X - MASS SPECIAL

Winter 2012

X-MAS SPECIAL 3

a f o rt n i g h t i n r e v i e w - w i n t e r g l o s s y

december 2012

www.see-magazine.eu

IS JUSTICE SERVED? Gotovina, Markač & Haradinaj acquitted; Čačić & Sanader convicted: who is any the wiser?

LIVING WELL, FEELING WELL Of Pohorje, Opatija, medical tourism in Serbia and much more DID YOU KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS? Plenty of deities, legend, lore & things that only warm the heart

MAY THE NEXT ONE BE BETTER

www.see-magazine.eu 4

Winter 2012 5

www.see-magazine.eu 6

Winter 2012 7

www.see-magazine.eu 8

order or inquire at

subscription@see-magazine.eu

Visit us online!

www.see-magazine.eu

Winter 2012 9

www.see-magazine.eu 10

content

introductory epistle

07 May the Next One be Better year in review

12

Tough one, wasn't it...

lifestyle

62 A CHRISTMAS EXPOSÉ

41 Mariborsko Pohorje: From Black to Green to White

64 When was Jesus Really Born?

Or where to ski this year, and then some. in brief

16 16 16 17 17

Miroslav Mišković Kept in Detention Policeman Gone Pimp Arrested B&H: The New Six Agreement Montenegrin Parliamentary Flights Croatia's Credit Rating Reduced to Junk politics

18 Slovenia at a Crossroads Borut Pahor wins, Maribor not quite... in the margin

20 Serbia’s cefta Future – Nothing But Opportunity Croatia out, Serbia to the helm? event horizon

23 IS JUSTICE SERVED? 24 Gotovina & Markač: Acquittal of the Century Quite an understatement, that.

28 Ante Gotovina: a Biography

did you know?

39 LIVING WELL, FEELING WELL

45 Opatija: The Old Madam

No, this is not about a Dan Brown novel.

65 Deities Purportedly Born on the 25th of December

Old perhaps, but still going strong...

48 Serbian Medical Tourism: From Teeth Whitening To Sex Change Progressive, liberal...Serbia?

50 Assisted Living in Croatia: An Unexpected Opportunity A 'third age' business/lifestyle model.

54 Back to Basics Farmers' markets Slovenian boom.

58 New Year's Sporty Resolutions: Sine Qua Non Taking up excercise again? Better prepare.

All there, Krishna and Horus and all...

66 St. Nicholas’ Trials & Tribulations Not all was peachy in the life of Santa...

68 Krampus – The Claw of Alpine Villages Or how to scare children in these parts.

69 Citius, Altius, Fortius Read some curious Christmas stats...

70 1914 Christmas Truce Or the last great instance of chivalry.

72 Hail the Christmas Tree Whichever type happens to do it for you. good stuff

74 Christmas Presents for Him & Her

Even more than meets the eye...

29 Sanader Found Guilty

Out of ideas? This shouldn't disappoint.

76 Regional Bubbly Extravaganza

Long in the coming, but now done.

31 Serbia’s Hague Plight And there's Haradinaj, acquitted too.

35 The Strange Fate of Radomir Čačić Hungarian. Custodial. 22 months.

Local 'champagne'? Better believe it. a blast from the past

80 1913 Or how far we've come in 100 years. to do list

82

Or what to do during the festive season.

Put your needs in our hands

Winter 2012 11

Need to go on holiday, desire change, wish to buy new furniture, or saving for something important?

Need support whilst making key decisions and making your wishes come true?

We are one of the leading European banks and we are here for you.

For more information please call 0700 480400, look us up on www.otpbanka.rs, or, quite simply, visit one of our branches, all across Serbia. www.otpbanka.rs Call Center: 0700 480 400 • 021 4800 400

www.see-magazine.eu 12

introductory epistle

editor-in-chief Igor Dakić executive editor Lee Murphy lee@see-magazine.eu graphic editor Ivor Vinski ivorvinski@gmail.com art editor Stiv Cinik country editors Miša Milošević Aida Tabaković Sebastijan Maček Miroslav Tomas contributors Dylan Alexander Ben Berković Mark Ferris Michael Devaney Črt Razboršek Saša Vračar Jerko Markovina Marijan Grakalić photography Mens-Libera Photo, Shutterstock, IStock, Wiki Commons unless otherwise specified printer Stega tisak d.o.o.

Zavrtnica 17, Zagreb Croatia

director Igor Dakić igor.dakic@see-magazine.eu sales & marketing (cro & slo) Miroslav Tomas miroslav.tomas@see-magazine.eu + 385 95 63 99 702 sales & marketing (srb & bih) Miša Milošević misa@see-magazine.eu + 381 63 224 223

May the Next One Be Better This one, meaning year, was rough, and best proof of it is that we had plenty to write about. Things are always less than perfect, a stoic might say, but it is nonetheless very difficult to escape from the impression that they could be better. On the other hand, pessimists constantly keep on ranting about the world going to the dogs, and the world hasn’t gone to the dogs yet. And look, 2012 is all but completely behind us, and yet we are still here. Either the Mayas were wrong, or doomsdayists in their interpretation of their calendar or suchlike.

Or, which I tend to believe, there is little more than smoke in any of that talk of the apocalypse.

That said, the year in this Region did however end with a bang, but of a different sort. Croatia has earned what was in all likelihood the rarest of distinctions, its erstwhile pm and very recently departed (from his position, not from this world) Deputy pm receiving custodial sentences within a single week.

The Serbs didn’t think too much of this.

Then there was another bang, the acquittal of Generals Gotovina and Markač, and, with all the celebratory gatherings and rediscovered national(istic) impetus, I finally got the taste of what it must have been like in this neck of the woods in the nineties, which I spent overseas.

The Serbs, this time round, had very strong opinions about it…

Still, I like to believe that next year will be better, and that we shall start looking more to the future and less to the past. And I also like to believe that we to, here at see, have ended the year with a bang, and that one will appreciate this special issue not only for its informative properties, but also for its entertainment value. For fun we had, writing about Christmas, the good life, and overall – pardon this colloquialism – good stuff.

Now I shall leave you to it, wishing you a merry Christmas – and a happy new year. May it be better.

Winter 2012 13

www.see-magazine.eu 14

year in review

January

February

March

> Europe remains firmly at the top of the Croatian agenda in February and, as the snow continues to stymie regional travel, focus is brought to the judiciary and the judicial system; legislation is being drafted so as to bring Croatia in line with European laws, all in anticipation of July 2013. > Slovenia has a welcome distraction though, as Maribor formally becomes European Capital of Culture for 2012. Events are planned not > Serbia gains EU candidate status in March, just for Maribor however, with the organis- barely, having taken over a decade to reach ing committee intent on bringing displays of this point. Boris Tadić will have his work cut culture, both Slovenian and other, to as many out for him, however, as the word from Brussels, and individual countries, is that Koscorners of the country as possible. ovo will need to be recognised if Serbia is to > It is becoming increasingly obvious that Ser- progress any further. bian President Boris Tadić and Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, have developed a > The new Government in Sarajevo wastes rapport of sorts as relations between the two no time and releases national banking figimprove: a deadline for agreement is reached, ures which show that throughout the country, allowing for European accession talks, or at although predominately in Republika Srpska, the entire sector is profitable. The Federation least the process, to begin in Serbia. of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srp> The beginning of 2012 sees the birth of two ska find themselves in rare agreement over new Governments, in Croatia and in Slovenia, a proposed VAT increase, although experts while the entire region is brought to a literal warn that any increase might force the alstandstill by some of the heaviest snow seen ready stagnant economy to shut down comin recent times. The Croatian Government pletely. The new Government has also set its is a left wing coalition, ousting the Croatian sight firmly on gaining EU candidate status.

Democratic Union (HDZ), who have been in It’s not all smooth sailing, however, as Željko power for almost a decade. Zoran Milanović Komšić, Vice President of SDP B&H, tenders takes office as Prime Minister, with key porthis resignation in what turns out to be a clevfolios being handed to Radimir Čačić (Depuer political stratagem. ty Prime Minister and Minister for Economy), and Vesna Pusić (Minister for Foreign Affairs), > Montenegro plays host to a number of both of whom are members of the junior copublic protests as Vanja Ćalović’s NGO, MANS, alition partner, HNS. In Slovenia it looks like takes to the streets as Prime Minister Igor the new Government will be led by the MayLukšić’s Government struggles to deal with or of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, and his parany number of scandals, including tobacty Positive Slovenia, but he fails to rally the co smuggling, aggressive intimidation of the necessary support and instead Janez Janša becomes Prime Minister, leading a five par- > After 16 months operating with a provi- media, public sector nepotism, and likely duty coalition: Janša’s Social Democratic Party, sional Government, specifically the outgoing bious privatisations. the Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slov- Government of Chairman Nikola Špirić, Bosnia enia, Gregor Virant’s Civic List, the Slovenian and Herzegovina has finally reached an agree- > The Croatian Government, too, is looking to ment with itself: Vjekoslav Bevanda will be expand and have begun talks with their AzerbaPeople’s Party, and New Slovenia.

Regional industry, however, encounters some the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers ijani counterparts to discuss the possibility of amount of setbacks as the Agrokor takeover and Zlatko Lagumdžija takes on the portfolio fuel pipelines being constructed within Croatia. of Mercator collapses, the Serbian steel mill in of Minister of Foreign Affairs. These are just The Government could do with generating addiSmederevo is once more nationalised follow- two of the more high profile names who find tional revenue streams as there is a rather large ing a disastrous stewardship under US Steel, themselves part of the new Council of Minis- 50 billion Kuna tax discrepancy which needs to and Adria Airways find themselves in financial ters. There is a place for the outgoing Chair- be addressed, and which contrasts greatly with difficulties on the back of deeper problems man, however, and he assumes the respon- the European Accession Agreement which the parliament has just ratified. sibilities of Treasury and Finance. within the European aviation sector.

Winter 2012 15

April

May

> Macedonia almost descends into civil war, again, as tensions between the ethnic Albanians and Macedonians reach boiling point. Five Macedonians are murdered execution style, their bodies discovered near a lake, and accusations are immediately levelled against the Albanian community. The situation is further complicated by the previous killing of two Albanian youths by an off duty police officer. The matter highlights the lack of unity amongst the Macedonian population, and underlines the fact that the Albanian community tend not to see themselves as Macedonian, despite living there, in some instances, for several generations.

> All eyes are fixed on Serbia, as analysts and citizens alike have been busy trying to predict which parties will form the new Government, and who will be President. Tomislav Nikolić’s Progressive Party win 73 seats in their first official outing, while the Democratic Party win 67 seats and the Socialists win 44 seats. Ivica Dačić’s Socialist Party holds a pre-election pact with their outgoing partners, Boris Tadić’s Democratic Party, but it is the smaller party which exceeds expectations.

Tadić’s misfortunes are further compounded as he loses the Presidential Election to Tomislav Nikolić, of the Serbian Progressive Party, despite holding a lead going into the second round of voting. Whoever forms the new Government will have a lot of work ahead of them as the IMF signal that Serbia is entering into recession. European opinion is guarded in the light of these results, but at last the Serbian Dinar sees some recovery. The Serbian National Bank has spent 725 million Euros on their currency in 2012.

> April brings some glad-tidings for economies across the region as a multitude of business dealings are signalled; contracts signed

by Mecaplast, UTVA, and ZAIC all indicate strong confidence for the future of Croatia and Serbia. Serbia needs all the help it can get as the Serbian Dinar is in an almost freefalling spiral; already in 2012 the Serbian National Bank spent 500 million Euros in an effort to arrest the currency’s decline. > Croatia’s credit rating is maintained, leading to further optimism, but Macedonia faces massive budgetary cuts as Skopje seeks to rein in the spending; according to a World Economic Forum report, Macedonia is not particularly competitive, sitting 66th in the world, well behind Slovenia who are in 37th place. Croatia is 45th, Montenegro is 46th, > In politics Tomislav Karamarko replaces Bosnia and Herzegovina is 84th, and Serbia Jadranka Kosor as President of HDZ, which many see as a highly logical turn of events fares worst of all in 85th place. following all the scandals that the Party has > Slovenia moves closer to a potential EU bail- been embroiled in during the tenure of Ivo Saout, although the Government appears to be nader and then Jadranka Kosor. burying their heads in the sand over the matter. > In The Hague Ratko Mladić sees his trial be> In news which is of major political importance, gin before the International Criminal Tribunal the HDZ Slush Fund case finally begins in Zagreb, for the former Yugoslavia, while Croatian Genas over 50,000 pages of testimony, evidence, erals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač beand charges clog the wheels of the legal system. gin their appeal for sentences handed down

June

> The outgoing Serbian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vuk Jeremić, finds himself elected to the position of President of the UN General Assembly for 2012-2013. This is received with mixed opinion, but the consensus is that Jeremić will prove a welcome ambassador for Serbia. > Croatia also sees one of its more colourful characters leave cabinet as Mirela Holy chooses/is forced to step down from her position as Minister of the Environment. She is succeeded by Mihael Zmajlović, who will spend the rest of 2012 largely away from the eyes of the media. > Slovenia’s Government pushed ahead with their austerity budget this month, but it may well be too late, as their economy teeters perilously on the brink; with so little money available to finance stimulus packages there is a risk that the economy will be unable to grow.

Unemployment figures, however, continue to drop in Slovenia, as reduced operating costs allow for small enterprises to take on a few extra staff. > Bosnia and Herzegovina faces further crisis as the Government fails, a mere three months after being formed. On the federal level Fahrudin Radončić’s party, Alliance for the Better Future of Bosnia and Herzegovina, finds itself replacing the now ousted Party of Democratic Action. The rise of Radončić is viewed by many as being a good thing, as he likes to run his party as he would a business – function before form.

www.see-magazine.eu 16

year in review

July

August

September

> The hot weather so welcomed in July is now > September brings fresh trials and crises being cursed by the farming community: ex- throughout the region: the Croatian public cessive heat, coupled with a lasting drought, is forced to acknowledge its own dark past causes immense damage to crop yields across as Tomislav Merčep stands before the ZaCroatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mon- greb County Court, on charges of war crimes tenegro and Macedonia. The total estimated against civilians. Merčep will later be acquitloss is put close to 1.5 billion Euros, but al- ted on a technicality, but what is worse is ready it is clear that the consequences will the lack of any type of outcry from the public gallery. be far reaching. > The Olympic heroes return: Croatia, hav- > Serbia’s Deputy Minister of Culture launching performed best of all, gained six medals; es a cultural crusade: Dragan Kolarević is ongold in the women’s discus, men’s trap, and ly in office a short while, but already the mamen’s water polo, along with silver in row- terial he has written prior to appointment ing and bronze in handball and tae kwon do; has created a McCarthy-esque atmosphere Montenegro earned a solitary silver medal in throughout the country. the women’s handball, and Serbia took gold in tae kwon do, silver and bronze in men’s air pistol and women’s rifle respectively, and bronze in water polo. Slovenia, who traditionally produce the cream of the regional Olympians, took gold in women’s judo, silver in the hammer, and two bronze medals in rowing and men’s rifle. > The summer is upon us and temperatures begin to soar, and while the population is heading away on its holidays the politicians, for once, are still hard at work. The Serbian Government is finally announced, in late July, with Ivica Dačić, as kingmaker, being elected Prime Minister. His party, the Socialist Party of Serbia, enters into coalition with Tomislav Nikolić’s Serbian Progressive Party.

