING OTHER SECTOR-SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES IN SERBIA SUCH AS FILM PRODUCTION AND FRANCHISING ing new jobs, plus they are bolstering the bilateral trade, and creating new opportunities for both U.S. exporters and local businesses.

The U.S.-Serbia commercial relationship is not just restricted to investments.

More U.S. companies are now looking for agents, distributors, and representatives in Serbia, which again, increases employment

Opportunities

and economic prosperity. The U.S. Embassy Belgrade is active in promoting other sector-specific opportunities in Serbia such as film production and franchising.

They are also actively engaged in the American Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations to help formulate strategies to improve the overall business environment in Serbia in order to continue to attract U.S. businesses to Serbia.

Since 2001, the United States has provided nearly $1 billion in assistance to Serbia which went towards strengthening the rule of law, increasing good governance, fostering inclusive economic growth, supporting cultural preservation, and helping local communities repair infrastructure and build their capacities. For more information about the assistance programs in Serbia, visit USAID Serbia or contact the U.S. Embassy.

In terms of the total number of countries that Serbia exports to (165), the United States is ranked 19th, with a share of 1.4% in total Serbian exports, while on the import side, the USA ranked 21st out of 210 countries from which Serbia imports, with a share of 1.4% in total imports from the world. The export to import ratio stands at 82%.

There are also several great examples of the Serbian know-how achieving a great success in the US One of these examples relates to the hospitality business, where Serbian restaurant group, Street Guys Hospitality, operate two Ambar restaurants in Washington DC, promoting Serbian cuisine and culture to American consumers.

The United States has the largest economy in the world, and yet they are only Serbia’s 18th largest trading partner. U.S. companies see potential here thanks to the quality of Serbia’s skilled, multilingual workforce and ithe country's commitment to the EU accession, which underpins the country’s political and economic stability. The US is confident that Serbia is on the road to success.

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THERE HAS BEEN A STRONG INTEREST FROM U.S. ICT COMPANIES IN SERBIA WITH SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON OPPORTUNITIES IN E-GOVERNMENT, CLOUD COMPUTING, DIGITIZATION, SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND IT SECURITY AMERICA 2019

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A MCH AM F O C US IN 201 9

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PRIORITY TASKS FOR THIS YEAR Creating strategies, laws and policies that contribute to the improvement of the regulatory framework for doing business

mCham’s mission is to support its member companies and their businesses, as well as to actively cooperate with the Serbian government in creating strategies, laws and policies that contribute to the improvement of the regulatory framework for doing business. Our goal is to provide key business-related information to our member companies, facilitate the establishment of mutual connections, support and devise successful business networking and promote the best business customs, practices and values.

These are AmCham’s plans for this year.

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CORPORATE AND BUSINESS LAW COMMITTEE Corporate and Business Law Committee was established with the view of further developing corporate and commercial legislation and business practice in Serbia and to

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contribute to the efficient, transparent and consistent implementation of the relevant legal framework. Since the greater efficiency of the judiciary and the more extensive rule of law were highlighted as top priority reforms for AmCham members in 2018, the Committee will dedicate its future efforts to improving the constructive discussion between courts and the private sector, with the aim of creating higher consistency in judicial practice. A series of topic-based roundtables with the judiciary representatives in 2019 will tackle specific areas of judicial practice, such as bankruptcy, enforcement, labour regulations, illicit trade and IPR, real estate, tax-related issues, etc.

COMBATING SHADOW ECONOMY COMMITTEE Combating Shadow Economy Committee strives to assist the Government of Serbia in

the significant reduction of illicit trade, thus creating a level playing field and diminishing competition of black and shadow markets in relation to law-abiding businesses. Due to the transition of the illicit trade activities from the physical to the online markets, the focus of the Committee is on the regulatory and supervisory framework for curbing illicit trade on the Internet. With the Sequence of procedures for combating online illicit trade adopted by the Government`s Coordination Commission for Inspections Oversight in December 2018, the Committee will engage its resources in coordinating and assisting relevant enforcement bodies in the implementation of this milestone document.

DIGITAL ECONOMY COMMITTEE Digital Economy Committee cross cuts all AmCham’s working groups for improving the business environment, in an effort

to offer innovative solutions to overcome the traditional challenges that businesses face and facilitate Serbia’s transition to the digital economy era. Monitoring the implementation of the personal data protection regulation and its adjustments in line with the EU legal framework will be the Committee’s long-term focus, as well as the regulation of data processing in specific areas, such as video surveillance, biometric and HR data.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE Environmental Committee fosters a con-

structive partnership between the business community, Government and other stakeholders in order to promote best environmental practices and improve regulatory framework related to waste management, circular economy and other pressing environment policy issues. In 2019, the Committee will continue to work hand-in-hand with the Government in terms of adequately improving the existing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for packaging and packaging waste management, through enhancing the performance and capacities of

national operators, increasing investments in primary selection, increasing efficient involvement of public utility companies and local governments etc. In addition, Committee will continue to advocate for the introduction of the EPR system for specific waste streams, such as electrical and electronic waste, medical or healthcare waste, batteries, oils, pneumatic tires and other categories of waste.

ENERGY COMMITTEE As the youngest AmCham working group,

WE SELL WE BUY WE RENT WE LEASE WE APPRISE WE VALUATE WE MANAGE WE CLOSE WE PROJECT

MOVING IMMOVABLES ADVENTIS REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT LLC

Knez Mihailova str 11-15, 5th floor Belgrade, Serbia T: +381 11 262 7 999 M: 381 64 88 00 106 E: office@adventisrealestate.com www.adventisrealestate.com

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Energy Committee aims to promote the dialogue on improving the energy regulatory framework and its implementation, especially in the area of renewables, energy efficiency, development of novel energy businesses and building public-private partnerships in this domain. In 2019, the Committee will monitor the enactment of the new renewables regulation package and advocate for the proper introduction of the auction system for wind and solar energy, as a manner of bidding and setting the electricity prices for take-out of electricity from renewable sources.

HEALTH CARE COMMITTEE Health Care Committee invests its efforts towards improving the efficiency of the health care sector and facilitating policy settings in Serbia for the purpose of providing better care of patients, business environment and society as a whole. AmCham’s Study on the financing of innovative therapies, conducted in cooperation with the EY experts, will be published in 2019 and provide clear argumentation why further

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investments in innovative therapies are necessary, with specific suggestions of modalities for their sustainable financing. Furthermore, the Committee will partner with the relevant stakeholders to ensure compliance with existing legal deadlines for issuing and renewal of permits for medicines and medical devices, as well as further reduction of unnecessary administration for companies in this area.

