SERBIA DAILY No11

W Daily e-newspaper

• N° 11 • Belgrade, May 11, 2016

B

WESTERN BALKANS e-MEDIA GROUP

Demolition in Savamala "Unclear"

T

Aleksandar Vucic said he found "the point" of the case of recent demolitions in Belgrade's Savamala district to be "unclear"

he head of Serbia's caretaker government said that the demolitions in that area of Belgrade - reportedly carried out by masked persons during night time - should have been done by day, because buildings in question had no construction permits.

According to Vucic, this case has been assigned excessive importance because "some people think there's political weight there to be used for their own promotion."

Vucic, who did not identify those seeking self-promotion in this way, also said that "all that needs to be done is to let competent authorities, the police and the prosecution, work on the case in accordance with the law."

The prime minister said that he was informed that "no one had prevented the police from reacting," and that regular police called in the communal police "because they had jurisdiction in that case."

Vucic added that he had not read the report of the ombudsman concerning the case, which, among other things, contains transcripts of conversations dur-

Marko Djuric, Office for Kosovo: Attack on Zvecan-based TV Most crew in central Kosovo had been an attack on Serbs and freedom of speech, voicing expectation that the event would be condemned by Albanian journalist associations

ing which a police employee said that the order to turn to the communal police "came from the top of the police."

He then remarked that "somebody is constantly creating political cases where there are none."

"Let me say right away, if someone from the government wanted to do it like

Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister: Serbia has no problems with cash, unlike many countries in the region, some of which want loans from us. Serbia will have a dynamic GDP growth rate of a minimum 2.3 percent this year and 3 percent next year

that, they're a complete idiot. This should have been demolished in broad daylight. Buildings there were disgusting, illegally built, and there was no legal ground for them to stand there.

City's construction machinery should have been used, and they could have also called me," Vucic said.

Tanja M iscevic, Serbia's chief EU negotiator: Croatia should not be blocking the opening of chapters in Serbia's EU talks, but approach the matter differently as it concerns bilateral issues. It is now in the hands of the EU

2

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

France Congratulates Vucic on Election Victory Prime Minister Vucic and French Ambassador Moro also discussed direct foreign investments of French companies

Daily

Markers

BY EMIR SALIHOVIC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Art Serving Society

A

Ambassador Moro and Prime Minister Vucic

S

erbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic received French Ambassador Christine Moro, who congratulated him on his party's recent victory in the snap parliamentary elections, conveyed congratulations from Prime Minister Manuel Valls and gave him a letter from the Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir.

In his letter, among other things, Desir says that a great majority of Serbian citizens voted in favor of the policy of reform, regional cooperation and EU accession, which PM Vucic has successfully launched since taking the office, adding that France will continue to offer

its full support for his policy.

Prime Minister Vucic and Ambassador Moro also talked about preparations for the Paris summit which will be held as part of the Berlin process in July this year.

The Paris summit will place an emphasis on the implementation of infrastructure projects and set-up of a regional youth cooperation office.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Vucic and Ambassador Moro also discussed direct foreign investments of French companies and prospective projects of importance for the economic cooperation between Serbia and France.

Kosovo Establishing Army, Serbs Uninformed Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa has announced that Kosovo's armed forces would be formed "very soon."

Albanian-language daily Zeri reported that Mustafa "did not say that any kind of agreement" had been reached on this issue with Serb representatives in the assembly in Pristina.

"We are working on establishing the Kosovo army. It will be an army at the European level and it will be accepted into NATO," Mustafa said.

At the same time, representatives of the Serb (Srpska) List said nobody spoke to them about this.

According to the Pristina-based daily,

they consider Kosovo politicians' statements as "not serious."

Deputy Kosovo Minister of Local Administration, Bajram Gecaj, who is also Mustafa's adviser, said that an army would be formed in Kosovo "one way or the other."

"It's hard to say when it will happen, because we must reach an agreement with deputies from that (Serb) community. I believe there is a general consensus among (ethnic) Albanian parties. Nothing is yet concrete when it comes to whether the Serb List will support or oppose the formation of armed forces," he said.

Serbia Open to Greek Investments Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic spoke with founder of the company Capital Maritime and Trading Corporation Evangelos Marinakis about the investment possibilities of this Greek shipbuilding company in Serbia.

They also discussed investment opportunities in other industries, given the fact that Serbia has built a favourable business environment for investors, according to Marinakis.

Vucic and Marinakis also discussed the issue of privatisation of certain football clubs, given that this Greek investor is also owner of Greece's football club Olympiacos F.C. Marinakis expressed the hope that the investments discussed will be carried out after a detailed analysis of his expert team of the conditions and investment opportunities in Serbia.

bout a decade before the devastating war and dissolution of Yugoslavia, the country seemed to prosper in every possible way.

Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984, world success of local cinematography (Emir Kusturica) and a colorful, creative musical scenes of Belgrade and Zagreb, left a lasting impression that we were - a part of the world.