Dačić, originally allied with Tadić, was reasonably assured that he would be Prime Minister should the former President retain his office, and finds himself in the same situation with Nikolić, who chose to step down as President of his party so as to allow a smooth transition of power within the organisation. Dačić and his party won only 14.5% of the vote, yet find that they are pivotal to the future stability of > The Croatian Minister of Finance, Slavko Linić, has a welcome surprise for those returnthe Serbian Government. ing from their holidays: a tax defaulters black > The influx of tourists to the region is al- list. The Minister unveils plans to pursue those so evident, and already the various tourist companies and individuals who owe the State boards and organisations are touting 2012 as as much as 50 billion Kuna, but it soon comes one of the best years yet. Tourists, both for- to light that several of those companies are in eign and domestic, are quite spoiled for ac- arrears as a result of the State itself not paytivities as Croatia alone has countless festivals ing their own contracts on time. The list does and concerts dotted along the Adriatic coast. provide some positive results, however, and as For a time, at least, the travails of daily life much as 1% of that which is owed is paid up within the first weeks of the list’s publication. might as well be a world away.

> In Bosnia and Herzegovina Fahrudin Radončić, seen as a political saviour of sorts back in June, now finds himself under investigation for alleged links to organised crime.

As usual, nothing concrete is decided and the issue is ultimately dropped. At least for now. > Slovenia is never far from controversy, and while the Government is struggling with the trade unions in advance of proposed labour reform, Zoran Janković, Mayor of Ljubljana and erstwhile almost-Prime Minister, is arrested and indicted on several counts of fraud and corruption. > September will be remembered, however, as the month in which Boris Šprem, Speaker of the Croatian parliament, passes after a long struggle with cancer. His successor is Josip Leko, who is already acting Speaker.

Winter 2012 17

October

November

December > Ramuš Haradinaj arrives back in Kosovo with The Hague also acquitting him on charges of war crimes against the Kosovo Serb population. Serbian opinion of The Hague, while already low following rulings made regarding Croatia, hits an all time low. It may be that the Serbian Government has a point in relation to this case, as several prosecution witnesses are murdered before giving evidence.

> Local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina show that the electorate are not happy with the ruling parties, anywhere in the country, with the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), who were recently removed from Government, gaining on the back of voter dissatisfaction.

> Croatia grinds to a halt as Ante Gotovina > Shocking the diplomatic community is the and Mladen Markač are acquitted and re- news that the Serbian Ambassador to NATO, leased from The Hague. The mood is cele- Branislav Milinković, has committed suicide bratory, as the charges of having participat- while in Brussels Airport. It emerges shorted in the so called ‘Joint Criminal Enterprise’ ly after that he had recently been diagnosed are thrown out by the appellant bench, albeit with a medical condition, one which would with a vote of two to one. Reaction in Serbia is have proved terminal. far from calm as there are sporadic incidents of protest, including the burning of Croatian flags. The Croatian mood is not dampened with news that Radimir Čačić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, must serve time in jail, having been found guilty of vehicular manslaughter by a Hungarian court. Ivo Sanader, the former Prime Minister, is found guilty on counts of bribe-taking and war profiteering in the so called Hypo affair, and sentenced to ten years in jail. > Montenegrin Prime Minister Igor Lukšić finds himself heading out of office, but it’s not all bad for the young politician as his replacement is going to be the man whom he had replaced in turn: Milo Đukanović. The European Montenegro coalition wins 39 seats, comfortably ahead of their rivals Democratic Front, who win 20. It will take almost two months to finalise negotiations for the formation of the actual Government, and of that you can read more later in this issue.

> Back in Serbia it emerges that the phones of President Nikolić and Minister Vučić are being monitored, also illegally, by sources as yet unknown, but accepted to be domestic. The Serbian main opposition, the Democratic Party, also have their own drama, but not quite so drastic: Boris Tadić decides that the time is right to step down as President of the party, allowing the Mayor of Belgrade, Dragan Đilas, the opportunity to step forward and assume the leading role.

> Both Croatia and Serbia continue apace with the reformation process: the former, > The Ljubljanska banka affair continues, with through Minister for Public Administration Ar- the bank being pressured by the European sen Bauk, looking to remove a large number of Court of Human Rights to repay the money phantom voters on the electoral registry; and owed to non-Slovenian depositors, and the the latter, through Minister of Defence Ale- Government threatening to veto Croatia’s ksandar Vučić, launching an offensive against entry to the European Union. Also, talk of an corrupt practises within Serbian society. It is early General Election is being mooted, with suggested that Croatia might take a leaf from a suggestion that the accession ratification Serbia’s book as it is revealed that elements could be postponed until a new Government within the Police National Office for Combating is in situ. The Slovenians also see a fascinatOrganised Crime and Corruption (PNUSKOK) ing Presidential race as the unfancied Borut have been illegally tapping the phones with- Pahor heads to a second round vote, leading in the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA). the incumbent Danilo Türk.

> The last month of 2012 begins as did the first, with cold weather and snow. The Slovenians finally have their new President, and while the result is technically an upset, it has been clear for weeks that Borut Pahor would defeat Danilo Türk, earning over 67% of the vote in a second round run-off vote. Pahor is aided by an endorsement from Janez Janša, the Prime Minister, whose own candidate Milan Zver fell at the first hurdle. > The Montenegrin Government is elected by Parliament, with Milo Đukanović returning to the post of Prime Minister, replacing the man who originally replaced him, Igor Lukšić. An account of the formation is featured later in this issue. > In Croatia the Minister for Transport, Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, is finally seen to be doing something as he removes the board of Croatian Motorways (HAC), the State company which has thus far failed to provide any meaningful results in 2012.

www.see-magazine.eu 18

in brief

Miroslav Mišković Kept in Detention

Policeman Gone Pimp Arrested

Chief of Delta Holding in detention?

Quite a brave new day...

Gary Oldman in True Romance, Harvey Keitel in Taxi Driver, and now we have Miroslav Merkaš in Zagreb. Together with his wife, no less...

T

he Head of the Zagreb Police task his own prostitution ring. Merkaš is also force for combating prostitution said to have taken hefty bribes to let alwas arrested, along with his wife ready arrested pimps off the hook.

Merkaš allegedly unlawfully acquired Nataša Gudek Merkaš (also a police officer), on December 6th, with eleven other a minimum of 250,000 Euros over the individuals, most of them known pimps last six years. The imprisoned police e were all but a click away and prostitutes. The Police National Of- chief also owns several pieces of properfrom reporting that one of the fice for Combating Corruption and Or- ty in Zagreb and on the island of Korčula, wealthiest Serbs and own- ganised Crime (pnuskok) has levelled an Audi a6, numerous paintings by reer of Delta Holding, Miroslav Mišković, charges of bribery, abuse of powers and nowned Croatian artists, designer clothwas under suspicion of money launder- solicitation. Merkaš is suspected of tip- ing and furniture, and there’s also the ing and of having contacts with organ- ping off various pimps of police measures matter of a savings account which seems ised crime, when he actually went and which were being taken against them in to have some 60,000 Euros in it. On a got himself arrested for those very same return for financial benefits and other police officer’s salary? We think it highcharges. Aleksandar Vučić, the Serbian compensations, and even of coordinating ly unlikely.

Deputy Prime Minister, had previously announced a national clampdown on corruption, and had promised that no one would be above the law, and this high profile case would seem to back up The Mostar agreement by the New Six stirs outrage amongst the the politician’s words. opposition parties, and leading in the protests is of course sda, calling Mišković had spent several hours an- the agreement an assault against b&h integrity. swering questions for the police, but the decision was quickly made to make a formal arrest and detain him for furovember 21st saw an agreement ther questioning. He’s not the only one signed by the New Six in Mostar, in custody either: his son Marko, ownwhereby both hdz parties, sdp, er of Mera Investment Fund, and Marko sbb, sdss, and sds proclaimed a nine Đurasković, owner of Nibens Group, point resolution, which dictates that the were also arrested, and already it has six parliamentary parties will move to emerged that the father and son duo secure larger authorities to the entities, may have obtained, illegally, as much as such as election of state attorneys, reg30 million Euros from a series of fraudu- ulation of public services and the Central lent business dealings, not least of which Bank, as well as the authority over distrithe reaction is sda’s President Sulejman is a curious situation whereby Mišković’s bution of electricity. company's concessionary right to use the The most controversial aspect of the Tihić, saying to the media "we shall move land between e-70 and e-75 highways in agreement lies in the point which dic- to stop the implementation of that agreeBelgrade was “converted” to ownership. tates that from now on Croats and Bos- ment by all democratic means available".

Nothing new in the Balkans, some niaks will elect separate representatives The agreement is also viewed in a simimight say, but Mišković is arguably, for the Federal institutions. The six have lar fashion by Željko Komšić, a renegade alongside former Croatian pm Ivo Sa- called the agreement a step towards the of sdp, who is at the moment working on nader, the most illustrious actor to have grater equality of the constitutive peoples forming of a new social democrat 'Civic been kept in detention. Could it be that of b&h, but the opposition parties see the party', which is largely going to be made the days of ‘untouchables’ are nearing Mostar agreement as a direct assault on up of sdp members who oppose the poltheir end? the integrity of b&h, and spearheading icies of Zlatko Lagumdžija.

W

B&H: The New Six Agreement

N

Winter 2012 19

Montenegrin Parliamentary Flights

so that in case of post-election transfers, a new election would immediateMere days after the elections three Opposition mps cross the floor, ly be proclaimed”. Medojević believes in what can only be called a proper instance of crossdressing. Is this such a law would have a preventative legal and, if so, why? effect and abolish majorities which are based on political corruption, pressure, blackmail or trade. he new Montenegrin Government “In the meantime, it is the duty of has barely been in power five minthe State Attorney and the police to inutes, and already they’ve seen their vestigate who alters the electoral will numbers swelled by three, as a number of the nation. They should better disof opposition members jumped ship and cover why Uroš Čukić, in Andrijevica, crossed the floor. Already there are calls, Slaviša Guberinić in Podgorica and Draor screams more like, for all sorts of leggo Đurović in Nikšić all chose to change islative punishment. opinion [on their first working day] and Nebojša Medojević, an influential opsupport the regime which has been in position politician, whose Democratic power for 23 years. It is of paramount Front alliance (df) won 20 seats in the importance to find out their true moparliament, has lost three local repretives because here we are talking about sentatives in Podgorica, Andrijevica and graft political corruption, which has to Nikšić, who have all changed colours and be prosecuted”. joined the ruling coalition, as soon as the Medojević's party had already atAlthough Medojević has made it clear local election results and their mandates were verified. Medojević has called for a that he considers such legislation as an tempted to pass their proposed legislanew election law which would treat such appropriate penalty for party-to-par- tive changes in parliament, but did not post election transfers as criminal acts ty mandate transfers (known in popular receive majority support, even though and sanction them with imprisonment jargon as ‘flyovers’), he himself doesn't pds had also objected to some cases of and sequestration of unlawful benefits see it as realistic. “We will initiate the political corruption in the local assemprocedure to change the existing law, bly in Podgorica. obtained through political trade.

T

Croatia's Credit Rating Reduced to Junk Standard & Poor's might not have a positive opinion on Croatia's economic outlook, but the Prime Minister is not about to take this latest development on the chin: the name's Bond, Junk Bond.

W

hat exactly must Croatia do to catch a break? The new Minister of the Economy, Ivan Vrdoljak, had only just left for Germany, seeking foreign investors, when Standard & Poor’s announced that they were cutting the country’s credit rating from bbb-/a-3 to bbb+/b, reducing the country’s bonds to junk status. The ratings agency claimed that this move was a result of Croatia’s failure to introduce

ultimately they affect even the biggest states – and take their ratings literally then we would, and I’m not exaggerating, fire about 30,000 people, as well as have to reduce pensions and salaries – not Christmas bonuses or tax rebates, but salaries. Then, if we were to do that, the agencies would say ‘good job’, but when that would not result in growth, and it probably wouldn’t, then they would further reduce our credit rating tenfold. You try and convince the unions that certain sacrifices, and some call it austerity, are needed, but I call it rational and necessary behaviour.

And so we hope that, in the future, we will finally start generating some new measure of growth, of new value.” The Prime Minister was certainly in no mood adequate reforms or to remove struc- to couch his language and he has grown tural boundaries which are contriving increasingly blunt in recent times. Given to stifle economic development. Prime that Standard & Poor’s, and indeed othMinister Zoran Milanović was far from er ratings agencies, are coming increasimpressed by this move, saying that ingly under the spotlight, then perhaps “if we were to listen to credit agen- there’s a need for more Milanović’s to cies – and we do listen to them since speak out in such fashion.

www.see-magazine.eu 20

politics

Slovenia at a Crossroads When Borut Pahor is sworn in as the new President of Slovenia on the 22nd of December, he will have achieved the apex of his long and illustrious political career. But the inauguration, and his somewhat unexpected election before that, will be overshadowed by the discontent with the political class, which has been gathering momentum on Slovenia’s streets and which threatens to undermine the very foundations of a system that he has helped create.

by Sebastijan Maček

P

ahor had already been declared politically dead after his Government collapsed in the autumn of 2011, but just over one year later he staged an unprecedented comeback by unseating incumbent President Danilo Türk in a landslide victory. The run-off election, on the 2nd of December, was a huge upset; the majority of polls prior to the first round on the 11th of November showed Türk firmly in the lead.

Explanations as to the reasons for success abound: he was the more telegenic candidate to the stiff Türk in a campaign that was based on debates; he offered people, fed up with ideological divisions, a cross-partisan platform against Türk’s

more contrarian stance to the centreright Government; he benefited hugely from the endorsement of Prime Minister Janez Janša after his own candidate (Milan Zver) stumbled in the first round

People started protesting against Mayor Kangler, who boasts a dozen criminal complaints...

of polling. This is all true, but it will help him little when he assumes the Presidency of a country that has changed profoundly since he announced his run for the Presidency in June.

It all started in Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city. People started protesting against Mayor Franc Kangler, who boasts a dozen criminal complaints and a damning report by the independent Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, which detected “systemic corruption” in the city administration and city-owned companies. The people decided they had had enough. A small protest started by a Facebook group in early November escalated into a full-blown

Winter 2012 21

From their initial anger at the Maribor Mayor, the protests have snowballed into no less than an anti-establishment movement. The protesters, rallying under the banner ‘They are done!’, no longer demand only the resignation of individual politicians; they want the entire political class to go. Effigies burning at the rallies most commonly depict members of the Government, but Pahor is amongst them as well, as is the leader of the Opposition, Ljubljana’s Mayor Zoran Janković.

What started off as an amorphous movement against the politicians, the economic elites, the corruption and the cronyism, is increasingly starting to offer tangible alternatives. It may well peter out now that the cause célèbre, Mayor Kangler, finally caved in to the pressure and stepped down. But considering the thousands who continue to turn out for the protests, and the announcement of a “Pan-Slovenian Uprising” on the eve of Pahor’s inauguration, the new President’s position starts to look a bit shaky.