LABOUR REGULATIONS COMMITTEE Labor Regulations Committee aims to improve labour related regulations in order to increase the competitiveness of Serbia as an investment destination, thus facilitating economic development and sustainable increase in employment. Monitoring the adoption and implementation of long-anticipated staff leasing regulation will be one of the Committee`s priority endeavours in 2019, with a focus on avoiding potential labour market distortions. Paperless administration and digitalization of labour-related records will be another important for the Committee, in addition to requesting from the Gov-

ernment to lower administrative burden for businesses by introducing electronic evidence in case of mandatory employment records, records related to occupational safety and health, as well as electronic delivery of resolutions.

REAL ESTATE COMMITTEE Real Estate Committee aims to be a constructive partner to the Serbian government and other state institutions in improving the overall real estate regulatory framework, with the aim of enhancing construction, further developing real estate industry and creating conditions for the investment-friendly business environment.

Tightening up the implementation of the recently adopted Law on Real Estate and Utilities Registration in the Cadastre and dealing with the overall issues and deficiencies in the Cadastre procedures will be the Committee’s priority topics in 2019.

TAX AND FINANCE COMMITTEE Tax and Finance Committee strives to fine-tune financial and tax regulations

and their implementation in order to establish a transparent and effective regulatory framework in accordance with international standards and modern business practice. In the upcoming period, the Committee will continue to work on increasing transparency of fiscal and parafiscal burden and foster partnerships in advocating for improvement of foreign exchange operations regulations and its application.

TRADE FACILITATION COMMITTEE Trade Facilitation Committee aims to assist the Government in streamlining procedures and controls movement of food and industrial goods across the national borders, with the view of reducing the associated costs and maximizing efficiency, through the dialogue with relevant enforcement bodies within the National Coordination Body for Trade Facilitation. In 2019,

the Committee will engage its resources to ensure faster clearance of perishable goods through the adoption of predictable and transparent import procedures, as well as a standardized list of perishable goods requiring priority treatment. In addition, the Committee`s priority will be to facilitate recognition of foreign certificates of conformity for technical goods, where these certify conformity with EU technical regulations transposed into Serbian law.

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E N T ER TAI N MENT

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FUNNY MONEY

The American media and entertainment industry is the largest in the world

eople like to talk about the 1950s as the apex of television, but those people would in fact be wrong. What we’ve all been witness to in the past twenty years is an explosion of high quality, fascinating, and sometimes breathtaking television.

Discussing the latest TV shows is basically required activity in most offices nowadays.

Starting with HBO in the 1990s, television began to expand its distribution channels.

In recent years, streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu have begun churning out an enormous amount of really good television.

Because these channels are not broadcast over the air, they’re not subject to the language and topical censorship that network television faces. In addition to that, these shows delve into storylines and characters it is hard to imagine any mainstream Holly-

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wood movie getting into. While the big six studios keep pumping out comic book tent pole movies, these new channels and forms of distribution have been producing shows using a much richer and far more diverse palette of characters, settings, story forms, and casts.

THE U.S. INDUSTRY IS EXPECTED TO REACH MORE THAN $830 BILLION BY 2022 The U.S. media and entertainment (M&E) industry is the largest in the world. At $735 billion, it represents a third of the global M&E industry, and it includes motion pictures, television programs and commercials,

streaming content, music and audio recordings, broadcast, radio, book publishing, video games, and ancillary services and products.

The U.S. industry is expected to reach more than $830 billion by 2022. The U.S. filmed entertainment industry encompasses films, movie theaters, TV subscriptions and electronic home video production, and distribution and consumption. Box office receipts reached just over $11 billion in 2017, and home video reached $107.9 billion in 2017.

The United States has a mature TV market and television subscriptions will remain static at $100.8 billion through 2018. Competition is heating up from the new digital economy, and streaming video on demand (SVOD) is growing rapidly.

Box office numbers are expected to grow as theaters adopt digital screens, increase ticket prices, diversify concession options, offer consumer products such as movie or

brand related merchandise, and offer membership discounts to attract viewership. Traditionally the film industry consisted of multinational umbrella corporations, major studios, and independent studios or “indies."

Today, multi-channel networks engage in the filmed entertainment sector and SVOD platforms are major drivers in the filmed entertainment sector.

Drawing on formidable strengths, the U.S. film industry has a proven ability to produce films that generate hundreds of millions of dollars, including revenues from distribution across strong domestic and international networks. Success in the industry is based on creativity and financing, and the industry is largely self-regulated. The U.S. market has a large talent pool of writers, actors, producers, directors and technical experts, and is home to a variety of film crews, post-production firms, backdrops, and infrastructure to support production. U.S. filmmakers also receive critical protections for their intellectual property.

Many of the leading motion picture studios are part of larger media conglomerates that often include television, video and streaming services, music services, newspaper, cable and magazine segments.

The industry offers attractive possibilities for international companies, both large and small, and provides film production tax incentives. With the shift toward digital production and distribution, foreign firms are continually seeking out U.S. digital and animation expertise and new formats. U.S. consumers now pay about $2 billion monthly for subscription-video services.

GAMING INDUSTRY The U.S. gaming industry comprises a significant amount of the M&E industry: over $23 billion in revenues in 2017. Today’s consumers have access to multiple devices for gaming, including PCs, mobile phones,

a 19.7 percent rate, while eSports streaming advertising grew 35 percent.

The industry is constantly innovating and bringing new applications to market. VR sets, which include home, mobile and portable sets, are expected to increase sales in the up to 80 percent between 2017 and 2018. VR is the use of digital technology to replace reality with a complete and realistic, immersive simulation, while AR is interaction with computer-generated content overlaid with the "real world". Using VR/AR, U.S. developers and scientists are producing cutting-edge solutions in healthcare, education, online shopping, and entertainment.

MUSIC

IN RECENT YEARS, STREAMING SERVICES SUCH AS NETFLIX, AMAZON, AND HULU HAVE BEGUN CHURNING OUT AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF REALLY GOOD TELEVISION digital or physical consoles, and tablets. The sector is comprised of: physical, digital, and online games; mobile apps; and virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR). Electronic sports, also known as "eSports" or "e-sports", includes professional gaming, in which players compete before a live audience, and the industry is growing at a 22.6 percent growth rate, signaling tremendous opportunity. In 2017, eSport ticket sales in the U.S. grew at

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Streaming music is expected to increase almost 20 percent to $7.4 billion by 2021, as consumers opt to subscribe to music services. Many companies in the industry have diversified, signing sync deals with vertical businesses for TV ads, in-flight entertainment, satellite radio, restaurants, touring, live entertainment, and merchandise. The United States also has the world’s largest performance rights market and earns half of global sync revenues.

Digital technologies have revolutionized the music industry by creating high quality, low-cost recording technologies and digital distribution, along with the proliferation of devices to download and listen to music. Future industry growth is likely to come from diversified services as they capitalize on vertical business opportunities to license brand name products and services, packaging consumer experiences around touring and live music, bundling music services with other online content services and more. Streaming services will continue to grow and offer more personalized services for consumers. The consumer has more power to influence digital entertainment industries than ever.