The ensuing war and tragedies that followed, accompanied by a sudden restriction of free movement (visa regime), made us rethink our true place in the global scheme of things.

It is as if all the nations that comprised former Yugoslavia now strive to prove that they are at home with Europe and the rest of "progressive world". Some of them do it more, some of them less successfully.

One of the results of that overall disintegration process was that the cultural scene became disintegrated too, and somehow put behind, as if the artists, regardless of their medium, were almost forced to go underground and act behind the scenes, outside of the main stage lights, as a sort of art partisans doing their work far away from the watchful eye of mainstream media which became just a modern, digital form of medieval Italian commedia dell'arte.

Therefore it is refreshing to know about artists, musicians who stretch back to the golden era of Yugoslav 80s and who still pursue their original ideals and try to make a difference in society too, as is the case with the White Rabbit Band from Belgrade, which interview we publish in today's issue of our publication.

O

PINION

Nikolic Encourages Dodik Stating that the price for the lack of progress in BiH should not be paid by Republika Srpska, Tomislav Nikolic demonstrated ignorance about the processes in BiH, or better yet, a lack of will to honestly say from where the devastating winds blow

P

ositive processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not depend only on Bosnia and Herzegovina, its government and political parties. Serbia is also one of the important factors of stabilization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After all, it officially got that role with the Dayton Peace Agreement. In practice, unfortunately, that is not the case. Public statements of Serbia's officials often generate disagreements, spoil the political climate and encourage bad political tensions between the two BiH entities.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic most often "shined" like that. This Monday, he once again served the ball for a new game of political ping-pong. He said that "the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina makes no progress should not mean that Republika Srpska's development should be stopped".

The leadership of SDA, the strongest Bosniak party in BiH, followed the suit on the same day. They said that it was "an utterly unfounded statement" and listed a series of indicators which, in the opinion of the SDA, say that the situation is just the opposite: the RS is the entity that blocks the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina!

"Constant threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the blockade of state institutions, constant advocacy of a referendum come from the RS itself," said the SDA. For them, it is a "cynical reversed conclusion, because Nikolic knows very well what the causes are of the blockade of the European path of BiH, as well as its general progress. In a report submitted last week to the United Nations, High Representative Valentin Inzko said that the policies of the ruling elite in the RS are what which hampers progress in BiH." An objective insight into these processes indeed shows that the RS representatives blocked the adoption of a series of laws to which BiH committed itself by signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement. In this domain, the law on banking supervision is especially indicative, also blocked by the RS representatives. And that resulted

BY VLASTIMIR MIJOVIC EDITOR

in the current banking disaster in the RS, which will spread to the Federation as well, and will cost all BiH citizens a lot.

The leading Bosniak party questioned Nikolic's allegedly good intentions towards Bosnia.

"If the President of the Republic of Serbia is a friend of BiH and its entities, as he claims, then his statements should influence the political leadership of Republika Srpska to adopt a constructive attitude towards all the processes related to the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina", said the SDA. Relations between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are very one-sided. BiH is almost irrelevant to the internal developments in Serbia. The other way around different: Serbia has a huge impact on the fate of Bosnia and Herzegovina, primarily through its position that it has in every generation of politicians in the RS. Just like during the war, when Slobodan Milosevic controlled the behavior of Radovan Karadzic, the current leadership of Serbia also controls politics in Banja Luka.

That was confirmed on several occasions, when Belgrade corrected or annulled some Banja Luka moves.

Also, the international community counts on the assumption that Vucic and Nikolic can very much control the political behavior of Milorad Dodik. Therefore, it is reasonable to see guidelines in the direction of Republika Srpska that in fact come from the "center of Serbdom" in Belgrade. And Tomislav Nikolic's latest statement certainly isn't a constructive contribution to calming tensions in BiH, which are mostly fueled by unconstitutional attempts of Milorad Dodik to have a referendum on the judiciary, which, if organized, would be the announcement of a much more significant popular vote - a referendum on secession of Republika Srpska.

Nikolic's statement is therefore a kind of sign of encouragement to such Dodik's policy, and an indication that the high-ranking positions in Serbia are still taken by forces that use the special role of that country in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement to weaken, rather than strengthen the statehood and political stability of the neighboring country. It would be good if that was an expression of Nikolic's ignorance about the real situation in BiH, although it is more likely that he in fact lacks willingness to honestly say from where the devastating winds in BiH blow.

Publisher: WESTERN BALKANS e-MEDIA GROUP z POENTA d.o.o. Sarajevo, Augusta Brauna 3 z Editor - in - Chief: Emir Salihovic z Editors: VLASTIMIR MIJOVIC, AMRA ZIMIC, RASID KRUPALIJA, DANIJELA MRKIC, SANJA LJUBICIC z Director: Amra Zimic z Office Assistant: VERICA GRAOVAC, MUSTAFA BAHTANOVIC, DTP: Bekir Tvrtkovic z Marketing: KAROLINA MIHAJLOVIC z GSM: 00 381 61 2768568, 00 381 11 4086 992, serbiadaily@sbb.rs

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

4

Davenport Impressed by Serbia's Response to Migrant Crisis

S

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said he was impressed by the way Serbia was tackling the challenges of the migrant crisis

peaking on the topic of refugee crisis and economic and social implications for the EU member-states and Serbia, at a Europe Day conference organized by the Belgrade-based Faculty of Economics, Finance and Administration (FEFA) in the Serbian capital, Davenport said that much had been achieved in cooperation between the EU and the Serbian government, civil society and international organizations.