Given the circumstances of the campaign, it appears he was elected as the least bad of two bad options, the lesser of two evils if you will; the record low turnout of 42% is a clear testimony to the Slovenian people’s distaste for poland surprisingly violent confrontation itics. And if you are a protester looking with the police on November 21st, when for politicians who have led the country the mayor not only stubbornly refused to to ruin in the two decades since it gained resign but even got himself elected to the independence, look no further than the National Council, the upper chamber of man who has held every imaginable ofParliament. fice in those years, no matter how clean The aforesaid triggered a cascade of his personal record may be. events that led to two violent protests One commentator recently noted that in Ljubljana, more violence in Maribor, Pahor is currently the only politician in unprecedented use of police force, and the country with a secure job for the next over a dozen protests in cities and towns five years. However, one demand that around the country. People appear to immediately gained traction amongst have decided that Kangler was not an the protesters was the option of recalling isolated example; he is merely the most elected representatives, from the Presiglaring example of a caste of politicians dent down to Members of Parliament and who have spent two decades serving their own interests while ignoring the com- was elected to the Central Committee of Mayors. In other words, Pahor may have mon good, in the process turning Slov- the Slovenian Communist Party in 1989 just won a great victory, but it also just enia from an apt pupil and role model in and has since served as mp, Speaker of the might be an overstatement to say that he the European Union into an economic House, Member of the European Parlia- is safe, especially for the duration of the ment, and Prime Minister. His message of whole five year Presidential turn. basket case.

For it just may be that the stew in SlovPahor has steered clear of trouble and unity would also appear to resonate with he is considered a clean politician, which the protesters’ demands for an end to ide- enia’s alpine cauldron has reach its boilis no small feat considering that he has ological disputes, but it would be wrong to ing point. Whatever the case, we shall see the heart of the matter very soon. been on the top rungs of politics since he assume that this makes him safe.

One commentator recently noted that Pahor is currently the only politician in the country with a secure job for the next five years.

www.see-magazine.eu 22

in the margin

Serbia’s CEFTA Future – Nothing But Opportunity Should trade agreements be left to economists to sort them out? We at see would rather go for lawyers any time. That said, Saša Vračar of the Belgrade law firm Janković Popović & Mitić sheds some light on Serbia’s future opportunities in the cefta, especially with Croatia leaving the Agreement as of the 1st of January 2013.

by Saša Vračar

T

he Central European Free Trade Agreement (cefta) was established on the 21st of December, 1992,

by Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland, and came into effect in March of 1993. It represents one of the most important agreements on free trade in Europe, both economically and politically. The purpose of the agreement is to eliminate customs and other charges or barriers for trading, and membership of cefta has long been considered to double as preparation for admission into the European Union.

On the 1st of January, 2007, the membership of cefta was extended to those countries known as the Western Balkans as well as Moldova, in part to replace those countries which had acceded to the European Union: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were all admitted into the European Union and were obliged to leave cefta. Croatia, too, upon joining the European Union will need to relinquish their membership of cefta.

This shift in the membership paradigm might allow the Republic of Serbia to become the main pillar of cefta, but the question arises whether Serbia will manage to take advantage of this opportunity, even though they have achieved very positive results, economically speaking, with other member countries. Once a country enters the European Union it must leave cefta, and adopt trade practises in accordance with eu rules and regulations – meaning that that country’s products will no longer be subject to favourable trading conditions with their cefta neighbours. With

- SAŠA VRAČAR Saša Vračar, Mag.iur., is a member of the Stuttgart Bar Association and Attorney at Law at Janković, Popović & Mitić. He may be contacted at sasa.vracar@jpm.rs.

reference to the next member to leave, Croatia, that means that milk, meat, meat products, beverages, and flour, all items which are exported to Bosnia and Herzegovina, will become more expensive, and thus less competitive.

This will open the door for Serbia, enabling it to pick up the slack in these markets, which could prove quite lucrative when one considers that in 2011 Bosnia and Herzegovina imported 57.5% of their needs in these particular markets from Croatia. While Serbia itself has become a candidate for eu membership, that day may well be some distance in the future; Croatia took over a decade to complete the process, and for now trade with other cefta members will be a key component of the Serbian trade balance.

Even now, as over recent years, Serbia has a significant trade surplus with

Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as with Macedonia and Montenegro. Serbia’s second largest trade partner is cefta, and in the first half of 2012 the country saw a surplus of just under 620 million us Dollars; in 2011 that total reached 1.5 billion us Dollars. It is clear that cefta, as a region, is of utmost importance to Serbia, as their trade balance with other partners does not read quite so favourably: the Serbian trade balance with the European Union, for H1 2012, saw a deficit of 3 billion Euros.

Some of the important factors to take into account, as regards trading with cefta, are lower transportation costs (often the transport infrastructure is that which once connected all parts of Yugoslavia with one another), and product awareness in neighbouring countries (again, many of these products may well have existed during the time of Yugoslavia and would elicit high brand awareness amongst the generation responsible for family purchases). There is also the advantage in the fact that Montenegro, Macedonia, and Republika Srpska (as part of b&h but nurturing particularly friendly relations with Serbia), have a much smaller production output and rely on imports to maintain their internal economies.

With Croatia set to leave cefta on January 1 st, 2013, the Republic of Serbia should increase its presence in this market; this type of economic expansion would require much less effort and funds than entering a hitherto unknown market. Given the current global recession, it would seem the intelligent move to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Winter 2012 23

www.see-magazine.eu 24

Winter 2012 25

event horizon

IS JUSTICE SERVED? What is justice? A terrible goddess, an unattainable mistress, a waitress serving the proverbial dish of revenge cold? Provided, of course, that justice is a she, and that she may be given an antropomorphic shape.It's been quite a month. Generals Gotovina and Markač, along with Kosovo's Ramush Haradinaj, acquitted; Ivo sanader and Radomir Čačić sentences to jail.

Believe us, even more more stable - and wealthier - regions and countries would have difficulty dealing with this type of turmoil, let alone this one. And, as always, the implications are far reaching...

www.see-magazine.eu 26

event horizon

Gotovina & Markač: Acquittal of the Century After more than a decade the jury is finally in on the matter of Ante Gotovina, and also Mladen Markač, as part of the package. From a Croatian perspective, a decorated war hero turned fugitive and ultimately captive of the icty has been vindicated and is now seen as something akin to the Second Coming. So, is there another political career in the making, and what are some other curiosities surrounding this controversial figure? byIgor Dakić & Miroslav Tomas

G

enerals Gotovina and Markač may have been acquitted roughly a month ago, but our story will begin back in 1998, when the icty prosecutors started looking into events surrounding Operation Storm. At that time, the Croatian authorities were adamant that the icty had no jurisdiction over the military operation, and advised Generals Gotovina, Čermak, and Markač that they should not speak with any of the investigators. In the year 2000 there was a change of Government, and on September 30th of that year Stjepan Mesić, the then President of the Republic of Croatia, forcefully retired Gotovina and six other active Generals of the Croatian Army – this was after the military men has cosigned an open letter voicing discontent with the policies of the then-current hierarchy, a hierarchy which no longer felt that the icty had no business in Croatia. On June 8th, 2001, the icty delivered a sealed indictment to the Croatian Government, which protested on the grounds that the charges against Gotovina, personally, were overly severe and disproportionate. The protests, which fell on deaf ears, were almost irrelevant however, as Gotovina fled from his residence in Zagreb and went on the run. He remained at large until his arrest in Tenerife on December 7th, 2005.

During the General’s time on the run, the point was made that his arrest, and Croatia’s continuing cooperation with Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte and The Hague, was likely to be a necessary requirement if the country was to get the

According to the polls, the day of the generals' return was declared as being the most positive event of the last ten years... final green light for eu accession. Following the re-election of a reformed hdz to Government, the matter of this flight was investigated, and it was then discovered that the General had been supported in his evasion of arrest by all manner of right wing individuals from Croatia, and abroad from within the Diaspora, as well as one Hrvoje Petrač, an entrepreneur with supposed ties to organised crime.

Petrač’s arrest, himself having been on the run after being found guilty of kidnapping the son of General Vladimir Zagorac (also serving time in jail now), was widely accepted as being a precursor to the events of December 7th.

In 2004 the icty expanded their indictment to include Generals Mladen Markač and Ivan Čermak, both of whom surrendered to the tribunal on March 11th of that same year, pleading not guilty. Both men filed, and were granted, motions for provisional release; the two, confined to house arrest, were both eventually recalled to holding following breaches of their parole; Markač

famously photographed whilst out hunting, and Čermak also snapped whilst attending the 2008 Snow Queen Trophy.

The three accused now in custody, the trial began in March of that year.

The Trial According to an amended indictment, accepted by the Trial chamber on March 12th, the three Generals were accused for individual and command responsibility on four separate acts: prosecution on ethnic grounds; plunder of public and private property; murder; inhumane acts and cruel treatment, with a contention that they had taken these actions as a part of a joined criminal enterprise, with the objective of permanently banishing the Serbian population from the so called Krajina region of Croatia. Markač was charged as being the Commander of the Police Special Forces, Čermak as Commander of the Knin garrison, and Gotovina as Commander of the Split Military District, during, and in the aftermath of, Operation Storm.

The Trial Chamber was presided over by Judge Alphonse Orie and seated by Judges Uldis Kinis and Elisabeth Gwaunza, with counsels for the prosecution Alan Tieger and Stefan Wasepi.

The counsels for the Defence were Luka Mišetić, Gregory Kehoe, Guenael Mettraux and Payam Akhavan for Ante Gotovina. Mladen Markač was defended by Tomislav Kuzmanović and Goran Mikuličić, while Ivan Čermak was represented by Steven Kay and Gillian Higgins.

Winter 2012 27

The Prosecution’s case was completed by March 5th, 2009, and the Defence began their case on May 28th, ending the following January 27th. Closing arguments were delivered on August 30th and September 1st, respectively, of 2010.

During the proceedings Judge Orie found that there existed an international armed conflict throughout the period, and area, as listed in the indictment, and that Croatian military forces and the Special Police committed acts of murder, cruel treatment, destruction, plunder and deportation by means of widespread and

The atmosphere of the rally was heated up by patriotic songs from the early 90s, some of which could easily constitute hate speech.

systematic attack against the Serb civilian population. The attack was also found to be a part of the so called joint criminal enterprise, taking into consideration the transcripts from the meeting of high ranking Croatian Military officials, held in President Tuđman's summer residence on the island of Brijuni on July 31st, 1995. At this meeting the importance of the Serbian population leaving Krajina was stressed.

The Council found that President Tuđman instigated such policies so as to remove the Serbian population by force or threat of force, and to repopulate the area with Croats, primarily refugees from b&h. Based on the statements of the Brijuni meeting, statements made in public and other meetings, the Council also found that Minister of Defense Gojko Šušak and Chief of the Croatian Army General staff Zvonimir Červenko also took part in the planning and instigation of this Joint Criminal Enterprise.

Based on the findings the Council concluded that, as an attendant of the Brijuni meeting, Ante Gotovina had contributed to the planning and preparation of Operation Storm, and that he subsequently failed to make any serious effort to prevent and sanction the crimes committed by his subordinates against the Krajina Serbs. The Council also found that Gotovina had ordered a direct attack against civilian targets, as per the '200 metre rule' according to which any artillery shell exploded in a radius that exceeds 200 meters of a military target is deemed illegal.

In relation to Mladen Markač the Council found that he participated in the planning of operations, and ordered the shelling of Gračac, which lead to the displacement of the civilian population and constituted an unlawful attack against civilian population and property, thus contributing to the Joint Criminal Enterprise.

Regarding Ivan Čermak the Council found that, as a person in charge of restoring order and normal functioning of municipal services, he did not know of the plans to repopulate Krajina with Croats rather than Serbs, and the Prosecution also failed to prove that he permitted, denied or concealed crimes committed against the civilian population in the aftermath of the operation.

www.see-magazine.eu 28

With the findings taken into regard the Council made a unanimous ruling, and rendered its judgement on April 15th, 2011. Gotovina and Markač, as members of the Joint Criminal Enterprise and on the basis of individual and command responsibility were found guilty of persecution, of deportation, and of acts of plunder of property, wanton destruction, murder and cruel treatment. Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years and Markač to 18 years imprisonment. Ivan Čermak was acquitted of all charges.

The Appeal Defence counsels filed appeals against the verdict immediately after sentencing; on May 16th for Gotovina, and on the 18th for Markač, with the submission of appeal briefs on August 2nd for Gotovina and October 12th for Markač. The Appeal hearings started on May 14th, 2012.

The Appeals Chamber was presided over by Judge Theodor Meron and seated by Judges Mehmet Guney, Fausto Pocar, Carmel Agius and Patrick Robinson.

The joint findings concluded that the earlier verdict premised the entire findings of Markač and Gotovina taking part in a joint criminal enterprise around the fact of excessive shelling having taken place.

As for the shelling, the Appeals Council found that the '200 metre standard' was arbitrary and did not incorporate equal standards in determining the unlawful hits for each of the four cities. In other words, they found that no unlawful shelling took place, and accordingly the Appeals Council found that no evidence could be found that Gotovina and Markač contributed to the Joint Criminal Enterprise. Seeing as all other evidence was circumstantial and revolved around the unlawful shelling premise, they reversed the ruling and acquitted the two of all charges on November 16th. It must be noted that the Council made the decision by a majority vote (three to two), with Judges Agius and Poncar dissenting.

The Aftermath The two Generals were immediately released from custody and flown back by Croatian Government jet on the same day, where a mass of 70,000 people greeted

- O P E R AT I O N S TO R M I N B R I E F Operation Storm began on the 4th and lasted until the 7th of August 1995, and was coordinated between the main Croatian Army forces with HVO (Croatian Defence Council) and the Army B&H. The main objective of the operation was to regain control over the territories of Republic of Srpska Krajina, and to prevent the fall of Bihać (B&H) which was under assault by Bosnian Serb forces. The international community tacitly approved the operation, outraged by the massacre in Srebrenica which took part in July, and fearful that the same fate awaited Bihać.

The main Croatian force was divided into six sectors of operation and numbered between 150,000 and 200,000 combatants, giving them an overwhelming tactical advantage over the Army of Srpska Krajina which was 40,000 strong, and severely demoralised. The lightning assault, which began on the dawn of the 4th, met

them on the main square. The atmosphere of the rally, prior to the Generals arriving, was heated up by patriotic songs from the early 90s, some of which could easily constitute hate speech.

Gotovina addressed the crowd by saying, “today the Homeland War is over, from now on we must turn to the future”. However, the following statement, in which Gotovina thanked the Government for their support, drew whistles from the crowd.

According to the polls, the day was declared as being the most positive event of the last ten years, and immediately speculations started about Gotovina potentially going into politics. He, however simply stated that all he wants to do now is enjoy his freedom and family.