Conglomerates

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MANY OF THE LEADING MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS ARE PART OF LARGER MEDIA CONGLOMERATES THAT OFTEN INCLUDE TELEVISION, VIDEO AND STREAMING SERVICES, MUSIC SERVICES, NEWSPAPER, CABLE AND MAGAZINE SEGMENTS AMERICA 2019

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C U LT U R E

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ALL ABOUT JAZZ When talking about America’s jazz age, it's hard not to think of a dimly-lit smoky bar with smooth tunes drifting from the piano hen talking about America's jazz age, it's hard not to think of a dimly-lit smoky bar with smooth tunes drifting from the piano. Some people say that jazz is America's only true art form. It's because it started here, hundreds of years ago, in the fields where black people worked as slaves and made songs to pass time, express themselves and keep alive the culture and traditions of their African homelands. It was not called jazz back then, but the way the slaves were playing and singing music was different and special. The music of America's black people came to be called jazz in the South in the early 1900s, and New Orleans, Louisiana, is often called the birthplace of jazz. Despite slavery ending in 1865,

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African Americans still did not have the same rights as white Americans. But jazz was music that both black and white people could enjoy. By the 1920s, jazz was growing in popularity and incorporated influences from Europe and Africa.

The Jazz Age was an important period in America's music history where a significant cultural change took place after World War One. It acted somewhat as a bridge between

WHAT SETS JAZZ APART IS THIS COOL THING CALLED IMPROVISATION

black and white cultures through a joint love of music, yet despite this connection, segregation continued for decades to come.

The beginning of the jazz era in the 1920s brought new joy to people who had suffered dark times during the war. The popularity of jazz rose as the music style brought the element of freedom back into people's lives, glorifying city life. It also saw new dance styles such as the Charleston in a decade referred to as the Roaring Twenties. The jazz movement is mainly accredited to African American musicians in an era where cultural differences divided the population. New Orleans was home to many early jazz musicians, but due to racial violence and tension there, many musicians fled to other cities such as Chicago, Kansas City and New York.

This movement of musicians coincided with jazz music being played across on national radio, spreading the style to new audiences across the United States. As the jazz movement spread, its style and content also changed as white musicians modified the genre to make it more palatable to white middle-class Americans.

main theme and show off their skills, often to the delight of the audience, prompting, even encouraging, reactions from those watching.

Jazz music tends to feel relaxed due to the swing rhythm and the notes can be played behind or ahead of the beat. Jazz musicians must be open to creativity and not bound to strict, traditional music theory structures.

fame quickly with his distinct singing voice and his trumpet playing. Some of the songs he is best known even today include ‘What a Wonderful World’ and ‘La Vie En Rose’. His charismatic presence on stage and improvisation abilities drew in audiences. He continued to develop and evolve through different music eras from Swing to Broadway.

WHAT MAKES JAZZ UNIQUE It's not that jazz songs do not have recognizable melodies. They do, but that's just a small part of it. In jazz, melody starts a song, but then each musician will take turns improvising, playing all kinds of crazy notes: high, low, long, short, gravelly and clear. The performers who are not soloing are quietly playing in the background or comping, short for accompanying. Then, at the end of the song, the melody returns. Improvising is what makes a jazz song different every time you hear it, for any pop song you hear on the radio. Another thing that sets jazz apart is its approach to rhythm. Think of "The Star-Spangled Banner." When you hear that song, it probably does not make you want to tap your foot. There are no rhythmic surprises, or what is called syncopation, in most of the presentations of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Jazz musicians, on the other hand, "swing" notes, which means they change the length of notes, holding some longer and making others shorter.

It's not hard to recognize jazz music with its toe-tapping beat and instrumental solos from the trumpet or saxophone. Jazz has a distinct feel to it and improvisation plays a key part. A typical jazz piece will have an instrumental introduction, followed by the main melody of the song. Following the melody, musicians start their improvisation or solo sections. This improvisation tends to be one of the great attractions of jazz and the thing that makes it stand out from other music genres. The solos are an opportunity for musicians to play an improvised version of the

THE END OF THE AGE - BUT NOT THE MUSIC

THE MUSIC OF AMERICA'S BLACK PEOPLE CAME TO BE CALLED JAZZ IN THE SOUTH IN THE EARLY 1900S FAMOUS JAZZ MUSICIANS Many musicians who became famous in the 1920s Jazz Age are still widely known today with their music influencing many modern artists. One of the most popular early jazz bands known for the New Orleans feel was the King Oliver Creole jazz band. The band consisted of musicians who were considered some of the best of their time, including King Oliver (also known as Joe Oliver), Bill Johnson, Johnny Dodds, Baby Dodds and later, Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong became immediately popular and rose to

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Sadly, the jazz era ended somewhat abruptly with the Great Depression in the 1930s. However, the music genre lives on today and forms an integral part of the American music education. It has faced opposition at times, with ‘purists’ not considering it to be as serious as traditional classical music.

This was partly due to the fact jazz was considered too much to be entertainment rather than an art form. However, the popularity of the genre continued to rise, and many music students were drawn to the syncopated rhythms and a relaxed feel. High schools and universities created many jazz bands in the 1960s. Professional jazz musicians became involved in teaching younger generations and it fed the demand for further jazz education resources. By the 1980s, many American tertiary institutions had implemented jazz programs, which were expanded to include vocal jazz, improvisation and performance style. Today, students can learn about the history of jazz and how it has evolved. It is used as a way of explaining cultural history in America, including the social, economic and political aspects of the Jazz Age. Jazz has become an important way to explain America’s rich cultural history. Many jazz musicians of today have been inspired by their early forefathers and the genre has withstood a test of time, despite various other genres becoming more influential in society, such as rock and roll. Jazz education today teaches not just a musical style, but the cultural history of a nation.

Bridge

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JAZZ ACTED SOMEWHAT AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE CULTURES THROUGH A JOINT LOVE OF MUSIC, YET DESPITE THIS CONNECTION, SEGREGATION CONTINUED FOR DECADES TO COME AMERICA 2019

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TRA V E L

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WHAT TO SEE IN AMERICA From natural attractions to historic sites, these places across the United States are awe-inspiring, they're perfect for a great American bucket list trip

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations. The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the famed Eiffel Tower, designed the statue’s steel framework. The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States and erected atop an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886.. Today, the Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.

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GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

THE WAVE – ARIZONA It took millions of years for winds to erode Navajo sandstone in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness of Arizona to make this trippy formation that’s a great photo opportunity. Permits are required to visit The Wave and are awarded via a lottery system online.

If you stand still on the “international orange”-colored, 1.7-mile long, art deco suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County when it’s windy, you can feel it sway a bit. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge was built to withstand high winds and earthquakes.

MOUNT RUSHMORE

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

American national park located in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872.

Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world.