Since last summer, Serbia has accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees. I am impressed by the manner in which Serbia is tackling such a challenge, Davenport said.

Last June, when the challenges began, the Serbian government made it clear that it will not tolerate hate speech. It is very important and it is a message that was not so clearly delivered in some other countries, said Davenport, adding that we had heard and seen many positive news of Serbian citizens, families and police accepting refugees humanely.

Michael Davenport

Around 230 Unaccompanied Migrant Children Registered Around 230 unaccompanied migrant children (UMC) have been registered in Serbia, State Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy Nenad Ivanisevic said.

"As for the Balkan route, we managed to register around 200-230 children over the past year," Ivanisevic told reporters at the opening of a conference titled "Support for UMC in Serbia".

"Serbia is the first country that has sent binding guidelines to social care providers in early March last year, clearly defining the procedure concerning UMC," Ivanisevic said, adding that thanks to the project financed by the

Swiss government, Serbia would manage to raise its capacities in this field.

"In the last four years, Switzerland has earmarked CHF 4.3 million. The project relating to UMC is worth CHF 600,000 for 3.5 years, with the ministry as the direct partner and contractor in cooperation with NGOs and international organisations," said Jovana Mihajlovic from the Office for Cooperation with Serbia at the Swiss Embassy.

The idea has been to ensure that Serbia applies the standards concerning the protection of UMC, as part of the Action Plan for Chapter 24 of entry negotiations, Mihajlovic said.

Vulin, Verheijen Discuss Competitiveness, Employment Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy Aleksandar Vulin met with a delegation of the World Bank, led by Country Manager for Serbia Tony Verheijen.

The delegation included Andrew Mason, social protection and labour practice manager for Europe and Central Asia, the line ministry said.

The meeting focused on the activities taken so far and next steps within the

Competitiveness and Jobs Project, which are part of the structural reforms in Serbia.

The officials also considered the functional analysis of the public administration, done in cooperation with the World Bank and relevant ministries, but also ways to improve the position of those living off benefits by encouraging them to actively search for jobs and join recruitment schemes.

IHRA Delegation Tours Old Fairgrounds Site The city officials informed a delegation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), led by Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, about all the current activities and plans concerning the future shape of the Old Fairgrounds Memorial Complex.

Serbian Orthodox Bishop Jovan Culibrik explained that IHRA representatives came to Belgrade to highlight the international importance of the future complex and learn what has been done so far.

"Works are expected to start soon, but in the case of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem we see that the building of such an important complex can last up to 50-60 years. Nothing will be done overnight, but there will be steady and concrete steps from one building to another, from one program to another," said the bishop.

Ambassador Constantinescu stressed the importance of encouraging all governments and local governments to be dedicated in their work on this issue.

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

5

Nikolic Expects SNS to Back His Candidacy

T

Someone decided that the government and the president cannot be equally presented in the media - so their solution was to present the government

his is what Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic told Sputnik in an interview, adding that he "remained somewhere on the sidelines, as if he achieved nothing at all."

"I guess I'll make a decision to run (for president) again, if I do - I'll ask nothing of the media," he was quoted as saying by the Russian agency.

The interviewer asked whether he had started a campaign for the nomination, and noted that recent elections have already been overshadowed by the presidential ballot slated for 2017 - and Nikolic replied by stressing that he has been performing his duties in office for four years now - and that the media "have not covered him to the extent he deserves, not only as the president, but everything he did so far as well."

He said that he wants to be the SNS candidate in the presidential elections if he decides to run, noting that the party was his candidate in these parliamentary elections, "I clearly and openly said it," he remarked.

President Like Queen Nikolic - who along with Aleksandar Vucic in 2008 founded the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) by separating from the Radicals (SRS), and stepped down from its helm when he became Serbia's president - also noted that, "unlike other president" he was not a party leader.

"You're asking about (government) coalitions - I do not know who will be in a coalition. Meaning, I am not leading the party.

I think it is a sin to be the president of all citizens and to lead a political party, but

I thought my voice should be heard, because many people believe in what I think, and I said that I want the SNS to win (April 24 elections). Therefore I expect the SNS to say - we wish Tomislav Nikolic to win. I do not see any other scenario, I cannot imagine it," said Nikolic.

When the journalist said that "people often like to say that the president is like the queen of England" Nikolic replied that the real queen is respected - whereas in Serbia the phrase alone represents "an invitation to humiliation and insults."