Waves of disappointment swept throughout the extreme right-wing circles as Gotovina thanked the left wing Government. Tensions were further inflamed, in the following days, with a phone interview given to Serbian daily Kurir. In it Gotovina, when asked by the journalist if he would call on the exiled Serbs to return to Croatia, simply replied: “How can you invite somebody to return

with little resistance in the Dalmatia sector, as the Serb forces retreated in panic, and thus the Croatian army marched into Knin, around noon of the 5th, putting an end to RSK. In the Banovina sector, however, Croatian forces advancing towards Petrinja met with fierce resistance which ground the advancement to a halt. The forces regrouped on the 5th under a new commander, General Stipetić, and advanced towards the B&H border, taking Petrinja, Glina and Dvor na Uni, joining with the forces of the 5th Corps of Army B&H under the command of General Atif Dudaković, on the 7th of August. The last remaining Serb forces (the 21st Kordun Corps) surrendered in an orderly and military fashion on the 8th, with the corps commander congratulating the victory and saluting General Stipetić before the lined soldiers. Some residual fighting went on until the 14th, but only minor.

to their house? It is their home, Croatia is their homeland”.

This statement drew criticism in a low circulation extreme right-wing rag Hrvatska Riječ, that ran a title 'The people are wondering, is this our Ante' and continued with a public address by Zvonimir Trusić, head of 'Stop the Prosecution of Defenders' movement in which he openly called Gotovina a traitor for siding with the Government, not attending the march commemorating the fall of Vukovar, and calling on the exiled Serbs to return to their homes. Gotovina responded to the accusations simply by saying that their opinion is their own business and that “I cannot say anything wrong, because I speak honestly and when you are honest you can't be wrong”.

Coupled with a statement in which Gotovina pleaded, via his legal counsels, with anti eu agitators not to use his name for their purposes on the eve of the eu Referendum, the latest public appearances have indeed promoted him as a champion of a moderate and progressive policy. And it is in that respect that the public continues to speculate on his future political engagement.

Winter 2012 29

For now, however, Gotovina has in no unclear terms waived away any possibility of ever having a political career. Enjoying his newly found freedom, in addition to assuming an almost shockingly reconciliatory tone he has entertained the public and the media with his gallantry, even inviting journalist standing in front of his residence to join him inside for a cup of coffee. He behaves – or carries himself – in the manner of a French actor from the golden age of European cinema, in the manner of an Alain Delon.

The Unforgiven Unfortunately, however, as we all know, Operation Storm (as well as all the nineties’ military campaigns) had devastating effects, and not only from the humanitarian point of view. According to un figures 150 000 Serbs went into exile (Serbian sources say about 220 000), and in between 1000 and 2500 people (depending on the sources one consults) were killed during and after the operation. Whether or not an actual (and semi-official) policy of the Croatian Government we may never find out

definitively, but ethnic cleansing undoubtedly took place, inflicting deep wounds which the Region is yet properly to assess and begin to remedy. If not Gotovina and Markač, who then is the guilty party?

The media, predominant public opinion, and even the Governments have always – as in most other countries in the Region – impeded any sort of positive reckoning by, firstly, allowing crimes by one’s own forces to be relativised along the lines of ‘the other side committed atrocities which were even worse’; and, secondly, by failing to understand, in the words of Milorad Pupovac (whom we’ve already interviewed for the next issue of see), that “the weight of the State is too big of a burden for a nation to bear.

Reducing that burden would constitute an extremely emancipatory process in Croatia.”

Indeed, as the rhetoric and tunes on display during the two Generals’ homecoming parade, awfully remindful of the most vivid 1990s nationalist rallies, indicated all too well, a large part of Croatia is still living in the past – which is understandable. The sentiment of ‘Us v Them’

is still, though waning, extremely strong, and some time will obviously have to pass before the notion that one cannot commit a crime in a defensive war stops being the more or less official currency of chauvinists, victims, some politicians and even many judges.

It is also understandable that the exiled and wronged ethnic Serb civilians would have liked to see Gotovina and Markač sentenced to jail, as they believe that would grant them a measure of satisfaction. But why not call this type of satisfaction the ‘second best thing’, and say that what those same exiled and wronged ethnic Serb civilians actually need is to believe – or feel – that the Croatian people have come to terms with the more disreputable aspects of their more recent past. Which does not mean that they shouldn’t celebrate the acquittal of their Generals as individuals, but which does mean that, if indeed those two men are innocent, one should actively be looking for those who are not, which is not the case.

For just as men can be acquitted of a crime, no crime – especially a crime of this magnitude – should go unpunished.

www.see-magazine.eu 30

Ante Gotovina: a Biography

A

nte Gotovina was born on October 12th, 1955 in Tkon on the island of Pašman in the Zadar archipelago, to a family of Dalmatian fishermen.

Tragedy struck the family in 1959 when Gotovina's mother died, saving young Ante and his brother Boro from a construction site explosion. After the tragedy the family moved to Pakoštane near Zadar, where Ante and his brother were raised by their paternal Aunt Marija, while their father, Milan, who soon remarried and had another son and daughter with his new wife, went to work in Zagreb.

Adventurous from an early age, Gotovina is said to have tried to smuggle himself into Italy by means of a small boat at the age of fifteen, but failed in the attempt. At the age of sixteen he fled from home with his mind set on becoming a sailor, only to find himself in Marseilles one year later. After spending one year in Fort San Nicholas and undergoing paratrooper and combat diver training, Gotovina joined the French Foreign in 1973 under the alias of Andrija Grabovac, claiming he was born on December 10th, 1953, with a serial number of 151408. As a legionnaire Gotovina saw combat in Africa, taking part in the battle of Kolwezi in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and then he was wounded by a sniper round to the head in Chad, in 1981.

Soon after the Chad episode Gotovina left the Legion with a rank of Sergeant Chef, and was granted French citizenship, after which point the story of Gotovina becomes rather shady.

It is obvious that as a former legionnaire he did in fact become a member of a security agency which was a front for the French intelligence service, where he served for a time as body guard to the right wing politician and head of Front Nationale, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Stories abound about Gotovina seeing jail time after a covert operation which included extortion and robbery, later rumoured to be a part of a power play within the French intelligence community. These rumours have been denied by Gotovina's attorneys.

Be that as it may, in the second half of the 1980s he went into service with the French Ministry of Defence, travelling to Latin America under the alias of Toni Moremante, a French tourist, while in fact he acted as instructor to right wing guerrillas in Guatemala and other hot spots. His South American episode came to an end when he, in 1991, learned that war had broken out in Yugoslavia from his Argentinean-Croat friends.

Upon hearing the news Gotovina borrowed enough money from an old Legion buddy to buy a plane ticket to Zagreb, and so found himself in the Croatian capital in the autumn of the same year. Volunteering into the zng (a precursor force to the Croatian Army), Gotovina first saw combat as a regular soldier in Slavonia (where he was wounded), and later became an instructor of the army special forces. With the outbreak of the war in b&h, now Colonel Gotovina was briefly posted as head of the Livno hvo (Croatian Defence Council) branch, commanding the forces which repelled the assault of the Serbian forces under General Mladić.

After this stint Gotovina commanded the forces in the Maslenica operation in Croatia and became one of the people instrumental in establishing a special forces training centre in Šepurine near Zadar, now with the rank of Colonel General and Commander of the Operation Zone South, later renamed Split Military District. It is in this capacity that Gotovina was, along with Zvonimir Červenko (head of Operation Zone North), one of the six field commanders of the Croatian forces in Operation Storm.

Prior to Storm itself, Gotovina commanded the operation codenamed Summer 95, which saw Croatian Army units advancing through the Field of Livno to take control of Glamoč and Bosansko Grahovo effectively encircling Knin, capital of the separatist Republic of Srpska Krajina. It is during this operation that the Croatian forces devastated both Glamoč and Bosansko Grahovo, implementing a scorched earth policy coupled with plunder of property performed by the auxiliary b&h Croat units. As to why these events never came into focus of The Hague Tribunal remains a mystery to this day, as does the question of whether the torching was a random act of large scale vandalism or a systematically planned undertaking.

After Operation Storm Gotovina commanded the joined hv and hvo forces in Operation Mistral, which completely routed the Bosnian Serb forces and saw the Croats advancing to within 23 kilometres of Banja Luka, at which point the operation was stopped after a red light from Washington (the territories gained in the Mistral were later used as bargaining chips in the Dayton peace talks). Following the termination of hostilities, Gotovina was appointed to the post of Chief Inspector of the Croatian Army, a position which he held until he was ousted from the army in 2000 after co-signing an open letter with 12 other senior officers protesting the actions of the new coalition government. In 2001 Gotovina fled the country one day prior to his indictment from The Hague was supposed to be served. It is rumoured that only days before the events he was issued a passport by the French Embassy in Zagreb, but these rumours remain unconfirmed. It is, however, a fact that Gotovina used Croatian passports under two different aliases in his run from prosecution, one of which was the name of Kristijan Horvat. The locations of where he was hiding were also never confirmed, but supposedly they included Russia and the Far East, before he was arrested in Mallorca in 2005. The rest is, as they say, history.

Winter 2012 31

event horizon

Sanader Found Guilty In what will likely be viewed as a landmark case for generations to come, the former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has been jailed for 10 years for his role in a series of scandals, and it probably won’t end there either. An appeal is sure to follow, and possibly further complications. byIgor Dakić & Miroslav Tomas

N

ovember 16th: the sentence has been passed in the case of Hypo Bank as well as ina-mol. Zagreb County Court found the former Prime Minister guilty on both counts, and sentenced him to ten years imprisonment. With regards to Hypo Bank, Sanader was found guilty of receiving a rather hefty kickback, amounting to 480,000 Euros, for the arranging of a 10 million Euro loan to the Croatian Foreign Affairs Ministry back in 1994 – at that time he held the office of Deputy Minister. With regard to ina-mol, he was found guilty of receiving a 5 million Euro bribe, while Prime Minister in 2009, to enact changes to the shareholders agreement of the company, allowing Hungarian mol to take effective control of ina.

The ten year sentence, which was close to the maximum possible, was a message to “all those holding high political office that they should perform their job in the public interest, and not for their own personal gain”, according to Judge Ivan Turudić. The judge went on to say that Sanader had “abused the chaotic conditions of war in order to acquire unlawful material gain”, which was effectively an act of war profiteering.

Reaction to the verdict was immediate. Ids mp Damir Kajin, well known for his outspoken tirades against hdz’s corruption scandals, stated: “I will not gloat; however, this is a step in the right direction and hopefully other cases of war profiteering will also be prosecuted”. Ivan Jarnjak, of hdz, said that “the prosecution had a strong case and such an outcome was expected”. Zoran Vinković, who is a member of hdssb, once of hdz, held that the verdict would be damaging to the main opposition party, especially since “the entire party, including the higher echelons, knew what was happening”. As for the man and woman on the street, the opinion was

- OTHER PROCEEDINGS -

almost uniform in tone: Sanader’s sentence was, is, too small when the crimes committed were considered.

Conviction and reaction aside (and remember there’s more to come), you could be forgiven for experiencing mixed emotion with regards to the entirety of the proceedings. It must come as no great surprise to learn that there have been numerous cases of war profiteering and corruption which have happened in Croatia over the years. The Hypo Bank case is definitely a step in the right direction, and it is likely that many more of a similar nature will follow, although the passage of time may well have muddied the water, meaning further prosecutions will be a difficult task.

What is of paramount importance is that Sanader is not made to be a scapegoat, to either shield hdz from further investigation or prosecution, and that the Croatian Judiciary prosecute further cases in a fair manner, avoiding accusations of parading high profile defendants for the benefit of eu onlookers. Sanader, in similar fashion to Branimir Glavaš before him, only had charges brought against him after he was ousted from hdz, in January 2010. Europe looks on, and with Croatia lagging behind the European average in the Global Corruption Index, Sanader’s conviction might be welcomed, but it will take more than a well publicised trial to fully assuage concerns, both home and abroad.

FIMI Media This trial began on April 28th, 2012. Sanader stands accused, along with four other individuals and two legal persons (FIMI Media Ltd. and HDZ) of unlawfully procuring 10 million Euros for the party slush fund.

All of the accused, except for Sanader and HDZ, have pleaded guilty to all charges. The trial is ongoing.

Planinska Affair This indictment was recently confirmed, on December 13th, 2012. Sanader and the former Minister of Agriculture Petar Čobanković stand accused of purchasing, from Stjepan Fiolić, an office building on Zagreb’s Planinska Street for use by the Ministry of Regional Development and Agriculture. The building was purchased at well over its market value and it is alleged that those accused received a kickback amounting to 17 million Kuna. Fiolić admits that he delivered this money to the two men, and the former Minister has already pleaded guilty. A start date has yet to be announced.

HEP-DIOKI Sanader, Robert Ježić (CEO of DIOKI) and Ivan Mravak (CEO of HEP) are accused of an abuse of power. The Croatian Electric Company (HEP) delivered electricity to DIOKI at a reduced price over the period of 2008 and 2009, which resulted in financial loss to HEP amounting to 500,000 Euros. Ježić supposedly paid Sanader 80,000 Euros as a kickback for facilitating this arrangement. The indictment was filed with Zagreb County Court on May 28th 2012, but has been returned to the State Attorney’s office for finalisation.

www.see-magazine.eu 32

A few Croatian flags may have been burned, but one could hardly have expected a quiet Serbian reaction, especially in the streets.

Winter 2012 33

event horizon

Serbia’s Hague Plight If the nouveau political scene in Serbia during 2012 has shown many regressive tendencies, then the latest judgements which have been issued from The Hague will only serve to lessen the influence, and inclination, of the pro-European camp in Belgrade.

by Miša Milošević

H

istory is often not very much like justice, but rather like a judiciary: in order to ascertain if something happened, there must needs exist undeniable evidence (documentation and witnesses) that it indeed did happen. However, as we all know, the final reading or judgment of the facts ultimately remains at the discretion of historians and judges – or oftentimes victors, as the old adage goes.

And while an objective historian is yet to appear who could satisfactorily discern aggression from civil war(s), recent verdicts in The Hague Tribunal have already verified and sealed interpretations which will enter official and scholarly use. Simply put, following the November acquittals of the Croatian Generals and former Kosovo pm Ramush Haradinaj, the situation is clear from where Serbia stands: Croatia and Kosovo are not guilty… Serbia is, and is obviously not happy, having found itself in the role, as it sees it, of the to mention many victims left withproverbial ‘solitary cyclist’ – or culprit. out solace or comfort. Who, then, is responsible for the persecution, killing and shelling of towns populated by Serbs during ‘Operation Storm’, in what arGone with the Storm guably turned out to be one of the bigA contention could be made that the ic- gest instances of ethnic cleansing in Euty seemed to have seriously challenged rope after World War ii?

Official Belgrade was in shock – and the authority of its own Trial Chamber by ruling out the 42 years of imprison- in denial. President Tomislav Nikolić ment of the two officials down to ze- said that the verdict would not help to ro, in a proceeding which Judge Faus- stabilise regional relations, and would to Pocar called “simply grotesque” and instead open old wounds. Prime Minis“against any sense of justice”. Carla del ter Dačić was even les tactful by calling Ponte made waves as well, arguing, in the icty a political tribunal: “the versimple terms, that justice was not de- dict proves the thesis that the Hague livered – and her animosity towards Tribunal is not a court of justice, but is General Gotovina, whom she spent al- there to fulfil political tasks”. The Demmost half a decade chasing after literal- ocratic Party, now in opposition, also ly round the whole world, is a matter of raised voice against the perceived injustice, although they had exercised public record.