NIAGARA FALLS

HOLLYWOOD SIGN

Niagara Falls State Park is full of attractions and activities for any visitor. Experience the grandness of the falls from every angle and if you dare, stand as close to get front row seats in the splash zone.

Not only is Mount Rushmore stunning in terms of its sheer scale as a monumental mountainside edifice, it’s also perhaps the boldest embodiment of American ideals there is. A shrine to democracy chiseled in the same wild western lands that came to represent to pioneering American spirit, the sculpture features the faces of four iconoclastic U.S. presidents in what is now the largest work of art on Earth.

THE GRAND CANYON

The Grand Canyon is an American icon in that it represents the expansive, larger-thanlife ruggedness of the country. Volcanic features and soaring sandstone canyon walls make for awesome vistas, as well as a welcoming venue for year-round adventure.

KEY WEST Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous U.S. and the westernmost island connected by highway in the Florida Keys. The island is about 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, with a total land mass of 4.2 square miles.

Duval Street, its main street, is 1.1 miles in length in its 14-block-long crossing from the Gulf of Mexico to the Straits of Florida and the Atlantic Ocean.

When you think of L.A., chances are you envision Hollywood: Since the early 1900s, it’s defined the entire Tinseltown mythology of the city. It’d be tough to find an American sign so deeply ingrained in our collective cultural subconscious—the 50-foot, fluorescent white HOLLYWOOD sign has perched on Hollywood Hills since 1923, and it’s been featured in countless films and TV since.

HAWAII

Hawaii is the only U.S. state located in Oceania, the only U.S. state located outside North America, and the only one composed entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.

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A TASTY LOOK AT AN ICONIC DESSERT If America had a national dessert, it would be apple pie

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or many Americans, there is no better way to end a meal than with a slice of pie. With its buttery, flaky crust sheltering a secret surprise of some of the most delicious fillings imaginable, American pie is the definition of dessert heaven. Whether you choose to add an extra layer of delight with fresh whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, frothy meringue or even a slice of sharp cheddar cheese (popular in Northeast and Midwest), there are endless varieties of pie to savor on your visit to the USA. If you're dining in an old-fashioned 10-seat diner or a fine city restaurant, make sure to save some room for it.

Apple pie, the USA's “official” dessert, is served in nearly every city and town in the country. Notable places to try a slice: Pie Lab in Greensboro, Alabama; The Apple Pan in Los Angeles, California; and the

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Paris Coffee Shop in Fort Worth, Texas.

A 2014 survey commissioned by the American Pie Council found that pie is Americans’ preferred dessert for special occasions, with apple pie taking the top spot when it comes to America’s favorite pie.

But America’s devotion to the baked confection goes beyond the delicious taste of flaky, buttery crust encasing sweet-tart, cooked, spiced apples.

AMERICAN PIE TRADITIONS ARE TIED TO THE HISTORY OF THE REGIONS THEY WERE BORN IN

NORTHEAST

Apple pie has come to be associated with all things American, like baseball, the Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam. And somewhere along the away, it also emerged as a symbol of American pride and prosperity.

American soldiers might have helped grow the myth during World War II. When asked why they were going to war, the stock answer they reportedly gave was, “For mom and apple pie” which later morphed into the American expression, “As American as motherhood and apple pie”.

Despite apple pie’s ascension as a key symbol of Americana, there’s some disagreement about whether the beloved national dessert is actually, technically, well…

American.

When the colonists arrived in North America, they found only crab trees, so apple seeds had to be brought from England to be planted. A man named John Chapman, who later became known in American folklore as Johnny Appleseed, helped accelerate the spread of apples across America by planting extensive orchards.

Thousands of varieties of apples came of this effort. Consequently, while the earliest Americans were all making apple pies, the types of apples they used varied. One of the earliest known references to apple pie in America came from a Swedish person named Dr. Israel Acrelius, who settled in Delaware and described apple pie in a letter home in 1759.

The oldest American apple pie recipe is from Amelia Simmons’s 1796 cookbook, American Cookery, which is widely viewed as the first American cookbook.

But maybe it doesn’t matter where apple pie originated. In America, at least, it’s really more about where apple pie has ended up.

Whatever the symbolism and emotion associated with apple pie, the fruity pastry continues to occupy a cherished place in American culinary history.

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World War

For residents of the Northeast, treasured autumn memories include trips to orchards for apple-picking, cider-sipping and scenic drives to see gloriously colored leaves. Regional orchards typically open around Labor Day, the first Monday in September. If you want to bake your own pies, ask a farmer which apple variety he or she prefers – Granny Smiths and Rome Beauties are standouts. If you’d rather enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor, most orchards offer fresh-baked pies for sale — crisp apples transformed by sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and cradled in a golden crust.

THE OLDEST AMERICAN APPLE PIE RECIPE IS FROM AMELIA SIMMONS’S 1796 COOKBOOK, AMERICAN COOKERY, WHICH IS WIDELY VIEWED AS THE FIRST AMERICAN COOKBOOK Luckily for travelers, apple pie is available across the USA, but dessert lovers will find it’s worth a “pie pilgrimage” to pastoral Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the country’s oldest existing Amish settlement, to order shoofly pie. A treacle filling with a brown sugar-and-flour crumb topping, the pie’s name recalls a time when even baking was conducted outside.

Similarly, it’s essential to order Boston cream pie in the city that conceived it. In fact, you can stop by for a slice at the Omni Parker House in central Boston, Massachusetts, where Boston cream pie was invented in 1856. Between bites, enjoy the debate as to

whether to classify this dessert as pie or cake, with its spongy layers wedded by pastry cream and swathed in chocolate fondant.

SOUTHEAST As is true with most comfort food, pies in the Southeast are deeply satisfying culinary experiences. Daily pie specials at soul food restaurants are hard to resist, offering choices such as sweet potato, pecan, lemon, peach, strawberry and chess (a custard pie that might be flavored with vanilla, chocolate or even coconut).

In Florida, where pale-yellow Key limes are grown primarily in the southern part of the state, the choice is Key lime pie: a tartmeets-sweet slice of perfection achieved by swirling the fruit’s juice with sugary condensed milk and crowning it with meringue or whipped cream. Pair it with a balmy ocean breeze for a sublime experience.

MIDWEST, PACIFIC, WEST AND SOUTHWEST Regional harvests are evident in Michigan, where tart cherries create delightful pies and tarts, sometimes combined with peaches, apples or rhubarb for delicious blends. Throughout the Pacific and West regions, Marion blackberries, raspberries and wild huckleberries add pops of violet and a sweet kick to pie plates.

American pie traditions are tied to the history of the regions they were born in. To eat a delicious fried pie in the Southwest is to imagine cooks putting flaky-crusted, single-serve pockets of fruit into the hands of ranchers. To eat Hoosier sugar cream pie in the Midwest is to follow in the footsteps of generations of farming families who have enjoyed this delicious huddle of three sugars, double cream and vanilla.