"I do not need to have executive power, I do not have it under the law, I cannot form a government, I do not run the government, I do not conduct internal or foreign policy, but I do leave my mark. With my authority in representing Serbia, with the fact a government can never be formed, while I am president, that would work against the principles I established in the SNS. This means some other kind of government can be formed - but then people will also want a different president," he said.

"As long as people want this president, the government has to work based on these principles and they know it very well in the government, and we have no conflict at all. We work together great. I do not interfere in the executive work because it implies responsibility, and it would be rude of me not to have any responsibility, and to want to have all the power," Nikolic says.

He pointed out that he does not crave for "fame, career" but instead wants to complete his political career so that he can calmly go away knowing that Serbia was moving along "a clearly

trodden path."

Nikolic said this was "his basic wish," describing as his main task making sure that foreign counterparts and officials "think at least one percent better of Serbia" after meeting with him. He also remarked that "this has been obvious over these four years - there's no country in the world any longer that would verbally attack us, let alone send its planes against us."

Difficult Job "Now we have a situation where the European Union condemns its member, Croatia, when it speaks ill of Serbia, an investigation is started in Kosovo when it turns out that this interim administration in Pristina is no longer paying attention to its relationship with Serbia, but is looking to finish everything alone. It's a very difficult job. You must, while meeting a person within a day or an hour, leave an impression and almost forge a friendship - not just say you've done something and have been somewhere," he said.

"After my trips, behind the guests who come here, the door remains open for Serbia to make a lot of deals. In most cases the government uses that, and now it has a full mandate so it will be able to more seriously take advantage of all the possibilities that are provided by the direct friendship between me and the president of Russia, the president of China, many other presidents with whom there is already friendship, " Nikolic said, and singled out Vladimir Putin as the statesman with whom he has established "best friendship."

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

6

World Bank Approves Grant for Drina Project

The project aims to ensure a rational and equitable management of the Drina River basin

W

orld Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved grants totaling USD 8.73 million for the West Balkans Drina River Basin Management Project.

Serbia will receive 2.63 million of this sum, Tanjug reported.

As part of the two projects - Global Environment Facility and Special Climate Change Fund, the World Bank also earmarked USD 3.37 million for Bosnia-Herzegovina and USD 2.72 mil-

lion to Montenegro.

The project aims to ensure a rational and equitable management of the Drina River basin supporting the significant socio-economic development opportunities offered by its abundant natural resources, while at the same time protecting the environment, "and will strengthen the mechanisms for cooperation among Bosnia- Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia regarding this shared resource."

The project will also help deal with cli-

mate change-related disasters, notably floods and droughts, the bank said in a release quoted by Tanjug.

"This project will support the countries in optimizing management of the shared river basin. It will also support their preparedness related to extreme weather events, given that in recent years, disastrous floods and seasonal droughts have become more frequent and have caused severe damage," said Anna Cestari from the World Bank.

Serbia to Get National Qualifications Framework Not later than the end of this or beginning of next year, Serbia should get its National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Students, pupils, but economy as well, should benefit from this.

Qualification is to show what certain person knows and is capable to perform, not just school level accomplished.

"NQF has to support reformatory processes which will advance the education system, so that it produces competent individuals who can respond to the needs of the labor market, of society as whole, but also to their personal needs", Mirjana Bojanic, special advisory of the Minister of Education says to "Blic".

Asked if there are occupations which can include people with no special qualifications, she says that basic

premise is that everyone should do the work he is qualified to perform.

"We all expect that the doctor who treats us has an adequate qualification, meaning adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and capabilities. The very same principle applies to qualifications on all levels. Individual farmer has to know the characteristics of pesticides and fertilizers, to use them in the proper way. Otherwise, the effects are dire", Bojanic explains.

This will help students to better understand the possibilities offered by the education, they will have greater horizontal and vertical mobility through the system.

"NQF will enable recognition of non-formal and informative learning, as well as scalability and recognition of quali-

fications accomplished in Serbia with foreign ones, and vice versa.

Employers are expected to join actively and contribute to the education, and to get properly qualified workers in return ", special advisor to the Minister says.

Law about NQS should also mark a beginning of an end to overproduction of unnecessary personnel, Bojanic added.

This law should create social partnership with economy and all the productive parts of society, which presently we don't have.

"This mechanism is personalized in sector chambers. There will be mostly the representatives of the best employers. It should affirm the active role of employers in this process", Bojanic concludes.

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

7

Serbian Directors Will Work for Former CIA Director

T

The investment fund KKR is mostly interested in the purchase of loans of public and state-owned enterprises for which the state gave guarantees, newspaper Blic reports

his means that the US fund, headed by former head of the CIA, David Petraeus, is the most interested in the debts of the companies such as RTB "Bor", "Srbijagas" and EPS, for whose servicing those companies have no money.

So it might happen that Blagoje Spaskovski, Dusan Bajatovic, Milorad Grcic, as well as directors of other stateowned companies whose debts are subject to redemption at some point literally start working for Petraeus to settle the obligations to his Fund.