But the liberating sentences also left open and unlimited collaboration with many other questions unanswered, not the court since 2000 - which resulted

...there was a fresh slap in the face for Serbia, and again it came from the Hague Tribunal. Ramush Haradinaj, together with Idriz Beljaj and Ljahi Ibrahimi, was acquitted for crimes committed against nonAlbanian civilians...

in the extradition of as many as 46 individuals, including heads of state and of the military – Slobodan Milošević of course being the most prominent figure.

Even the former Foreign Minister, Vuk Jeremić, now chairing the un General Assembly, engaged in later well publicised twitter duel with Gotovina’s attorney Luka Mišetić, voicing such outrage as would not ordinarily become his present (impartial) post.

Ultimately, the acquittal of the Croatian Generals was seen, in Serbia, as the purging of its recent history and politics just in time before it joins the European Union. And there was more waiting further down the road.

The Southern Comfort In mere days after the Croatian generals returned home there was a fresh slap in the face for Serbia, and again it came from the Hague Tribunal. Ramush Haradinaj, former Prime Minister of Kosovo and Commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, together with Idriz Beljaj and Ljahi Ibrahimi, was acquitted for crimes committed against non-Albanian civilians in Western Kosovo, from 1998 - before the military clash in Kosovo and subsequent nato air campaign the following year - for the second time. The prosecution had encountered the same problems as in the first trial but also a host of others - intimidated and missing witnesses (in fact, as many as 19 prospective witnesses died, of various causes, during the trial), changing statements, refusals of testimonies and insufficient evidence, which led the court to the same conclusion: not guilty. The aforementioned trio were welcomed in Priština as heroes with festivities which, oddly enough, had been organised days before the final ruling even occurred.

www.see-magazine.eu 34

Tomislav Nikolić

Ivica Dačić

Vuk Jeremić

Rasim Ljajić

Rasim Ljajić, President of the Serbian Committee for Collaboration with icty, said that the deterioration of the Tribunal's credibility continued. The Serbian Progressive Party called for the stopping of any further collaboration with The Hague, while the State Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević claims that this verdict was "unjust and the result of insufficiently professional witness protection by the tribunal".

Prime Minister Ivica Dačić said that relations with the icty would be reduced to a purely technical level, which was immediately confirmed by the Cabinet.

Serbia Facing Both Ways November events at The Hague and Croatia's accession to the eu are likely to leave lasting effects on Serbia's political and economic position in the Western Balkans - or its ability to advance in the near future.

The first thing worth noting is that Serbia's trust in and aspiration for its European future has been in sharp decline over recent weeks. In spite of the fact that the Government has tried to save the day (and its own position in pursuing this process) by solemnly repeating

The Council for Foreign Relations in Parliament has adopted the decision to form a permanent observatory delegation at the Russia led Organisation of Collective Security... its dedication to the European path, recent polls have shown decline of public trust in the eu. The level of optimism, in other words, is at its all time low.

With the European boundaries moving to the Serbian Western border, Serbia will soon find itself almost entirely surrounded by the eu. Its first and foremost neighbour, who often serves as a bridge and recommendation for the neighbour

aspiring to the eu membership, is Croatia.

And Croatia, now with a new and raised European profile, will be too busy building European relations to work on regional networking and smoothing out relations with Serbia. Having been entirely absolved of any responsibility for the 90s wars, Croatia may have found some much needed impetus, but it came at the expense of Serbia, which could translate into a scenario in which the two counties might end up watching each other over the European fence with the evil eye for quite some time to come. Some poisonous diplomatic arrows exchanged between the Croatian and Serbian Presidents in the past few weeks have already set the tone, at least for the short term.

As for Serbia’s southern neighbours - Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo – they will likely see their entry into the European family at the same time as Serbia, if not earlier. Yet – this cannot be denied – they remain economically small and less attractive partners to rely on in the future.

So, could Serbia be turning to the East, primarily to Russia? The Council for Foreign Relations in the Serbian Parliament has adopted the decision to form a permanent observatory delegation at the Organisation of Collective Security, the Russian dominated Eurasian military treaty, which so far does not include any European country. This is seen as the political poke in the eye, albeit naive, to Brussels, as a result to their seemingly unfair treatment of Serbia.

But let us make no mistake here: the foreign policy of Serbia remains perfectly in balance between East and West: with the Minister of Defence, Aleksandar Vučić, visiting the United States three times in quick succession, it is perfectly clear that Serbia has entrusted most of its hopes with the West.

The only viable solution for the Serbian regional position and its own welfare in all ways - political, economic and social - is to pursue its European path, though it now appears that the pace at which this is to be achieved is no longer entirely in Serbia’s own hands. The dream of a more or less simultaneous approach of the entirety of the Western Balkans to the eu seems to have been shelved, until further notice…

Winter 2012 35

- RAMUSH HARADINAJ Haradinaj was born on 3 July 1968 in the village of Glođane, near Dečani, in the Serbian province of Kosovo. He spent his youth in his native village with his parents and siblings, and completed primary school in Rznici and secondary school in Dečani and Đakovica. After graduating from high school, he served in the Yugoslav Army, and in 1989 he left to work in construction in Switzerland, staying there for eight years before returning to Kosovo.

The Kosovo War broke out only a matter of days after his return, and Haradinaj found himself acting as leader for the people of his village, successfully holding off Government forces. By May 1998 he was regarded as Commander of Glođane and the surrounding villages, and by June 1998 he had become Commander of the Dukagjin Operational Zone (in Metohija), as part of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK). It was at this time that Haradinaj and his forces were suspected of torturing and murdering 39 people, some of whom were ethnic Serbs, after their bodies were discovered in the area. Once the war

was over, he went to the University of Priština “In the overall post-Yugoslav context, Mr. to study law. He would also earn a Master’s Haradinaj's willingness after his indictBusiness Degree from the American Univer- ment to surrender voluntarily and go to The sity of Kosovo.

Hague is striking. It stands in glaring conKosovo joined NATO in 1999 and UÇK was dis- trast to the behaviour of the three most inbanded, and the Kosovo Protection Corp was famous individuals indicted by The Hague, founded, which Haradinaj left in 2000 so as to all of whom are still fugitives, resisting arenter the world of politics. He founded the Al- rest: former Bosnian Serb General Ratko liance for the Future of Kosovo and was elect- Mladić, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan ed its President. Although he only enjoyed Karadžić, and former Croatian General Ante moderate electoral success, his party found Gotovina.” itself part of coalition negotiations in October Then again, there are those who would say of 2004, and Haradinaj was nominated for the that one’s willingness to surrender oneself position of Prime Minister by Dr. Ibrahim Rug- and stand trial does not necessarily mean ova, who was at that time President of Kos- that one did not commit the crimes one ovo. Haradinaj spent just over three months in stands accused of, although, perhaps paraoffice before being indicted for war crimes by doxically, Haradinaj is one of the rare Kosovar the ICTY. He was acquitted, for the first time, politicians who seems to be fully committed in 2008 for lack of evidence, and then, again, to reconciliation (at least declaratively) and in November of this year. It is a well known who, in the words of more than one Kosovo fact that he has always received major sup- Serb, “one can actually work with”. port from the US, some would say for obvi- Haradinaj has already announced his intenous – i.e. political – reasons. For instance, this tion to run for office in the upcoming Kosovo is what United States Senator Joe Biden once elections, and will undoubtedly be a force to said about Haradinaj's indictment: contend with.

www.see-magazine.eu 36

Winter 2012 37

event horizon

The Strange Fate of Radimir Čačić “The consequences are clear. I am hereby handing in my resignation in relation to all of my Governmental functions”, stated Radimir Čačić almost a month ago, the now former Deputy Prime Minister.

Following the motoring tragedy in Hungary, which left two people dead, it had appeared at first that the politician was a beneficiary of Court leniency, but the three year suspended sentence was overturned on appeal and now he is faced with jail time, 22 months to be precise. But, as always, what are the deeper implications?

by Igor Dakić & Ben Berković

I

t was a day of some contrast: Čačić, in his role as Minister of Economy, was just about to land at Zagreb Airport, arriving from Qatar, where he had led a Croatian delegation to the opening of the country’s new embassy in Doha, and where new business agreements had been signed.

When President Ivo Josipović called it must have appeared to be on a congratulatory note, but the mood soon changed once the President relayed his unexpected news – the Hungarian courts had overturned an earlier decision, meaning that the Croatian politician would now be required to serve time in jail, when previously their deliberation had resulted in a conditional sentence.

Reaction to the news, from outside the echelons of political power, was unusually mixed. One prominent lawyer from Budapest, who wished to remain anonymous, explained why it caused such reactions: “All who are acquainted with the dealings of the Hungarian courts are quite surprised by the Kaposvar court ruling. In similar cases, higher courts rarely overturn the decision of a lower court in such a drastic manner. If they determine that the ruling was based on wrong assumptions, or that it was unlawful, or lacked evidence, then the entire case would be returned to its beginnings. This ruling is out of the ordinary, especially the promptness with which it was brought. Such proceedings usually

Paradoxes may be very well in their way, and there is yet another one we must mention. It is a paradox that both Sanader and Čačić, the one receiving a bribe, the other promising a hammer, should go to jail as a result of a ‘Hungarian adventure’. last much longer, sometimes even up to a year. For these reasons I am afraid it will be long speculated over why the court acted in such a manner concerning Radimir Čačić.”

The ultimate reaction of the politician himself may be the most telling indicator. He had already stated, at the time of the accident, that he would leave politics if he received a prison sentence, although also telling the press that “one does not leave politics due to accidents”.

Whether this sentence is justice, or not,

will remain a hotly debated topic; irrespective of that, it will only be a matter of months before Čačić is expected to begin to start serving time.

Political implications Ever since the moment when the State Attorneys’ Office of the Republic of Croatia and uskok (the Bureau for Combating Corruption and Organised Crime) accused the former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader of corruption and war-profiteering, Čačić’s trial in Kaposvar had been persistently associated with the ina/ mol/Sanader scandal. The latter was sentenced to ten years in prison on November 20th, 2012, after being found guilty, amongst other things, of accepting a ten million Euro bribe from the Hungarian oil company mol in return for securing controlling rights over Croatia’s state oil company ina.

As for Čačić, from the moment he became Deputy pm and Minister of the Economy he persistently ‘applied pressure’ on the Hungarians, asking that they invest more vigorously into ina.

The Hungarian firm had promised to modernise the refineries in Sisak and Rijeka, and to repair ina’s petrol stations, but, to date, improvements were done only on the latter refinery, while the revamping of petrol stations is a relatively recent development, which only kicked off this year. Still, all the scandals

www.see-magazine.eu 38

notwithstanding, it must be mentioned that the Hungarians have managed to bring ina back to profitability and have consistently been working on rendering the system more efficient, which, true, did involve a number of layoffs, but which also means that ina has been investing in its personnel and operations on the ground.

Truth be told, whilst fully in State hands, ina did not performed better, but rather worse, then after Hungarians managed to obtain the controlling stake, and there are at least two reasons why ina is a predominantly political rather than economic issue.

The first is that, as the largest Croatian company in terms of turnover, it has always been the stuff of populist invective – and the present left-wing government, much more so than the previous hdz government, has to give out the appearance of ‘national awareness’. In plain language, the fact that one of the country’s principal assets is controlled by another country (which is not necessarily true, as mol’s ownership structure is immensely complicated), simply ‘looks bad’ in public discourse – which is still mired, to a large degree, by old both socialist and nationalist passions and misconceptions which have difficulty making a distinction between the notions of capital and sovereignty.

Still, there is no doubt that the original, suspended sentence handed down

- RADIMIR ČAČIĆ'S BIOGRAPHY Radimir Čačić was born in Zagreb, on the 11th of May 1949. His father, Nikola, was the Secretary of the Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, and was later appointed the Republics’ Attorney. Čačić graduated from the 7th Gymnasium in Zagreb, and received his diploma from the Faculty of Architecture in 1973, where he also met his wife Marija, after which he finished his graduate programme at the J.F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Čačić was then employed at Interpublic, in Zagreb, where he worked from 1973 until 1977, primarily for the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the United States of America. In 1978 he founded the company CONING in Varaždin, of which he was CEO and major owner until the year 2000, when he transferred ownership into his wife’s hands. He also served as visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb until 1985, as well as at a business school then cofounded by the Harvard Business School. In the early 1990’s he was one of the founders of ZAGAL, today’s Croatia Airlines.

In 1985 he was accused and sentenced for “overturning the self-governmental system of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” (a common charge in

- A F T E R M AT H The most immediate consequence of of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS) at Čačić’s resignation is a third reshuffle of least until the end of March of 2013. This the current cabinet: Vesna Pusić took his will surely paint HNS as a political parplace as Deputy Prime Minister, although ty controlled from ‘behind bars’, just like she will remain Minister of Foreign Affairs; HDSSB and convicted war-criminal BranBranko Grčić became Deputy Prime Minister imir Glavaš, although you can be sure HNS of the Economy, and also remained Minis- would quickly distance themselves from ter of Regional Development and EU Funds; such unsavoury comparisons.

Anka Mrak Taritas became Minister of Con- Finally, a quote concerning Čačić, from a struction and Zoning; Ivan Vrdoljak became columnist of a daily Croatian newspaper: Minister of the Economy.

“Politicians should be plainer than mere A matter which has caused quite some mortals, in other words have less privilegconsternation, in several circles, is the fact es and benefits than ordinary citizens, and that Čačić, while relinquishing all positions not act according to Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ within Government, will remain President and be “more equal than others”.

those days, usually levelled against people who advocated liberalisation), but was pardoned by the Supreme Court of Croatia.

After the declaration of independence, he was elected member of the Constitutional Board which was to bring forth a new constitution of the Republic of Croatia. He was a decorated Colonel in the Croatian Army during the Croatian Homeland War, as he successfully negotiated the surrender of the Yugoslav army garrison stationed in Varaždin in 1991. Čačić was one of the founders of the liberal political party HNS (Croatian People’s Party), of which he has been a member of the Presidency since 1990, Vice-President from 1993 till 1994, and President from 1994 till 2000, and again from 2008 until now. He was elected as a member of parliament in 1995 and served as an ordinary member until 2000. He served as Minister for Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction from 2000 until 2003 as part of the six party coalition. He returned to Government in 2011 as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, until his resignation on November 14th, 2012. He was replaced by Vesna Pusić, the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

to Čačić had somewhat emboldened the Croatian element in the Supervisory Board of ina, who are, as could be expected, in favour of aggressive infrastructural investments and low dividends, and opposed to layoffs and any notion whereby mol could ever obtain a majority stake in the oil company. Ever since Sanader’s departure from Office both Jadranka Kosor’s Government and the present one have engaged in a veritable tug-of-war with the Hungarians, even proposing the famous Law on ina, which renders any full takeover by a third party unconstitutional but which also, lo and behold, runs counter to eu strictures on the inviolability of competition in the free market (although, truth be told, these are not exactly observed by most ‘old’ eu members either).

Winter 2012 39

Whether Čačić’s protectionist stance was a political stratagem or a true conviction we shall perhaps never know, but it stands to reason, now that he is out of the equation in any official capacity, that the Hungarians will exhale a sigh of (however slight) relief. They still have a major force to contend with in the shape of Finance Minister Slavko Linić, who recently threatened to undertake a full inspection into their operation if investments into ina were not accelerated. But accelerated they were, and with Čačić gone, it just may be that the teeth of one of the last true vestiges of

Croatian protectionism have been blunted.