As you travel, ask about pie traditions in the area, and be sure to save room after your meal for a slice of Americana.

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AMERICAN SOLDIERS MIGHT HAVE HELPED GROW THE MYTH DURING WORLD WAR II. WHEN ASKED WHY THEY WERE GOING TO WAR, THE STOCK ANSWER THEY REPORTEDLY GAVE WAS, “FOR MOM AND APPLE PIE” AMERICA 2019

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EXPLORE THE HEART OF THE USA There's no better way to get a taste for U.S. tradition and road trip lore than along this much-loved byway

here's no better way to discover the USA than by traveling along one of its most iconic roads.

Linking Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, U.S. Route 66 runs 3,940 kilometers and gives travelers a chance to see several major landmarks and monuments and explore some national parks. There's no better way to get a taste for U.S. tradition and road trip lore than along this much-loved byway. Pack your camera, sunscreen and shades, and enjoy the views along the way.

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ART AND ARCHITECTURE Fly into Chicago’s O’Hare Internation-

al Airport (ORD) or Midway International Airport (MDW), and drive your rental car to the official "Begin" sign for Route 66, which lies on East Adams Street, west of the intersection with South Michigan Avenue. For commemorative photos, however, check out the more artistic sign, complete with colorful map, placed in a small fenced park at Adams and Wabash streets. Before you hop on the road, make the most of Chicago by visiting the “Cloud Gate” sculpture, more commonly known as “The Bean.” This public sculpture is the centerpiece of Millennium Park. Take a Chicago architecture tour by boat to see some of the city's major architec-

tural landmarks and enjoy the iconic skyline.

As you head to St. Louis, Missouri, make a pit stop at the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, Illinois, about 161 kilometers southwest of Chicago. While there, check out the Route 66 Mural and other memorabilia.

Along the way to St. Louis, you'll find a host of famous motels, museums, drive-in restaurants and breakfast hot spots. It's impossible to miss the 192-meter-tall Gateway Arch; be sure to take a trip to the top of this stainless steel landmark — also known as the "Gateway to the West" — for breathtaking views of the city.

PACK YOUR CAMERA, SUNSCREEN AND SHADES, AND ENJOY THE VIEWS ALONG THE WAY

Get a taste of sports culture with a trip to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team.

Visit the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and take a tour. On the northern edge of the city, check out the Chain of Rocks Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River. Part of Route 66 for several decades, the old bridge has since been turned into a landmark, bikeway and trail system on both sides of the river

EATS AND MORE Your introduction to Oklahoma City is all about food. Pops 66 Soda Ranch, a landmark

diner and gas station in Arcadia, serves 700 hundred different kinds of sodas, burgers, sandwiches, meatloaf and other comfort foods. Just look for the 21-meter-tall soda bottle out front. Or try one of the many barbecue spots in the area, including Jack's Bar-B-Q and Jigg's Smokehouse.

Digest at nearby Lake Hefner with a few hours of birdwatching and fishing. And for a little local culture, take a trip to The Womb art center. Founded by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, this mural-splashed gallery features all kinds of psychedelic artwork and should provide plenty of conversation for the miles ahead.

Amarillo boasts a historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street Historic District is a 13-block development, home to several commercial buildings built in the Spanish Revival, Art Deco and Art Moderne styles and serves as a hub for socializing and entertainment. Meet and mingle with locals at the historic – and rumored to be haunted – Natatorium building, now converted into an antiques emporium.

Also in Amarillo, visit the famous Cadillac Ranch, an art installation that features several Cadillac car sculptures with their noses buried in the ground. Not to be outdone, VW Slug Bug Ranch in Conway, Texas, features five Volkswagen Beetles.

ALBUQUERQUE’S ROUTE 66 NOSTALGIA Before you get to Albuquerque, be sure to check out the Blue Hole, a bell-shaped blue pool east of Santa Rosa, New Mexico — a popular spot for scuba diving and relaxation. Once within the city limits, you can't miss the historic neon signs that light up Old Route 66. Albuquerque is home to an historic Old Town district and many great restaurants, shops and boutiques. Travelers making their way down Central Avenue marvel at

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Start with Chicago

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BEFORE YOU HOP ON THE ROAD, MAKE THE MOST OF CHICAGO BY VISITING THE "CLOUD GATE" SCULPTURE, MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS "THE BEAN" 62

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the vintage signs adorning the storefronts.

Tuck into traditional diner food at the whimsical 66 Diner on Central Avenue Northeast. Bring your appetite; this place serves up Fiesta Fries smothered in Texas chili and whole-milk milkshakes.

Littered with Route 66 signs, Holbrook, Arizona, is home to legendary motels and classic diners serving Tex-Mex style cuisine (try Joe & Aggie's Café). It's easy to take a step back in time driving on this town's main strip. You can't miss the Wigwam

FINISH YOUR ROAD TRIP AT THE SANTA MONICA PIER, IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, THE OFFICIAL END OF ROUTE 66 Village Motel with 15 freestanding concrete teepees. Holbrook has earned a reputation for its quirky rock shops and dinosaur statues. Check out the brightly painted dinosaur statues in the downtown area before heading to Petrified Forest National Park.

You'll need at least a day in this Painted

Desert park, which features spectacular backcountry hikes and group activities, such as backpacking, ranger-guided tours and birdwatching.

END OF THE ROAD Finish your road trip at the Santa Monica Pier, in Los Angeles, California, the official end of Route 66. Los Angeles, otherwise known as the City of Angels, is home to Old Route 66, which runs from Olvera Street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument to West Hollywood. There, it turns into Santa Monica Boulevard.

A popular destination for sunbathing, dining and amusement-park lovers, Santa Monica State Beach features a bike path and is also home to the Original Muscle Beach.

Visit the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, see the historic 1922 Looff Hippodrome Carousel or shop the pedestrian-only Third Street Promenade. If people-watching is more your thing, head 15 minutes south to one of the most visited sites in Southern California, the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Or, enjoy First Fridays at Abbot Kinney Boulevard when food trucks and entertainment take over the street. Either way, you’ll get a superb taste of California living before flying home from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

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At Dr.Max, we believe that health begins with regular care for your body. That is why we care about the affordability of the offered products.

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LITTLE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN WINES

by JELENA

ine is one of the oldest kinds of beverages in human history.

The oldest preserved written document in which wine is mentioned dates from 4,000 years B.C.E., while wine is also often mentioned in the Bible. Approximately 2,700 B.C.E., ancient Egypt had a royal winery in the Nile delta, while the process of making wine is depicted in paintings that decorate the tombs of Pharaohs.

Today, almost every country produces wine and boasts wine regions. America occupies a special place on the global wine map. Suffice to say, the United States is the largest non-European wine producer in the world. In the structure of world wine production, the United States’ share is around 9%. America has its own paradise for wine fans and connoisseurs, and its name is California. Apart from Hollywood, beautiful mansions and wealthy people, California is also the home to great wine labels.