Blic source from Serbia Government claims that KKR is the most interested into that segment because their assessment is that the potential in the mining and energy is the most lucrative for trading.

"Former CIA director owns the most valuable resource: information. And he knows very well what is interesting among the available economic resources. In his negotiations with Serbia about the purchase of loans he is interested in companies dealing with mining and energy, as he knows that it is the State that manages them", claims our source from the Government, reads Blic.

That this is a realistic scenario confirms Busatlija Mahmud, one of the architects of the strategy for resolving non-performing loans.

"It is unlikely that Petraeus is interested in loans of Bogicevic's failed companies. He is interested in those loans for which the State gave guarantees. As the State has no money for them, the subject of negotiations for purchase of RTB could be ore reserves, mullock or some parts of the company that could make profit. For other state and public

Aleksandar Vucic meets David Petraeus

companies it is possible that he may demand natural resources. This Fund is interested in nickel mines, but also oil shale, what Serbia got, so it is very likely it may be a way to make trade with Serbia", Busatlija says to Blic.

Bosko Zivkovic, professor at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, explains that KKR has three ways to charge the credit of the debtor.

"The first is to collect profits from the company if the company starts doing better , and that could happen with the recovery of economic activity. The second is to convert the loan into the ownership of the company and practically becomes

a co-owner of the debtor, and the third is the liquidation of the debtor. In this case, the fund is paid out of the assets being offered for sale after the liquidation of the company", says Zivkovic.

He notes that the success rate of debt collection is not high, but the funds wouldn't enter that business if they were not expecting earnings.

Professor at the Faculty of Economy Branko Urosevic says that it is likely that KKR expects that the debts may be also collected from real estates which used as a guarantee for the loans "Maybe they estimate that the real estate market could start recovering",

Two Millions Per Mandate All candidate lists that won seats in Serbian Parliament will receive 1.858.080 dinars per mandate from the Treasury in next few following days.

Winners will get the most, so a bit more than 243 million dinars will be paid to Progressive Party's account.

This post election transaction is in fact the continuation of payments which The State set aside for campaign financing. First, all the lists which took part in the elections shared equally 116,1 million, and then the larger part of the "cake" - 464.520.000 dinars fell

into winners hands.

Coalition of SPS-JS gets about 53,9 million dinars of that sum for 29 mandates that they won, while Radicals will get 40,8 millions for their 22 seats. The "Enough is enough" movement and the coalition around Democratic Party (both have 16 mandates) get the same amount - 29,7 millions. A bit over 24 millions, equal sums, go to the union of SDS-LDP-LSV and the coalition of Dveri (Gates) - DSS, which parties will have 13 representatives in the legislative chamber. Minority lists will get from 1,8 to 7,4 million dinars.

New calculations on how much money each party will receive can be made only when a new Assembly starts its work. Until then, parties from the leaving composition of the assembly will get their usual monthly "ration".

"Precise definition of the amount for each party as per financing their regular participation in the Parliament will be possible only after the new Parliament is constituted, mandates verified and all coalition treaties received", Ministry of Finance says to Vecernje Novosti newspaper.

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

8

Lessons from Serbia's General Election Presidential elections are just around the corner, and it will take no more than a year for the opposition to see how strongly it can position itself against political power and prowess of Aleksandar Vucic Once the results came in, an average bystander would think that nothing really changed that much. However, now with seven parties in parliament, and Vucic's coalition boasting a little over half of the seats, the Serbian house of legislature will look and feel much more democratic than before.

Consequentially this will result in a change of political narrative, opening up the Parliament to ideological debates that were clearly lacking from previous assembly. In particular, the appearance of two very distinct political options nationalistic DSS-DVERI and liberal Dosta je Bilo, will certainly shake up the dormant political discourse in Serbia.

Taking into account the perils the far right's presence in the highest legislative body in Serbia entail, a newly found parliamentary dynamism will propel a more democratic atmosphere within Serbian society.

New Challenges It is safe to expect that DSS-DVERI will challenge a lot of pro-EU positions the government holds, which, in essence, will lead to an aforementioned long missed debate in the parliament. It is also expected that Dosta je Bilo will challenge the ruling party on cases of glaring corruption and political misconduct, skewing a PR image government has been trying to build for itself for the last four years.

The current electoral system in Serbia worked in favor of the opposition this time. With five opposition parties in parliament, both the Progressives and the Socialists have to satisfy themselves with fewer seats than last time. As a result,

By Milos Davidovic OpenDemocracy

Vucic's party will not only receive 27 seats less than what it had prior to these elections, but will also need to share them with its coalition partners.

As a result, it is safe to say that Aleksandar Vucic, the untouchable Prime Minister of Serbia is the biggest loser of 2016 elections. Ahead of him he will have a functioning parliament and a serious opposition coming from both ends of the political spectrum.