The second reason ina is a predominantly political rather than economic issue, as already hinted, has to do with Ivo Sanader and his legacy, the kind of legacy marked by arrogance, controversy, and malfeasance – which even his own party has completely distanced itself from.

And Čačić too, in the eyes of the general population, has often been described in a similar – if not quite the same – fashion: as arrogant, controversial, and not too far from scandal. Undoubtedly an energetic manager – the tragic car accident in

Whether Čačić’s protectionist stance was a political stratagem or a true conviction we shall perhaps never know.

- THE ACCIDENT The accident in question happened in January 2010, when Radimir Čačić, driving on the M7 Hungarian motorway, collided with another vehicle, killing two people. Transport experts had differing opinions regarding the circumstances under which the collision occurred. Zoltan Lovas claimed that Čačić was driving too fast, at speeds of 140 – 150 km/h (with the possibility of a 10 – 15 % error), whilst the maximum allowed speed on the motorway is 130 km/h. Čačić refuted claims he was speeding, saying that he was driving at 125 km/h, and that moments before impact he entered heavy fog. Another expert, Mihaly

-

Rektor, concluded that Čačić wasn’t driving too fast, and that the deaths were a result of the subsequent collision with the motorway’s fence panels. He also stated that upon impact Čačić’s Chrysler decelerated to 120 km/h, while the Škoda Fabia, driven by Katalin Liptak, was launched into the motorway panel at 100 – 120 km/h.

Both experts agreed that Čačić was driving 40 km/h faster than the Škoda. The unfortunate accident resulted in the deaths of Imrene Antal (81), Katalin’s mother, and that of her husband, Gyorgy Liptak (60), while Zoltanne Hitter suffered serious injuries.

- THE APPEAL The appeal process seemed a rather speedy affair, when the legal system can often be mired down in technicality.

There are two possible explanations for such a spectacular and swiftly brought sentence, unofficially given by sources in Budapest; 1) the County Court in Kaposvar hurried up and sentenced Čačić before Ivo Sanader was sentenced in Zagreb, thereby avoiding a situation where it be claimed that the sentence was retribution in case Sanader was found guilty of taking bribes from MOL, 2) the second explanation is that the court in Kaposvar brought forth a prison verdict so as to ‘trade’, in the eventuality that Sanader was found innocent; were this to happen the Hungarian President could pardon Čačić (which he has already done for lesser sentences), which would be seen as a friendly gesture, from Hungary, towards Croatia.

Hungary notwithstanding – he just may have, politically, taken on more than he had the capacity to chew. On one hand he wished to privatise motorways, which would constitute an extremely ‘liberal’ undertaking, yet on the other he advocated the social(ist), not the business oriented, model for running ina.

Paradoxes may be very well in their way, and there is yet another one we must mention, if only in passing. It is a paradox that both Sanader and Čačić, the one receiving a bribe, the other promising a hammer, should go to jail as a result of a ‘Hungarian adventure’. But one should not read too much into this, as coincidences have been known to occur from time to time. Just as one should not read too much into the timing of Čačić’s custodial sentence.

For this author, for one, finds it hard to believe, no matter what this or that legal expert or analyst may say, that a Hungarian judge would convict a foreign Deputy pm – who, after all, is responsible for the deaths of two people – because of his protectionist platforms with regard to an oil company. Even if it is ina we are talking about.

www.see-magazine.eu 40

Winter 2012 41

lifestyle

LIVING WELL FEELING WELL Skiing is the rage, and so are the spas. But there is much more this region has to offer than the garden variety slope, sauna or massaging table.

Some have gone five star, some have the pensioners in mind, and yet others, especially in Serbia, have gone clinical in a major fashion, even performing sex reassignment surgeries. Whatever strikes your fancy, just remember this: live well, feel well...

www.see-magazine.eu 42

For skiers, the use of cutting-edge snow technology creates an unbeatable skiing experience

Winter 2012 43

lifestyle

Mariborsko Pohorje: From Black to Green to White Mention the term ‘industrial decay’ to any random sample of Slovenians, and what might spring to mind immediately would be the cities and towns situated around the Pohorje massif. Of course, it just so happens that those same cities and towns encircle an oasis of sorts, which also happens to be the nucleus of a tourism boom, which has been decades in the making. Indeed, there’s much more to Maribor than the current protests and political turmoil...

by Sebastijan Maček

P

ohorje has all the hallmarks of a great summer destination for hiking and mountain biking, which it is, but it has also managed to become a veritable centre of Slovenian skiing, with no less than four ski resorts within just 50 kilometres; two of which are amongst the largest the country has to offer. These four, the larger Mariborsko Pohorje and Rogla, and the smaller Kope and Trije kralji, boast over 70 kilometres of ski trails and almost 80 kilometres of cross-country trails, plus the obligatory snowboarding parks, sledging slopes and creature comforts.

It is counterintuitive, really. The massif, stretching from Maribor in the east to Slovenj Gradec in the west, is an oasis of thick green woods peppered with picturesque mountain farms and a rich history of farming and logging. For most of recorded history, it was known for producing glass and charcoal on the back of an abundance of wood. Its highest peak is well below the tree line, just over 1500 metres above sea level, an elevation that dwarfs in comparison to the high-altitude resorts in neighbouring Italy and Austria. The base of the Mariborsko Pohorje resort is just 350

metres above sea level. The story of Pohorje as a winter destination is, therefore, a story of a tug-of-war between man and nature that draws on the rich history of exploitation of its natural resources.

Resorts in Pohorje typically provide 90100 skiing days - no small feat considering that climate change has been increasingly thinning the snow cover, not just in the Alpine periphery, but in the high Alps as well. This is made possible by technology, as dozens of snow cannons pump out artificial snow during cold nights. In fact,

Mariborsko Pohorje boasts the longest floodlit trail for night skiing in the country.

It is 10 km long and virtually impossible to brave in a single run.

snow-making technology has made such advances that the organisers of the women’s World Cup slalom and giant slalom events in Maribor were able to provide a rock-hard piste in 2003, even though the night temperature was 8 degrees Celsius, rising to well above 10 degrees during the day. For decades the owners of ski resorts in Pohorje have been forced to apply the latest advances in technology just to keep the ski lifts going, producing exceptional results, and in the process enabling the development of tourism centres that boast not just comfortable chalets but also highend hotels, pools, spas and other amenities nowadays expected of a full-fledged tourist destination.

For skiers, the use of cutting-edge snow technology creates an unbeatable skiing experience. In a typical season, the dense woods surrounding the trails are largely free of snow, radiating in a deep hue of dark green; a stark contrast to the pristine whiteness of freshly made snow. Granted, the pistes are hard and can be a challenge for inexperienced skiers, but even when it is warm they last much longer than those relying on natural

- HABAKUK – THE FIRST ‘GREEN’ GOBLIN The first chair lift in Slovenia was built in 1952 in Mariborsko Pohorje. Called Habakuk, it is still in service, though it has been upgraded over the years. Habakuk is a name which is nowadays primarily associated with the namesake luxury

hotel, and its background continues to excite historians and linguists alike to this very day.

According to one legend, Habakuk was a goblin who resided on Pohorje and who, deeply troubled by the devastation of the massif’s forests,

apparently took action to stop it. Yet Habakuk was also a biblical prophet, the one famous for asking God why there was so much pain and suffering in this world. In any event, both were good guys, man and goblin alike.

www.see-magazine.eu 44

-TRIVIA Mariborsko Pohorje boasts the longest floodlit trail for night skiing in the country. It is 10 km long and virtually impossible to brave in a single run.

Rogla has the highest elevation, the summit peaking at 1517 metres, and is famous for bitterly cold spells at the height of winter, with daytime temperatures often dropping to -20 degrees Celsius.

Mariborsko Pohorje has hosted the women’s World Cup race, the Golden Fox, for 48 years, though the event has been relocated several times due to lack of snow.

Many of Slovenia’s top skiers come from the area, including Tina Maze, a native of Slovenj Gradec, who currently dominates the women’s FIS World Cup. In the summer the ski trails are taken over by cattle, producing Pohorje Beef, some of the finest cuts of organically grown meat available in the country.

snow and moguls (a skiing terrain feature as opposed to some sort of tycoon) do not start building up until late in the afternoon. The balmy winter temperatures often render cumbersomely thick winter clothing unnecessary, giving skiers much more freedom to engage in winter antics.

Aside from winter sports Pohorje offers an abundance of natural and manmade beauty, from endless hiking trails and picturesque tourist farms to the 16th century Church of St. Areh and the Black Lake, an artificial 50-hectare body of water that was originally used as a reservoir by loggers to power timber slides, and which has since been taken back by nature to become one of the most beautiful lakes in the country. There are plenty of hints of the past everywhere, but perhaps the biggest impact man has had on the area has been to change what used to be beech forest into spruce-dominated forest that now allows the area to shine green even in winter.

But easy accessibility and its proximity to a large city provides plenty of opportunities for urban activities as well. Unlike

the more famous Alpine resorts, which are typically built around small villagesturned-resorts, the ski areas on Pohorje, in particular Mariborsko Pohorje, are within easy reach of urban centres and all the amenities and entertainment they provide.

Far from being just a tourist destination, Pohorje and its surroundings offer a unique insight into the development of society, from the agricultural beginnings of the earliest settlers through the development of technology that allowed man to exploit its natural resources, industrialisation, and, finally, the shift from industry to services. There are ample traces of all of that to discover, on Pohorje itself as well as in the surrounding cities, which are pockmarked with industrial buildings that testify to the area’s rich industrial history.

But Pohorje also provides a glimpse of the future. Nature is fighting back with climate change, higher temperatures making it increasingly difficult to provide enough snow despite the advances in technology. The ski resorts seem to realise that and they have been working hard to make Pohorje a year-round destination.

For now, though, it is still one of the best places to go skiing in Slovenia. Judging by the surging number of foreign tourists, word has got around.

- PRACTICALITIES All the resorts are easily accessible by car or special buses from Maribor (Mariborsko Pohorje), Zreče (Rogla), Slovenj Gradec (Kope) and Slovenska Bistrica (Trije kralji). Mariborsko Pohorje can also be reached with public transportation from the centre of the city.

Daily tickets range from 24 to 27 Euros for adults and 15-17 Euros for children, but there are a variety of discounts and specials tied in with accommodation packages.

Thanks to artificial snow, the ski season typically lasts 90-100 days, starting in the first week of December and running through early March.

Winter 2012 45

www.see-magazine.eu 46

As in the old days of Imperial splendour, Opatija opens itself with a blend of Viennese secession and Italian villas...

Winter 2012 47

lifestyle

Opatija: The Old Madam Described with much affection as “the Old Madam”, this exceptional place is the cradle of tourism on this side of the Adriatic, and recalls the luxury of the old Imperial retreat, coupled with ever developing modern features. One wouldn't go wrong to call Opatija the Croatian Monte Carlo, as it has been already dubbed so by many.

by Miroslav Tomas

D

riving out along the coast from Rijeka the urban landscape is hardly ever interrupted save for a solitary stretch of road where it corners the northernmost part of the Bay of Kvarner and begins to reach onto the Istrian peninsula, shaded by an evergreen forest coming down the slopes of the Učka Mountain on one side, and the view of the bay on the other. Crossed by an occasional ship on approach to Rijeka’s harbour, the road takes the traveller into Volosko and onward to our destination.

As in the old days of Imperial splendour, Opatija opens itself with a blend of Viennese secession and Italian villas, the façades in pastel colours surrounded by the greenery of its many parks. We are only reminded that we are in the present, and not in the 1900s, by the billboards and tacky commercial signage which proliferates in any city these days.

Returning to the road we find ourselves in Saint James’ Park, which is home to the namesake neo-Romanesque church, built on the foundations of an abbey (‘opatija’), which lends its name to this coastal city.

Posh Indeed Opatija is a city which has its roots in the region’s civilisations as far back as history records. In the days of the Roman Empire wealthy patricians found retreat in their villas, which dotted the approach to the town of Castrum Laureana, or modern day Lovran. The development of a bona fide settlement in this place is associated with the Benedictine Abbey of Saint James, which is first mentioned in documents dating back to 1453, the same year which marked the fall of Constantinople. A hamlet developed around the

to develop in 1844 when a wealthy merchant from Rijeka, Iginio Scarpa, founded Villa Angiolina, which saw the city become a place of retreat for the well-to-do of that era. Numerous villas were constructed as the mild climate attracted, amongst others, the Emperor Franz Josef, who grew accustomed to spending his winter months in Opatija. With such royal patronage it wasn’t long before the area became appreciated for its natural surroundings, and it certainly did not hurt to have the Austrian Southern Railway to hand, which connected the city with the rest of Europe.

It was in 1882 that Fridrich Julius abbey, and so, over time, the settlement Svhuler, Director of the Southern Railbecame known by the title we use today. road, started constructing hotels and The Austrians called the place Sankt villas. In 1884 the first hotel opened, Jakobi and the Italians Abazzia. Mod- named Quarnero, ushering a boom of ern Opatija, as we now know it, began early tourism. It is at that time, on the initiative of Austrian physicians Julius Glax, Thedor Billroth and Leopold Schrotter Von Kristelli, coupled with the entrepreneurial genius of Friedrich Schüler, that Opatija was granted a title of 'kurort', meaning health resort. It is this historic period that echoes through the vistas of present day Opatija, with many villas and hotels built in the 'Imperial Age' still standing and offering their luxurious services.

In 1908 an electric tram line connected Matulji, Opatija, and Lovran, and it was in the same year that Leo Henryk Sternbach, a pharmacist holding 214 patents (including the one for Valium), was born here. One century ago, in 1913, Opatija boasted ten hotels, 44 boarding houses, 83 villas and five baths, and surpased Karlovy Vary in annual tourist numbers. And as the Austro-Hungarian Empire came to an Iginio Scarpa end Opatija, together with Istria and

One century ago, in 1913, Opatija boasted ten hotels, 44 boarding houses, 83 villas and five baths, and surpased Karlovy Vary in annual tourist numbers.

www.see-magazine.eu 48

- THE FINEST DINING FAR AND WIDE With fine dining in mind, one will hardly find a greater concentration of top quality restaurants anywhere in the region. Volosko is home to the famous Le Mandrač, the first Croatian restaurant to be graced with a Michelin star, as well as Plavi Podrum, which was listed by Restaurant magazine in 2011 amongst the 100 best European restaurants.

As for the very heart of Opatija, on the tip of the peninsula behind the beautiful Angiolina park and the magnificent villa where the tale of posh resort started, a food lover will find the Bevanda restaurant, with a

lavishly modern interior and terraced seating along the coast. The sound of jazz on the inside, and the gentle wash of the waves on the outside, will warm the soul of any diner.

Bevanda also features the first champagne and caviar bar on the Adriatic, along with a selection of premium class vodkas. A true hedonist’s haven, especially given the fact that upstairs features two luxurious suites.

Another restaurant worth experiencing is the Johnson in Mošćenićka Draga, or perhaps you should try Najade in Lovran...but if dead set on Opatija itself, then do not fail to visit the restaurant at Villa Ariston.