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SAVIĆ

California is the leader in wine production, i.e. it produces 90% of the total wine production in the United States and it is the place where almost 50% of the US wineries are located

California, as one of the most important wine regions in the United States and the fourth largest wine producer in the world, has set standards for the New World Wines.

In the past few decades, the number of wineries has increased tenfold here. California is the leader in wine production, i.e. it pro-

CALIFORNIA, AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WINE REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE FOURTH LARGEST WINE PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, HAS SET STANDARDS FOR THE NEW WORLD WINES

duces 90% of the total wine production in the United States and it is the place where almost 50% of the US wineries are located.

Apart from a designation of variety, wine usually carries the label of origin, like, for instance Californian Riesling. Given that natural conditions significantly affect the quality of grapes and wines, the best areas for wine making in the US are Napa Valley, Sonoma, Mendocino & Lake County, Carneros, along with Sierra Foothills, Central Valley, Nord Central Coast, Livermore Valley, Monterey County, Carmel Valley, and Paso Robles. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Rhine Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Black, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, and Syrah are the most common varieties of white grapes.

The Americans have managed to accomplish exactly what they wanted – although the fourth biggest wine producer in the world, right behind France, Italy and Spain, as a result of their bold moves and mixing

varieties, they created many of the currently leading patters in modern-day wine making.

Let’s go back to California as the biggest wine region in America and its wine regions.

The following wine regions are located on the coast of Northern California - Napa Valley, Sonoma, Lake County, and. Mendocino. Wine regions Monterey County, Livermore and Santa Clara County are located on mid-coast of Northern California, while Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo are positioned on the coast of Southern California.

California produces top-notch wines, and one of the most renowned red wines here is Zinfandel. This wine has the iconic status of “the real Americana”, and there are even festivals dedicated entirely to Zinfandel.

Today, 60% of the American wine production is located in Napa Valley and the neighbouring Sonoma Valley. Napa Valley is one of the most famous wine regions, located north from San Francisco. As a wine region, Napa Valley is synonymous with the popularity of Californian wines in the world and the American wine making in general.

This is also one of the first wine regions in the States that attracted worldwide attention and recognition due to its large and very successful wineries. Vine grows the best in the Mediterranean-like climate and in the soil that is rich in oceanic fossils and volcanic dust. The world-renowned wine maker, Robert Mondavi and his brother Peter are credited with bringing fame to Napa Valley, as the founders of one of the first ever wineries in the United States.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mondavi brothers introduced new wine making methods to the Californian wine scene and thus played a crucial role in California becoming one of the most important wine regions in the world. Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most reputable wines in the world. Apart from Mondavi, the

Gallo brothers also made a huge contribution to the development of winemaking in California. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder to the wine making greats from Europe such as Baron Philip Rotshchild, Antinori and Frescobaldi.

For decades, Robert Mondavi has been one of the most renowned and most reputable wineries in the world which produces the top-notch wine, both quality- and pricewise, called Opus One. Today, most of the wineries located in Napa Valley specialize in the production of one, maybe two types of wine.

AS A WINE REGION, NAPA VALLEY IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE POPULARITY OF CALIFORNIAN WINES IN THE WORLD AND THE AMERICAN WINE MAKING IN GENERAL Sonoma County is also one of the more famous wine regions in California. According to some data, the first vines in this region date back to 1812. After the year 2000, the number of wineries in Sonoma has increased. In this region you can find all kinds of wines, from Chardonnay to Zinfandel.

These are some of the most reputable wineries in Sonoma - Gallo, Kendall-Jackson, Sebastiani, Simi & Jordan, Dry Creek Vineyard, Ferrari-Carano Winery, and Francis Ford Coppola Winery. While reading this article, you might want to pour yourself a glass of wine from America, or California, to be precise. Just hop over to the nearest, well-supplied wine shop, because you can

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buy several famous labels of Californian wine in Serbia too.

While drinking Californian wine, we suggest that you watch the film “Bottle Shock” from 2008, which is based on true events and shows the rise of a small Californian winery that seeks its validation in far-off France. Should you want to drink a glass of Californian wine with a meal, and you like white wines, you can combine Californian Chardonnay with salmon, fish or seafood.

If you are a fan of full-bodied red wines, like Zinfandel, then, by all means, pair it with a chicken liver mousse or red meat.

If you want to do a tour of California, by all means, take a train. It will take you three hours by train from Napa to St. Helena, and during the journey you can taste various wines or dine at the Napa Valley Wine Train.

Travelling through sun-drenched vineyards on a rustic train that dates back to 1915 is a special treat. Last but not least, there are the prices of California’s wines so that you know how big your wine budget should be should you go to America and buy several bottles of wine, instead of, let’s say, shoes or a mobile phone.

The prices range from $20 to $450 per bottle and there is no such thing as bad Californian wine. In Serbia, the prices for a bottle of Californian wine start at 1,500 dinars, while Napa Valley wines are somewhat more expensive and they cost around 2,500 dinars per bottle. Please, be mindful of labels and look for A.V.A. (Approved Viticultural Area) sign that wine regions carry.

Wines that contain the A.V.A. designation have at least 85% of grapes. There is also the Millesimé designation, meaning that 95% of wines of a certain winery are produced in the same year, and the Estate-Bottled designation which means that such wine is made entirely from grapes owned by the winery.

Glasses up for California!

Opus One

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FOR DECADES, ROBERT MONDAVI HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST RENOWNED AND MOST REPUTABLE WINERIES IN THE WORLD WHICH PRODUCES THE TOP-NOTCH WINE, BOTH QUALITY- AND PRICE-WISE, CALLED OPUS ONE AMERICA 2019

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THE GAME THAT STOPS THE NATION

American Football is big business, both in terms of participation at all rungs and finance, viewing figures and international interest in the game’s highest level, the Nation Football League (NFL)

o sporting event dominates the American entertainment landscape quite like the Super Bowl, which is played on the first Sunday of February.

It’s no exaggeration to say it’s the game that stops the nation. It’s inevitably the most watched television programme of the year, is always played out in front of a huge stadium packed to the rafters with vocal fans and there’s plenty of razzmatazz that comes with it too, in the form of the glamorous half-time entertainment and the parties that take place across the land. Here’s a stat: more food is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year

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except Thanksgiving. The day is considered an unofficial national holiday, with celebrations planned weeks in advance.

Even those unfamiliar with the sport in the USA are likely to have heard of the Super Bowl – one of the world’s most-watched annual sporting events. Super Bowl Sunday is a de facto national holiday with friends and families throwing football-themed

THE GREATEST SPORTING CELEBRATION ON EARTH

parties to watch high-octane sport mixed with pageantry, razzamatazz, a half-time show featuring some of the biggest music stars of today, the inventive adverts appearing in the most expensive ad slots on American Television and culminating with the victorious team being presented with the famous Lombardi Trophy.