On top of that, Vucic will have to deal with his own party members, who have waited long enough for their share of political privilege. Finally, with the opposition now in parliament, Vucic's government will be heavily scrutinized for every move they make, providing a much needed level of resistance to a tour-de-force performance of Progressive Party's perpetual PR campaign.

The real question is how Vucic will respond. Surely under Vucic's mask of calmness lies at least a pinch of concern for challenges that await. Regardless of whether his desire and intention for Serbian people is genuine, or just an incredibly well-thought out marketing scheme, Vucic will have to do something he hasn't done in past four years.

He will have to become a politician once again. By doing this, Vucic will lose his self-made Moses-like image and with it, a leadership aura that made him untouchable in the eyes of common folk.

Citizens' movement Dosta je Bilo, formed a mere two years ago, won more than 270,000 votes. A meteoric rise of more than 200% makes this movement a clear winner of 2016

Elections. Somewhat pioneering ideas of justice, transparency and unparalleled fight against nepotism and corruption, Dosta je Bilo captured the imagination of middle-class Serbia, assuming a comfortable position of vocal electoral underdog.

Dosta je Bilo has had a steady rise of membership and support in the past two years. In 2014 Sasa Radulovic, leader of the movement, decided to participate in the elections with a severely limited budget, focusing his campaign primarily towards social media.

Frustrated Voters The result was weak - DJB scored meager 1.7% of the popular vote. This was just the beginning though, and since then the DJB movement continued to grow. A combination of a few solid public displays and a distinct message in a sea of political gibber-gabber attracted thousands of frustrated voters to the movement.

Furthermore, DJB positioned itself very distinctively at the very center of the political spectrum. Combining ideas of universal social healthcare with free market capitalism, the citizens' movement tried to present a political package that was to combine best of two.

Their ideological indifference assured that middle class could easily identify with policies at hand, regardless of their own ideological beliefs.

Finally, DJB movement was the only one with a set of completely fresh faces running for parliament. University professors, doctors, lawyers, ordinary people who want to make their country a better place.

A powerful message that resonated heavily with the middle class who is long sick of same-old political elite. Many identified with the movement, and once the ideological differences were put aside (or accumulated even), it was quite clear that Dosta je Bilo is heading into the right direction.

The 2016 elections turned out to be much more than just a way for PM Vucic to reinforce his political invulnerability.

Presidential elections are just around the corner, and it will take no more than a year for the opposition to see how strongly it can position itself against what until only recently seemed like the unstoppable political power and prowess of Aleksandar Vucic.

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

9

Serbian Police Accused over Masked Nocturnal Demolitions The Serbian Ombudsman accused police of being complicit in an incident in which dozens of masked men demolished buildings in an area where the state-backed Belgrade Waterfront complex is to be built Serbian Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic said in a report that Belgrade police refused on purpose to respond to calls from people who saw around 30 masked men armed with baseball bats and equipped with diggers tearing down buildings on the riverbank on the night between April 24 and 25 and allegedly beating up local residents.

After examining police documents and listening to recordings of police telephone conversations during the incident, Jankovic concluded that the police were complicit in the nocturnal demolitions.

"These omissions in the work of the police are not the result of individual mistakes, but were organised and implemented within the framework of a previously prepared plan," Jakovic said in his report.

"Police officers and their superiors did not know or did not dare to reveal the identity of the party who ordered [the demolitions] to the Ombudsman," he added.

Orders From Top The police telephone operator told concerned callers on the night of the incident that there were orders "from the top" that they should instead call the community police, who do not deal with serious criminal matters.

Jankovic said in his report that he also listened to a recording of a police offi-

cer asking his superior for help because of the amount of complaints from the public.

According to Jankovic, the policeman said: "This person who is being tied up has called the community police and they rejected him. Should we give him anything? Nothing? OK, nothing."

The callers reported that on the night of the incident, around 30 masked men armed with sticks, stopped and searched them, tied them up and detained them in the Herzegovacka street area of Belgrade's Savamala district.

The masked men also demolished a series of empty buildings - the Sava Ekspres restaurant, a family house, the Iskra company office and several others.

Rumours have suggested that the buildings were demolished in order to make way for the government-backed Belgrade Waterfront project, a major redevelopment scheme that will cover much of the south bank of the Sava river in the Savamala district.

Serbia's Public Information Commissioner, Rodoljub Sabic, has called on the city authorities to explain what happened, but both the Belgrade police and Mayor Sinisa Mali have denied knowing anything about it.

"What happened there, if anything happened, will be established by the competent authorities," Mali said on May 6.

Sabic said he has been threatened for asking for the case to be investigated.

"Continue to be interested in the actions of the people under the masks and you'll have the opportunity to meet them," said one alleged threat which Sabic posted on Twitter.

Story of a Few The president of the Belgrade's municipal assembly, Nikola Nikodijevic, has questioned whether the incident even happened.

"Nobody reported anything to the police and what is certain is that nobody saw it, it just boils down to a story of few people," Nikodijevic said on May 1.