Villa Ariston

Rijeka, became a part of Italy, continuing in its role as that of a posh health resort.

In fact, the area’s reputation grew so much that in 1930 the Italian Royal Family, the Savoys, chose Villa Amalia as their summer retreat. Moreover, such was the allure and tradition of the place that not even the Communist authorities of post World War II Yugoslavia had any notion of changing its purpose, no matter how ‘bourgeois’ it may had been. Marshal Tito of course chose Villa Istranka as one of his many residences. The town went on and evolved into a first rate tourist hotspot.

The Old Madam in All Her Splendour Present day Opatija has expanded to encompass the neighbouring settlements of Volosko and Lovran, Ičići and Moščenićka Draga into one, unbroken, urban environment. The prestige of the place is felt throughout, whether for the luxurious hotels and villas, casinos, or restaurants.

This is not a location where one is expected to encounter noisy gatherings catering to drunken youths, nor is it a place for someone looking to enjoy the sun and the sea, as truth be told, there are far more

enjoyable places on the Adriatic for anyone looking for a dip than the famous, if overcrowded, Slatina beach found in the very centre of Opatija’s coastline.

If one is, however, looking to find a weekend wellness getaway, then there is hardly a more suitable spot. Opatija is also a great location for anyone looking to indulge in the joys of haute cuisine – anyone in the mood for a romantic stroll down the coast can hardly find a place more appropriate than the twelve kilometres of Opatija’s Lungomare walk trail. It was the palm trees on this trail that Isadora Duncan wrote about in her memoirs: she wrote that it was the

Winter 2012 49

- H E A LT H F I R S T -

palm leaves of Opatija, dangling in the sea breeze, which inspired her dance movements.

More than a few marriage proposals have been made in sight of the landmark statue of the Girl and the Seagull, and many a silver or golden jubilee has been celebrated in the dining halls and terraces of various Opatija hotels over the years. And it is more than likely that many a reader has attended some conference or congress in the city too.

If not prompted, or at least enticed, to visit the Old Madam, let us just mention the fact that the average winter temperature is 10°C, a welcome fact when one is

faced with the sub zero temperatures of Continental Europe. And if indeed you chose to do so, there is a host of hotels, say the five star Milenij and Ambasador, the latter of which, in its armoured concrete and cubic shape, might be something of an eye-sore, but it does yet offer supreme service and has become a legend in its own right. But to experience the feel of old Opatija choose one of the villas as your lodgings. Come and share in the splendour that has been enjoyed by the likes of Kaiser Wilhelm, James Joyce, Gustav Mahler, Vladimir Nabokov, Tomaš Masaryk and many many more known and unknown hedonists.

As in keeping with the 'kurort' tradition Opatija has, over the past two decades and along with the liberalisation of the health service sector, become home to an array of polyclinics, ranging from physical therapy and dentistry to plastic surgery. The proximity of Austria and Italy has given rise to specialist dental clinics which offer the same quality of service at greatly reduced prices, and since there are so many patients choosing to come here these facilities all offer overnight lodgings to cope with the ever present logistical demand of such travel.

As concerns plastic surgery, Opatija is home to the polyclinic of Dr Zoran Žgaljardić, who was, during the 2008 World Congress of the International Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, lauded as one of the best cosmetic surgeons in the world, and whose list of patients, besides the 'regular folk', is said to include several Hollywood celebrities. Dr Boris Nemec, another supremely recognised medical savant, heads a clinic in Matulji that specialises in locomotor system surgery, meaning knee, elbow, wrist and hip surgery, and has treated many top athletes from all across Europe.

One should not fail to mention that Opatija is home to Thalassotherapia, a teaching hospital/rehabilitation centre that has, since 1953, been on the cutting edge in their field, pioneering many procedures in the region: dedicated to prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and heart diseases, this state of the art facility is a true heir to the kurort legacy, also offering, in the spirit of the term, medicinal wellness services of the first order.

www.see-magazine.eu 50

lifestyle

Serbian Medical Tourism: From Teeth Whitening To Sex Change With expertise in evidence and pricing quite competitive when compared to neighbouring Europe, health and medicine could well become leading facets to the Serbian tourism industry. Globally, this industry is estimated to be worth 700 billion us Dollars in 2012, so it is clearly growing.

The question is whether Serbia can take advantage?

by Dylan Alexander

M

ost of Europe's top destinations for health tourism are located in the East: Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic are the leading countries in the industry, simply owing to the fact that they have skilfully joined traditional know-how of Eastern European medical schools with modern facilities and some sightseeing, at attractive prices.

Contemporary health tourism in Serbia is still new and as yet underdeveloped, to say the least: it is mentioned and regulated as a category in its own right for the first time within Serbian law, on tourism, but only since 2009. To date there has been a distinct lack of any major strategy of any development or promotion of health tourism, by this Government or the previous.

By way of illustration, the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases ‘Dedinje’ in Belgrade has generated 30 million Euros of income from foreign patients. Doctor Boško Đukanović, a famous Serbian heart surgeon and Director of the clinic, says that the Government has “never invested a dime in the expansion of this business, and so Dedinje was forced to refuse tens of foreign patients due to our limited capacities”.

However, the private initiative, as always, went ahead. “The University of Cleveland developed the project ‘Serbian Medical Tourism’ for us, and it greatly helped us in making our first steps in this field”, says Dr Stana Tadić, Managing Director of Afeja Club, which deals with networking between Serbian doctors and

The average medical tourist coming to Serbia from the eu is a small business owner or farmer.

than in the European Union. “We have patients coming from Spain, Germany, and Scandinavia - all coming to Serbia mainly for aesthetic surgery. Namely, plastic surgery which is not covered by health insurance anywhere and prices in Serbia are more competitive than those in Western Europe”.

The average medical tourist coming to Serbia from the European Union is a small business owner or farmer. They belong to the Western middle class, which is a much different proposition from the Serbian notion of the same, and will spend up to 10,000 Euros for medical treatment. The top customers of private clinics in Serbia are women from Sweden, Spain, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, seeking corrective surgery, liposuction and breast implants, as well as total dental makeovers.

foreign tourists and patients over the Internet, giving an accurate and up-todate listing of as many as 1,600 different medical services - examinations, diagnostics and interventions - in more than 20 private clinics and hospitals. “Our international clients can use our web site to search, find and schedule a variety of medical services: general surgery, aesthetic surgery, abdominal surgery, gynaecology, radiology and others - while Lo & Behold also being able to compare prices”. Dr Stanić emphasises that medical treat- There is a new and emerging trend in ments are two to three times cheaper medical tourism in Serbia – sex reassignment surgeries, which are performed in both state and private clinics. Although the gender-change process is lengthy - Prices and complex, taking as long as several years and with a full team of doctors Treatment Serbia (€) EU (€) in attendance, the final surgery can be Mezotherapy 80 250-500 completed in Serbia for no more than Cataract surgery 1200 2500-4000 3,500 Euros, which is drastically cheapBotox lip enlargement 150 150-400 er than the 10,000 Euros it would cost Face lifting 3200 6000 in Germany, and as much as 50,000 us Breast enlargement 3000 3000-7000 Dollars in the United States of America.

Buttock augmentation 3000 3000-6500 As insurance companies seek to provide quality and cost effective medical care

Winter 2012 51

20,000 Euros in Italy is performed in Serbia for as little as 12,000 Euros; this includes costs for several nights’ accommodation, as well as travel expenses for patient and companion”, says Karolina Nikolić, an independent tourist representative of private dentists in Belgrade.

Good Old Spas With regards to rehabilitation the Czech Republic is the leader in the East, famous for its spas, which meet top global standards. Serbia, for its part, counts more than 360 thermal and mineral sources in 36 spa centres. These healing sources had been discovered by the ancient Romans who built baths, pools and villas there, followed by the Turkish hamams, which have survived into the modern day in Sokobanja and Novi Pazar. As many as 37% of the total number of tourist beds in Serbia are situated in spas, but sadly, hardly more than 10% are in use due to decay and lack of means for the proper reconstruction of accommodation and facilities. The reason behind this is the fact that almost all traditional spa centres in Serbia are still public property, and as such are funded from the proverbially short health and social insurance budgets.

There are also some more ‘entrepreneurial’ examples: ‘Merkur’ is the hospital in Vrnjačka Banja which offers nine programmes with illustrative names: Healing Vacation, Quick Diagnostics, Linea Life, Wellness Weekend, Honeymoon, Winter Dream, Prevention Programme for Managers, Congress Tourism, and Dental Tourism. This facility, which is also the National Centre for Diabetes Prevention and Education, has been awarded the title of the Best Hospital in general medical check-up in Serbia costs Serbian Health Tourism.

With no Governmental strategy or in-between 100 and 200 Euros, while in Slovenia it could cost as much as 1,200 substantial private initiative which could perpetuate major developments in spa Euros!

General dental work and prosthetics tourism, Serbia can only continue adare one of the biggest sources of income vertising its ‘green’ health values, as refrom medical tourists. Croatian patients cently reported by France-Presse: “Healtravel to Novi Sad, as the most accessi- ing sources and mud, as well as clean air, ble Serbian city, but primarily because of are the main advantages of Serbia”. Of costs as low as 33% of what they would course there’s always the proverbial enpay in their own country. As expected, tertainment and fun, food and wine, afpatients also travel from the European ter the successful treatment has been Union: “A dental procedure which costs concluded.

There is a new and emerging trend in medical tourism in Serbia – sex reassignment surgeries, performed in both state and private clinics. (and thus attract more business) to their clients, then so too does a destination like Serbia benefit.

The growth in health tourism, in Serbia, is being aided not only by the financial crises in Western and other developed countries: Serbia is the leading health destination in the former Yugoslav region - mostly for Serbs from the Diaspora. Patients from the region return to Serbia for holidays or family visits and perform the medical checks or visit a dentist while there. For instance, a

www.see-magazine.eu 52

lifestyle

Assisted Living in Croatia: An Unexpected Opportunity Moving to someplace warm, like Dubrovnik, is not an unusual step once retirement has come to pass, but what of those later years? We can’t all stay sprightly indefinitely, after all.

As labour and infrastructural costs rise across Europe an opportunity has arisen, and perhaps it’s one that Croatia should grab with both hands, and then some.

by Lee Murphy

R

etirement can ever be a contentious issue, and not just for the couple/singleton/widow/widower who has reached an age when he or she can now claim whatever state pension has been earned. In the current economic crisis, a state pension may well not suffice, and more and more 60-somethings are seeking to remain in employment as a result. Indeed, the idea of a mandated retirement age is equally contentious, with plans being drawn up to scrap such notions, thus allowing workers to remain in posts so long as they are able to perform whatever it is that they do, taking pressure off of global, and ever dwindling, pension funds.

First World Problems European demographics are of some concern to legislators across the continent; for all the destruction and poverty that this globe has witnessed since the turn of the last century, the total population of the planet has quadrupled. In the past 30 years alone there has been a 50% increase in population, and within the next 40 years there is to be a further projected 50% increase.

The problem with these figures is that the vast majority of this increase, some 95%, is going to occur within the less developed world, meaning that the First World will see its base population remain relatively unchanged, at 1.2 billion people, with some minor increases on account of migrant workers. To put these changes into context, in 2005 Europe’s population was 7.5% of the total population, and estimates suggest that this percentage will drop to 6.4% by

2020, and 5.2% by 2050. So, what then do these numbers mean for our weighty topic? For assisted living?

Assisted Living, as a concept (and in whatever sense), is already changing throughout Europe due to the high costs involved – mainly the rising costs of personnel. Globally speaking, not

While the need for a self contained community is important, it must also be noted that fencing these residences away from general society should be avoided where possible. only is the birth rate on the rise; life expectancy is also ever improving. Over the last half century the world average has moved from approximately 52 years to 70, a jump of 18 years, and here, in Croatia, that rise has seen the average move from 66 years to 76.5. In short, more and more people are surviving to retirement age, but, furthermore, within the developed world the ratio of working people to retired people is altering, rapidly: by 2050, across Europe, almost half of the population will be over the age of 60. If state pension

funds are under pressure now, you can imagine the sort of calamity which will befall the taxpayer in the future.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail This is not meant to alarm, of course, merely to highlight that our approach to retirement should change, just as the regional demographic changes. Already families, irrespective of financial means, are choosing to take care of their parents and grandparents within the family home, rather than packing them off to some care home. As property prices increase, and as labour costs increase, so too will the intrinsic cost of care. This is evident by the actions of a number of medical insurers based in Germany, who are now asking their clients to accept places (for the purposes of retirement) in Spain, or even as far away as Thailand. This should not surprise: students from Western Europe often choose places like Thailand, and other SouthEast Asian states, as summer destinations, where living costs are considerably lower than back home.

The World Health Organisation draws attention to the situation in The Netherlands, where more and more retirees prefer to remain within their own domiciles rather than be a burden on their families, or on the state; this pattern is also being repeated across Western and Northern Europe. Assisted Living is a compromise, where apartments are modified for reduced mobility, and it also allows for a rapid response in the advent of any medical emergency, such as a serious fall, or worse. This results in an added level of independence, and

Winter 2012 53

many people can carry on well past re- well call them clients in some cases) find tirement and enjoy their newfound time themselves paying for a service which they will not use for many years. What as they choose. can change, however, is the approach to Assisted Living, and the administraNeeds must tive (though that term in this example This all sounds awfully grand, but it is might unfairly sound draconian) aspects rather symptomatic of the wider prob- of managing such properties.

In situations where these types of lem: under current trends we can expect to see more and more nursing homes of properties are being used by people with the traditional variety closing, possibly severe disabilities, be they long term or signalling the end of the welfare state brought on by the travails of old age, as we’ve known it. Ultimately this will there can be no doubt that a more commean that the elderly population will prehensive care system must be in place. find themselves paying more out of their For instance, Fokus Living, in The Nethown pocket – spending the family silver erlands, provides a dedicated care staif you will – but that also happens to be tion within their residential zone, ofthe current situation within Croatia and fering Care on Demand via push button the wider region. This is where the op- or personal alarm systems, and this is portunity arises for those willing to put 24/7. Such systems are also available for families who have disabled children and the work in.

We’ve already mentioned that more who cannot adequately care for them in and more elderly are wanting to re- a traditional home environment. main at home, and that family members more often than not are responsible for primary care – yet with the changes in demographics this is no longer a task which might take a number of years, but now decades instead. Unfair or not, this is becoming less and less a palatable option for today’s younger generations. To be blunt, for many it is seen as being too much of a hassle, and certainly too expensive – we are, after all, some way from the dystopian future presented in Logan’s Run, where those who have turned thirty are of no more use to a society with limited resources.

Assisted Living is not a new concept: in the United Kingdom Assisted Living communities exist as well and follow an expected model – self contained residential units which revolve around a community centre. The Netherlands, Opportunity knocks Germany, and any other number of countries are the same, though minor There is scope for similar project being imdetails might differ: in the end most of plemented in Croatia, and of course the the medical assistance, which may or wider region; companies such as Rezidenmay not be required, will come from, cija 55 are already involved with providor more accurately will be paid for by, ing customised accommodation, and they regular insurance. When we say ‘not re- feel it’s very possible to expand or begin quired’, we mean to note that medical any operation to offer Assisted Living, to assistance is being paid for by insurance a high standard, which would be of benon an ongoing basis, such as the pro- efit not only to the indigenous population, vision of a care nurse or junior doctor, but to retirees coming from abroad. irrespective of the immediate need for There already exist any number of speone or not. Often residents (we may as cialised associations and organisations

which provide support to people with disabilities, and are experienced and familiarised with the regional health system – this is important when one realises that health and medical provision differs from country to country, with equally differing systems of funding that provision.