It’s the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) and the culmination of the NFL playoffs. Played at a different venue every year, the Super Bowl pits the champions of both conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC), against each other.

Yet the Super Bowl is so much more than just a game to crown the NFL champion.

Tens of thousands of fans descend upon the host city to soak up Super Bowl Week.

The week-long festivities leading up to the main event include a variety of games, events and concerts. The NFL Experience is the league’s interactive football theme park. It presents displays, attractions, kids’ football clinics, the NFL Memorabilia Road Show, and player autograph sessions. In the hours before the “Big Game,” the NFL holds its official Super Bowl Tailgate Party (an NFL tradition) at the stadium parking lot, with lavish food stations and major entertainment acts.

When the first whistle goes, though, the fans relish every play of the game: touchdowns and field goals, fumbles and interceptions, big hits and tactical battles and all the drama in between… Meanwhile, the Super Bowl halftime show is the world’s most famous in-stadium entertainment, always featuring performances by the biggest and most popular global music artists. Past performers include Madonna, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry… When time runs out and a winner is declared, the Super Bowl champion team lifts the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named in honour of the legendary Green Bay Packers head coach. The teams who have won the most NFL titles in history are the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers.

Super Bowl became more interesting since when the New England Patriots, led

by Bill Belichick and famous Tom Brady, equalled the score in trophies with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tradition dictates that in the days after the Super Bowl a ticker-tape parade is held in the team’s hometown for fans to honour their heroes. In addition, there is always a celebratory victory parade held at Disney

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FANS DESCEND UPON THE HOST CITY TO SOAK UP SUPER BOWL WEEK World in Orlando, Florida - led by the game’s Most Valuable Player (or MVP) down Main Street U.S.A.

BUSINESS AND PLEASURE American Football is big business, both in terms of participation at all rungs and finance, viewing figures and international interest in the game’s highest level, the Nation Football League (NFL).

The game’s entire evolution has happened in the US, although its origins can be

found in rugby. The first game of American football (or Gridiron) took place between two college teams - Rutgers and Princeton in November 1869 and a set of rule changes drawn up by Walter Camp “the Father of American Football” established the game as we know it today in 1880. NFL’s inaugural season and the league’s showpiece event and Championship game, the Super Bowl, was first played in January 1967.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, divided equally into two conferences (American Football Conference and National Football Conference, which in turn are each geographically divided into four divisions). The regular season is 17 weeks long, normally starting the week after Labor Day (first Monday of September) and finishing a week after Christmas. Games generally take place on Sundays, but there are games on Thursdays and Monday evenings, too. At the end of a 16-game regular season, the top six from each conference are entered into a twelveteam single elimination tournament, the NFL Playoffs and the final two teams advance to the Super Bowl.

There are brilliant venues to watch NFL all across America and many stadiums are simply dripping with history, personality, atmosphere and colour, boasting vocal and vociferous support and a truly American, family atmosphere. Soldier Field, home to Chicago Bears, is the oldest, having been built in 1924, while the most storied and sacred is Lambeau Field, the Packers’ home in Green Bay. Many venues have ‘tailgate parties’ outside the ground before the game starts, where folk meet for local food and drinks. One of the most famous stadiums for this is the undulating bowl Arrowhead Stadium, home to Kansas City Chiefs. There’s no louder stadium than Seattle Seahawks’ Centurylink Field in Washington State, while the views are second to none at Sports Authority Field, home to Denver Broncos.

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MORE FOOD IS CONSUMED ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY THAN ON ANY OTHER DAY OF THE YEAR EXCEPT THANKSGIVING AMERICA 2019

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AMERICAN GOTHIC ON THE SHORES OF MICHIGAN

By ROBERT

ČOBAN

From racial unrest and Prohibition 100 years ago and the Saint Valentine Day’s Massacre 90 years ago to painting the Chicago River green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Chicago has always been an exciting place to live in. It remains to be seen what will the new Mayor, an African-American woman who is also a member of the LGBT community, going to do about these challenges

Environmentally-friendly coloured river: Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day

lmost one hundred years ago, on July 27th, 1919, a young black man by the name of Eugene Williams decided to go to a racially segregated beach on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Soon after, a white man threw a rock at him, Eugene fell into the water and drowned. This event triggered huge racial unrest in Chicago that lasted for several

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days and killed 38 people (25 blacks and 13 whites). It was the most tragic event of the Red Summer of 1919 when more than 150 people died in a series of racial protests across the United States. The heartbreaking photographs of these events, taken by Jun Fujita, the American-Japanese photographer based in Chicago, attracted my attention during the visit to the Chicago History Museum.

Last week, media outlets reported that Chicago got its first ever African-American Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, who also happens to be gay and is a novice at politics. Lightfoot promised to conduct reforms, bring order into the city budget and fight crime.

Thanks to her campaign programme, she won almost 50% of votes, ahead of the seasoned politician Toni Preckwinkle, also an African-American woman. At the national level, Obama was the one to break one of the three biggest taboos in US politics by becoming the first ever African-American president. The other two taboos still remain – a female or an LGBT president. The new Chicago mayor broke all three taboos.

Two days before St Patrick’s Day, the biggest holiday for the Irish and for us who feel Irish once a year, we landed in Chicago, also known as the Windy City, where, only two months ago, the temperature plummeted to -50°C. On our first night in Chicago, we dined at the Italian restaurant Quartino and noticed that Chicago is much more affordable than New York City, has fewer tourists and more locals in restaurants and streets.

The Saturday before St Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated on March 17th, is the day when the Chicago River is painted green and when a huge parade takes place in honour of the most important Irish saint. While I was having breakfast in the hotel, I noticed that almost all the guests were wearing something green.

Afterwards, everybody headed towards the Chicago River which the Plumbers Trade Union has been paining green since 1962.

A secret recipe which Chicago’s plumbers use to turn the water into a fluorescent green liquid resembling nuclear waste is an organic compound that is completely safe for the environment. Thousands of people,

who were squeezing around the river bank in the morning, are heading towards the Columbus Drive at noon which is the location of the parade that features dozens of music and dance groups, church choirs, orchestras and sponsors.

Other immigrant communities in Chicago also have their own celebrations but St. Patrick's Day is the most popular event that attracts thousands of tourists from the United States and around the world. That’s the day when we all feel Irish a little bit. As we leave the parade, we pass by a group of religious fanatics, who are a staple in every American city, carrying banners with a caption "Jesus died for our sins!"