While Serbia's government sees the Belgrade Waterfront project as a major contribution to the city's economic future, critics claim that its deal with Eagle Hills, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, was unconstitutional because it involved the suspension of Serbian laws in the area in which the project is to be built.

After the Ombudsman's findings, the Let's Not Drown Belgrade campaign group, the most persistent opponent of the Belgrade Waterfront project, scheduled a protest for Wednesday in front the city assembly.

Sources in the state prosecution told BIRN that a preliminary investigation is ongoing and when the police submit their report, the prosecution will decide whether it will initiate a full investigation.

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

10

Nipple Tattooing Slow to Catch on in Serbia

A

Cosmetic nipple tattooing is becoming a common treatment for mastectomy patients elsewhere, but Serbian breast-cancer survivors are reluctant to undergo an additional procedure

painter by education and a permanent make-up artist by profession, Belgrade's Sanja Grbic has offered expert nipple tattooing to breast-cancer survivors for the past two years.

Sympathetic to the problems of women who undergo mastectomies, Grbic is one of a handful of Serbian artisans trained to create artificial nipples with tattoo ink - and possibly the only one doing it for free.

It all started during her university studies, Grbic says, when a friend dated a woman who had undergone a mastectomy.

"He told me she was very uncomfortable with her appearance," Grbic remembers. "She hadn't had reconstructive surgery and she simply didn't want him to see her naked."

That was when inspiration hit. "In that moment I realized how big the problem is for women who have mastectomies," Grbic says. "That's when I understood the extent of their insecurities."

But while therapeutic nipple tattooing is a growing trend in Europe and North America, it is far from common in Serbia. Grbic says that in two years she has tattooed only five women - all acquaintances of friends. In true Serbian tradition, her practice is growing slowly by word of mouth. "I still haven't had someone who has heard of me in some other way, " she says.

Rare Procedure Grbic believes women in Serbia are unwilling to have nipple images tattooed in place because they are reluctant to undergo another procedure as part of the grueling breast-cancer ordeal. Also, she says, they are skeptical because the procedure is rare and there are not many tattoo artists in Serbia who are trained to do it properly.

Besides, she adds, Serbia's state health insurance does not cover the expense of cosmetic nipple tattoos - which is why she intends to continue performing the service at no charge to patients.

"Jane" is a 40-year-old artist who agreed to speak to BIRN under condition of anonymity. She has only recently decided to have her nipples tattooed.

After undergoing an eight course of treatment that has included a double

Sanja Grbic

mastectomy, a series of chemotherapies and plastic surgery, she will be ready for nipple tattoos in autumn.

"It was not hard to make such a decision," she told BIRN. "I think nipple tattooing is a great thing because women can feel better - I will feel better - when they look into the mirror," Jane says.

This breast-cancer survivor believes cosmetic nipple reconstruction is important for every woman who has had a mastectomy. For her, it is also the end of a long and painful road that started when she was diagnosed and told she would likely not survive.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumour among women in Serbia. One in eight Serbian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes.

Due to these alarming statistics, Serbia's Health Ministry launched a national programme for early detection of breast cancer and established the National Cancer Screening Office in 2012. The office performs breast-cancer screening throughout Serbia at no cost.

It is not only patients who are sceptical about reconstructive nipple tattoos, Grbic says. She has also met with little success in her efforts to reach out to surgeons and private clinics.

"I wrote emails to private clinics, I called

doctors who specialised in breast cancer. I asked if I could do the tattooing for free for their patients. But I got no response," Grbic says.

Confidence Boost While these institutions have not embraced tattooing, it is possible that their patients have undergone a more invasive form of nipple reconstruction: skin transplantation, either from the other nipple or from another part of the body.

Tattooing is also possible at some of the private clinics and is done by doctors themselves.

Whichever form of reconstruction a woman chooses, she must wait six to 12 months after surgery.

Grbic says that getting nipples back is of extreme importance for every woman who has gone through a breastcancer nightmare. Patients tell her that nipples help them feel womanly again.

They have a lot more self-confidence and they are not afraid of looking at their reflections in the mirror.

While she plans to expand her practice beyond Serbia's borders, Grbic says she will continue making Serbia's women happy free of charge. "Our women have no money for that," she says. "I will never ever charge them."

S e r b i a D a i l y, M a y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

11

Y SERBiA DAIL

INTERVIEW

Rock in Service of the Needy A new project by White Rabbit Band aims to help soup kitchens around the country and provide food for poor and needy

W

hite Rabbit Band is one the earliest psychedelic post punk bands in Serbia and former Yugoslavia, created in 1982 in Belgrade.

Band was formed by Drasko "Drak" Nikodijevic, original member and former bass player of another well known Belgrade psychedelic rock band Igra Staklenih Perli (The Glass Bead Game, named after a novel by Hermann Hesse) who made a music team to contribute to a theater show "Alice in Wonderland" by young director Istvan Lalic. The theater show never happened but band had been formed and started touring.

As the part of New Wave music movement in Yugoslavia in the period from 1983 to 1987, the band made almost a 100 live appearances all over the former Yugoslavia. The band was frequently seen on TV and their single "1986!" was No. 5 on "Domestic top 10" list for 1986 at Studio B TV station in Belgrade.

White Rabbit Band reunited in September 2013 and started recording new songs and performing in Serbia and the region.

Band publicly supports legalization of medical cannabis, and a new project they started, headed by Drasko Nikodijevic "Drak", aims to help the poor and needy in Serbia. All the money collected from a series of concerts with other friends and colleagues musicians will be forwarded to soup kitchens around the country.

Soon you are starting a project called Hunger Aid Serbia 2016. Why such a project, and is hunger really such an issue in Serbia today?

I think having three healthy meals a day is a basic human right. Serbia is a country rich in natural resources, and there is no need for anyone to be hungry. So, together with a friend of mine, I started an initiative to raise awareness about this issue and do something about it. The first thing we did is we motivated rock bands in Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad to take part in HUNGER AID SERBIA 2016 and help raise funds to buy food for the needy. Also, all those

who cannot attend the concerts can contribute by donating money or food.

You can find more about this project on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/HUNGERAIDSERBIA Does this project imply that rock does not belong only to a stage, but to society, and that rock needs to be socially engaged?

Rock was always more than just music; rock is an instrument of social change, revolution…. Rock music was often banned and considered "dangerous", because it contains messages of pushing the boundaries, the never-ending quest for spiritual liberation, sexual frustration, political and racial equality, etc…. Rock needs to irritate our parents. If it doesn't, there is something seriously wrong with that rock.

Is rock dead?

Oh, no! Definitely not. Since the corporations have taken over the media, rock has gone back to where it belongs, to the underground. There are so many bands playing practically every night, but you will never hear them on the radio or TV. Is political and social deterioration in countries of former Yugoslavia somehow reflected in deterioration of good quality rock music production in the region?

I do not think the music has deteriorated. I think the establishment is giving priority to mass culture, while suppressing genuine cultural values, giving the impression of cultural degradation.

And, after all, TRUE cultural values are seldom found on Main Street. Main streets are reserved for tourist crap.

The genuine values are always found in smaller side streets.

In 1980s, at least when it comes to music, it seemed we were part of western cultural circle. Today, we are mostly perceived as in thug-o of-w war between Russia and EU. Where do we belong?

Well, historically, Serbian kings were always good at the balancing act between East and West. Tito was good at that. I sure hope Serbia continues to stay independent, just like Switzerland, for instance. Serbia is a country rich in

material and cultural resources and we do not need to become part of either eastern or western blocks.

You published an album in USA. What are your USA musical experiences in comparison to Serbia, and did you have plans to stay there and pursue musical career? You are also active in the campaign for legalization of cannabis. Why? Most Americans are badly stuck on Bob Dylan and I never really liked Bob Dylan, so - naturally - they never truly understood the way I think musically.

Yes, I am an activist for the legalization of medicinal cannabis. Cancer is spreading like wildfire in Serbia, and the medical authorities do not have the means to help every single patient.

At the same time there is evidence that cannabis may be a potent medicine in fighting cancer, so I do not see any reason to criminalize those who are just trying their best to stay alive. It's a bad law and it needs to change.

Thank you, and all the best with Hunger Aid project!

Thank you for the interview… and listen to WHITE RABBIT BAND: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj 9RVMcS0-4 Emir Salihovic

TODAY IN THEATRES HELLO, BELGRADE Author: MOMO KAPOR Location: MADLENIANUM Zemun Time: 20:00hrs

THEATRE,

MEN Comedy Location: BITEF THEATRE Time: 20:00hrs

LA TRAVIATA

SUSPICIOUS PERSON

Author: GIUSEPPE VERDI

Author: BRANISLAV NUSIC

Location: NATIONAL THEATRE -

Location: YUGOSLAV DRAMA THEATRE -

MAIN STAGE

LJUBA TADIC STAGE

Time: 19:30hrs

Time: 20:00hrs

NEW IN CINEMAS

Cineplex - TC Usce Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 4

17:00 21:00 20:30 22:00 22:30

Zootopia Captain America Mr. Right Hunter and Ice Queen Clan

Takvud Cineplex Kneza Milosa 7 17:00 Book on Jungle 3D 20:30 Bourek 18:30 Hunter and Ice Queen 22:00 Mother's Day

WEATHER OUTLOOK Due to the expected biometeorology situation heart patients and people with respiratory problems and fluctuating blood pressure are advised some caution. Among the meteopathic reactions are possible feelings of malaise, changing mood and headaches. Increased vigilance is required in traffic.

Dom sindikata

Decanska 14 18:15 Book on Jungle 3D 18:00 Criminal Mind 20:00 Bourek

Cineplex - Delta City Jurija Gagarina 16/16A 18:20 Bourek 20:30 Mr. Right 22:30 Clan

Roda Cineplex Pozeska 83a 20:00 Mother's Day 21:00 Captain America 22:15 Mr. Right

BELGRADE TODAY