The giant sculpture in the Millennial Park, which the Chicagoans affectionately call “The Cloud Gate” or “Chicago’s Bean”, was put there in 2006 and is probably the most photographed landmark in the city. It was made by an Indian-born British artist, Anish Kapoor who won at an international competition. Kapoor was inspired by the shape and appearance of liquid mercury when making this 100-ton-steel sculpture. “The Cloud Gate” appeared in many films, series and music clips but Kapoor filed a lawsuit only in one instance. In 2017, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which promotes the use of weapons and is fiercely against gun control, made a video clip that featured the sculpture. Kapoor immediately sued NRA, demanding from them to delete the sculpture from their clip. He eventually won and NRA had to cut out the scene depicting the Cloud Gate from their video.

The beautiful Samuel Nickerson House, located on the corner of Erie Street and Wabash Avenue, was built in 1873, two years

after a huge fire that devoured almost the entire downtown in only two days. Today, this is where the Richard H. Driehaus Museum is which exhibits furniture collections and other items from the so-called Gilded Age. The term itself was first used in 1873 in Mark Twain’s eponymous satirical novel and is referred today as a period of a great industrial progress in the US which lasted from the end of the civil war in 1865 to the onset of the World War I. The era was called “gilded” not

NOBODY KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE FROM SERBIA LIVE IN CHICAGO, BUT THE ESTIMATES PUT THAT NUMBER AT SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSANDS “golden”, because during that time, many families became very rich (the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Fricks, the Carnegies, the Guggenheims, the Morgans, etc.), while the working class was getting increasingly poorer. The big dining room in the house features an installation that depicts the changes in the perception in societal roles during the Gilded Era – for the first time ever, African-Americans have their place at the table and the woman’s role is also changed.

As I am walking towards the Lincoln Park, I think of the 1871 fire (which was apparently caused by a cow that pushed over a lantern) and how Chicago was rebuilt after it. This

The Saint Valentine Day’s Massacre: The bloody street wars in Chicago during Prohibition

reminds me of Thessaloniki which was also severely destroyed in the fire in 1917. I'm passing by the Water Tower, which survived the fire because it is made from stone and head down to the Michigan Avenue where I pass by the Fourth Presbyterian Church. A poster saying "Free concerts Friday nights" leads me into the chapel behind the church.

There, the all-female trio is performing the well-known opera arias and pop songs.

The concert is a gift to the family of the late Pamela McGann, who attended this church and was “a great fan of music”. So Protestant and so American!

Branko Palikuća, born in Užice, moved to Chicago in 1988. Today, he owns several restaurants in the city and knows the scene all too well. We are having dinner with Branko and his friends at his restaurant - Topaz Café.

Our company includes Igor Miklja who is making a travelogue about the Serbian athletes that have achieved great success in the US. Branko tells us how wealthy Jews from Chicago, who are his best customers, are moving to Florida in great numbers.

My colleague Antonije Kovačević has been living in Chicago for a year and just like many of our people, he works several jobs – he manages performances of musicians from the Balkans, works with trucks, and creates websites for people from ex-Yugoslavia who now live in Chicago and surrounding areas. He tells me that other immigrant communities like the Poles, Iraqis or Italians are much more connected and more helpful to newcomers than the Serbs.

While drinking beer at a Mexican restaurant, Antonije says that "Mexicans keep the system going”. "They do all the hard, physical work - cook, clean, build. They are dili-

Swimming pool at the InterContinental in which Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams once swam

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gent and willing to work for little money”, Antonije says and adds that the worst social stratum is the so-called “white trash”, the marginalized whites who believe that it is sufficient for them just to be white in order to be “better” than "the coloureds" or “the immigrants”. The “white trash” is lazy, entitled and unreliable, Antonije adds.

Nobody knows how many people from Serbia live in Chicago, but the estimates put that number at several hundred thousand, which makes them one of the largest immigrant communities in the US. The first Serbian immigrants came to this city, which is known for its thick-crusted pizza, Chicago Bulls and Al Capone, in the late 19th century.

A second huge tide of Serbs came to Chicago immediately after the Second World War, and they were mostly Chetniks and anti-communists. Do you remember the lyrics of one of Baja Mali Knindža’s songs – “When

OTHER IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN CELEBRATIONS BUT ST. PATRICK'S DAY IS THE MOST POPULAR EVENT American Gothic: the famous painting by Grant Wood from 1930

I was little, I received gifts from Chicago from you know who”? Mihajlo Pupin also lived in Chicago. There is a Serbian consulate here too, Serbian restaurants and the Church of St. Simeon Mirotočivi.

Apart from Serbs, Chicago is also populated by Croats, Bosniaks and other ex-Yugoslav nations, but in smaller numbers. A Croat and a Yugoslav left his legacy in the shape of two Chicago landmarks here – they are the two sculptures of Native Americans (“The Spearman” and “The Bowman”) that Ivan Meštrović made in Zagreb in 1928 and later shipped to Chicago. The sculptures of the perfectly chiselled horses with Native American warriors sitting on them are missing a spear, and a bow and arrow. Funnily enough, “The Spearman” doesn’t have a spear and “The Bowman” doesn’t have a bow and arrow, as it is up to the spectator to use their imagination and picture them in their minds.

The Art Deco era in Chicago was known for the fronts of the famous skyscrapers. The InterContinetal Hotel on Michigan Avenue has one of the most elegant building fronts

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featuring Egyptian motifs, which were very popular during Art Deco due to the great archaeological discoveries in Egypt at that time.

The 12th floor has a swimming pool in which Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams once swam. When the temperature does not drop to -50°C and when the wind is relatively bearable, Chicago is an ideal city for walkers.

There is the Navy Pier with a big Ferris wheel and the Chinese Quarter while the entrance to the city zoo in Lincoln Park is free.

New York City has the Metropolitan Institute and Chicago has The Art Institute of Chicago which showcases thousands of priceless art exhibits from all over the world – from Chagall’s stained glass, Van Gogh’s “Bedroom in Arles” and Matisse’s “Bathers by a river” to the probably most recognized American painting, Grant Wood’s “American Gothic”.

The figures on the painting were modelled after Wood's sister Nan Wood Graham and their dentist Dr Byron McKeeby, posing as a farmer and his unmarried daughter.

This year marks another important jubilee, a centenary of Prohibition, i.e. the ban on

production and serving of alcohol in the US which came into force following the adoption of the 18th amendment to the US Constitution in 1919. Prohibition was abolished in 1933. During those 14 years, Chicago’s music and club scene flourished, as did the gangster groups that went against each other to the point of annihilation. The aforementioned Jun Fujita took his famous photograph “Saint Valentine Day’s Massacre” after the 1929 Valentine's Day murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang.

One hundred years after the racially motivated unrest in Chicago, the city is now led by a woman, an African-American and a member of the LGBT population.

It remains to be seen whether she will be able to put an end to crime and corruption in the city. In regard to the latter one, she could maybe consult Rod Blagojevich, a man of Serbian origin and the former governor of Illinois who was convicted of corruption in 2011. Blagojevich is currently serving his 14-year-sentence in the Chicago Federal Prison.