The regional benchmark is Starački dom, which provides accommodation either on a permanent basis, or temporary basis during periods of convalescence or even when an existing resident looks to go on holiday. The costs involved, however, vary between 3000 and 9000 Kuna per month, and for properties which are often just one or two rooms in size.

While these costs include care specialists and general sustenance, they are somewhat steep for the level of the local economy. This is the ‘in’, so to speak, which can offer the real opportunity to an innovative developer.

The provision of self-contained residential dwellings, roughly 35 m² in size, is possible for a similar pricing structure, with a ‘Meals on Wheels’ system in place to provide full meals for residents on a daily basis – this would obviate the need for residents to cook for themselves, and while some retirees might prefer to be more independent, there will always be those for whom time in the kitchen would be problematic and arduous.

While the need for a self contained community is important, it must also be noted that fencing these residences away from general society should be avoided where possible. The European Union atrisk-of-poverty rate for persons over the age of 65 is higher than that of the rest of the population, and while a retiree might have his actual retirement funded through a series of pensions and/or insurance, often the income/cost ratio is extremely rigid, allowing little flexibility in activity.

A roof over your head and a hot meal on the table is to be expected in any advanced society, but a human being needs more than that, just as they required more throughout their working life. The establishment of Assisted Living communities within easy reach of already existing amenities should be considered, especially those amenities which would have a natural client base in the wider

www.see-magazine.eu 54

community: physical therapists, coffee shops, internet cafes, and perhaps a market where fresh produce might be sourced.

Affordability The main difficulty which awaits any innovator in Assisted Living is that the Government will not be involved. It is expected that, when it comes to health care provision, the State is involved and that the fate of the retiree/client is not left in the hands of the private sector. The thinking, like elsewhere, is “I have paid my taxes to the state, and now I expect to be looked after in my twilight years”.

This, of course, is a very simplistic approach, and many people have been paying into insurance funds for decades so that they would be well provided for once retirement, or injury, loomed.

For those who have the resources to spend on Assisted Living the costs can be quite competitive within the region, approximately 1350 Euros per m², which is generally cheaper than standard accommodation within the larger urban areas.

Alternatives exist, naturally, where the Government can provide the resources necessary for the support of an elderly

residents, in theory making them feel better about themselves.

A solid partnership will be required, between initiator (who possesses the business model and the know-how), the landowner, and a banking partner. Seeking to develop an ever renewing model, such as where the residents purchase back the property, as mentioned above, allows for the operator to carefully control end prices and costs, guaranteeing affordability, care, and quality.

While Assisted Living projects can be profitable, it is important to realise that the clients are not large and faceless corporations or nameless Government officials, but rather your grandmother, and grandfather, looking to retire with dignity, without being an undue buror disabled person, but that comes at den on their family. It would be wise for the cost of a percentage of future inher- anyone reading this seriously to conitance – spending the family silver, again. sider the implications; within the next It should be possible to develop Assist- three decades European finances will be ed Living domiciles with a Rent to Buy under incredible strains because of the scheme in mind, whereby the new ten- projected changes in the demographic ant pays a higher than average rent, but balance. Economic and social disparthis money is at least utilised towards ity is only going to increase the closer ultimately acquiring the property from we get to 2050, and you owe it to yourthe operator. This frees up resources for self, your family, and your progeny, to the innovator, while also conferring an be more responsible with your, and by added amount of independence upon proxy their, future…

It is expected that, when it comes to health care provision, the State is involved and that the fate of the retiree/client is not left in the hands of the private sector.

Winter 2012 55

www.see-magazine.eu 56

lifestyle

Back to Basics Winter is typically a time of planning for farmers. The year’s work behind them, they have to decide which crops to plant, how much land to set aside for individual crops and, crucially, how to sell them. For a growing number of farmers in Slovenia, these are now sweet worries. by Črt Razboršek

B

ig retail chains have been blamed for a great many things, including the demise of small farms. Unable to produce enough to supply big stores, smallholders have been struggling to get their crops to the market. Many in Slovenia decided it was no longer worth the effort, and so abandoned farming altogether, hastening an already evident pattern.

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of farms in Slovenia declined by 14% and the surface area of farmland by 7%, according to the 2010 agricultural census.

However, it would be wrong to pin sole blame on the retailers for that; as Slovenia has been industrialising at an accelerating pace, the decline of farming is a logical consequence of such urbanisation. But Slovenia is special in that its geography allows for industrial-scale farming in only a small part of the country, with the vast majority of farms located in hilly areas which are on marginal land, aptly classified by the European Union as having “limited farming potential”.

But farmers are now striking back. It started a decade or so ago with farmers markets, and has now spread to what is called community-supported agriculture. The concept has been around since the early 1960s, but it was not until a few years ago that it started in Slovenia in any organised form.

The model is as simple as it is ingenious: the farmers, either individually or in partnership with other farmers, create a network of individuals (these can be shop owners, restaurateurs, or hoteliers) who pledge to buy produce from them; the consumers tell the farmers what they would like grown, and the farmers plant what they know in advance will sell; the consumers get weekly deliveries of boxes

rotation. For the consumers, it is a source of great fresh food, typically grown organically, and as an added bonus it gives urbanites a chance to reconnect with the land. The produce is much more expensive than in stores, sometimes costing double the store price, but it is also fresh and delivered within hours after it is picked or harvested. Judging by the popularity of the scheme, people don’t seem to mind paying more for food which gives a whole new meaning to the muchvaunted pitchfork-to-fork principle.

The expansion of community-supported farming dovetails with the popular trend away from industrial food production; back to agricultural basics, if you will. But it would be wrong to dismiss it as a New Age fad, for it is capitalism in its purest form. It is a textbook example of closely aligned supply and demand, albeit in a communal setting, with the participants acting as partners, not just agents in a commercial transaction.

The farmers charge a hefty premium in exchange for the promise of wholeof fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, some- some fresh food, while the consumers times even honey and preserved vegeta- buy not just food but a way of life and bles, from early spring until late autumn. farming that they believe is more atNot so much supply and demand, but tuned to nature. The model is incredibly successful. Within four years the rather demand and supply.

The scheme has multiple benefits. For number of participating farms rose from the farmers, it means stability. They know a handful to over 30, with new ones before they even plant the first seeds that joining the scheme every year. In fact, they will be able to sell their produce. They it is so commercially fruitful, pun vey also get a regular cash flow, as opposed to much intended, that retailers are startselling to a store and then waiting months ing to take note. Mercator, the marto get paid, and there are no middlemen ket leader, recently launched “Slovenian farmers’ markets” in over 100 stores. skimming juicy profits.

What is more, to be competitive they It seems that corporations understand have to plant a variety of crops, which the importance of agricultural basics just is great for the soil and makes it easier as well as the farmers and their civilian to engage in proper, and effective, crop customers. Two thumbs up…

...the consumers buy not just food but a way of life and farming that they believe is more attuned to nature.

Winter 2012 57

Training Programme For Executives in Zagreb Top British management trainer Rodger H. Pyrah delivering two training modules!

I Advanced Management Motivation, Strategic Planning & Creative Problem Solving, February 25th - 26th 2013

II Decisive Leadership – Critical Thinking & Strategic Decision Making, February 28th - March 1st 2013

Book your place!

This training programme is designed for executives... » Who desire to improve their critical thinking skills

Please call +385 1 463 7437 or send an e-mail to info@anglo-adria.com

» Who are interested in developing their decision making skills » Seeking to enhance their leadership skills » Who want to significantly develop their career opportunities

Your investment: HRK 4,900 per each two-day training module or HRK 8,900 if both training modules are booked together.

Prices are subject to VAT. Due to the interactive nature of programme methodology, the number of participants is limited to 15. The programme modules will be delivered in English, without translation.

Visit us online at www.anglo-adria.com

www.see-magazine.eu 58

see promo

Sirana Gligora: Dalmatian Cheese 101 Well, we really aren’t looking to encourage Jack Frost, not after the sort of snow last year’s winter brought, but it is the time of year where an open fire and a drop of the old vino are not strangers to one another.

And what goes well with a glass of claret? Why cheese of course.

Here are four artisan cheeses which should be considered for personal use, or perhaps as a gift for a returning relative, all courtesy of Sirana Gligora.

PAŠKI SIR This cheese is produced exclusively from sheep’s milk; and not just any old sheep, but sheep from the Island of Pag. The recipe used merges age old techniques along with modern technology, and Sirana Gligora have been happy to imbue it with the full terroir of this unique island into the taste of their paški sir, which has been recognised and rewarded with countless awards from across the globe, not least of which came from the World Cheese Awards in 2010, where Gligora’s Paški Sir collected a Super Gold Medal in each of the three categories entered, as well as a place in the final top ten best cheeses of the world, where it won the Best New Cheese on the Market trophy. It’s fair to say that Gligora’s Paški Sir has the leading industry experts bleating, to use some sheepish parlance, with appreciation all over the world. We need only look at how it has been described by the Michelin Starred Chefs of the International Taste and Quality Institute

(iTQi) in Brussels, who awarded the coveted Crystal Award for outstanding taste, quality and consistency: “Sirana Gligora Paški Sir is a wonderfully tasteful sheep-milk cheese that brings a full and complex flavour to the palate, and melts nicely in the mouth. Authentic and

ŽIGLJEN

Using the same artisan skills as for Paški sir, Ivan Gligora created a new mixed milk cheese in 1995, called Žigljen. Back then he was using the excess sheep’s milk and mixed it with milk sourced from Dalmatian cows, and today both milks used come from homestead farms in Dalmatia. Žigljen is a winner of the Super Gold Medal in the mixed milk category at the World Cheese Awards 2011, making it the Best Mixed Milk Cheese in the world.

DINARSKI SIR Dinarski sir took just a silver medal at the Global Cheese Awards this year, in the Best Continental Cheese category; but when you consider that it was the Paški sir that took gold, then that’s quite an achievement. This cheese, which is a unique blend of Dalmatian cow and goat milk, has only been on the market for less than a year.

- SIRANA GLIGORA Sirana Gligora’s cheese is available throughout Croatia in all good supermarkets, hotels and restaurants, as well as Gligora’s own boutique stores in Kolan, Rijeka, Zadar and Split, with a new shop opening in Dolac market, Zagreb. In Solenenia the cheese is available through http:// en.erfa.si/home/, and Serbian cheese lovers can avail of these products through Silbo d.o.o.

unique, Paški Sir is a pure delight and displays quality in the making, leaving a long and pleasant aftertaste to savour. A yellowish creamy colour with farmhouse aromas, Paški Sir has well balanced texture, taste, aromas and finish and is delightfully tasty”.

KOZLAR Of course goats were partially banned in Communist Croatia, so it’s not that surprising to see that goat cheese has yet to be fully accepted onto the Croatian menu. Gligora are working hard to change this unfair perception, and their semi-hard Kozlar goes some way towards rectifying the situation. Kozlar has won a One Star Superior Taste award from iTQi in 2010, as well as a bronze medal at the World Cheese Awards.

Kozlar does not possess the usual strong goat-cheese tones, but instead has a mild, yet full, flavour with a slight citrus finish, which makes it an excellent addition to any salad. Goat’s milk cheese is recommended for those cheese lovers who might find some difficulty, for whatever reason, in digesting cow’s milk cheese.

Winter 2012 59

www.see-magazine.eu 60

lifestyle

New Year's Sporty Resolutions: Sine Qua Non So then, you've just come home from whatever New Year's party, and you've sworn blind that things will be different in 2013. But whatever new exercise regimen you happened to have decided on, keeping up the pace can be the most difficult thing of all. Here are some tips on how to make the whole process as painless as possible.

And stay with it.

Bro, do you even lift?

A gentler way to keep fit

Ok, we're not suggesting you need to turn yourself into some Jersey Shore clone, but no one has ever suffered for toning up a little. The gym might appear daunting at first, but you can be sure that there’s a professional trainer at hand to walk you through a personalised plan, who can help ease you along the path towards whatever goal you so desire; be it to win the next Mr. Universe competition or simply to feel better about yourself. An aspiring fitness junkie can also avail of an absolute myriad of equipment which they can purchase so as to train in the privacy of their own home. It’s not going to be easy at first, but once you find your tempo it will only get easier.

Judo, which translates as ‘Gentle Way’, is a relatively modern martial art, which originates in Japan. The main object of judo is to either throw or take down an opponent to the ground, immobilise them, or otherwise subdue them through grapples or some variant of a choke hold. Judo is quite prominent in Mixed Martial Arts, where control over your opponent is of key importance, rather than getting into a stand-up/knock-down fight. Royce Gracie, one of MMA’s most famous names, utilised judo moves on his way to winning several titles, often defeating opponents much larger than he. One of the best things about judo is that outside of professional competition there’s low risk of suffering any major injury – in fact you can probably throw everyone around the training hall, working off steam, and still be best of friends as you head for home. At first, though, be sure you’ll be sore.

Run, Fat Boy, Run Did you know that if you kept a case of beer just two floors above where you were drinking that you would burn off the calories from each bottle every time you went to get a new one? Walking, jogging, running; all are excellent forms of exercise and ridiculously easy to get into. A pair of running shoes, a tracksuit, and away you go. Start slow; begin by planning some simple scenic walks, then perhaps find some park around in which you might jog – there are often running groups in some of the larger parks, and if you feel serious about running then perhaps you might start the long and steady process of preparing for a mini-marathon.

There are few things as satisfying as that moment when you realise that your strides are getting longer, but also that you’re no longer getting short of breath.

Football Reactivation Watching a football match you might be forgiven for not realising that players at the highest level are also incredibly fit and healthy athletes. If you’re not already a professional football player, then it might be too late for your dreams of playing in the Champions League, but you still can take advantage of the excellent cardio workout a good 90 minutes of tracking back and chasing long balls can provide. 5-a-Side leagues are everywhere these days, and it’s just a matter of checking online or at the gym if you’ve been following our other advice, to find when and where a pitch might be available. Word to the wise, however, bring a long legged tracksuit because you’ll be playing on Astroturf, which is no respecter of knees should be unfortunate to take a tumble. Also available in 6-a-Side and Beach Soccer flavour. And prepare further, key food supplements included, for someone is sure to go after your calves.

Winter 2012 61

www.see-magazine.eu 62

see promo

Dietpharm's Winter Pharmacy Mild frost bites and nose-dives into the snow following a bad turn on the piste are not the only perils usually associated with skiing and other typical winter pursuits. In other words, we had better get ready and help our body as much as we can – before it’s too late.

Dietpharm offers more than one solution for boosting your immune system.

1

1 Magnesium, being one of the most important minerals in the human body, is instrumental to the proper functioning of the nervous system, and also plays a part in the ossification process and muscle contraction. It is the supplement of choice for many both professional and recreational athletes, providing indispensable relief for extremely strenuous physical exertions. It is also often used by women.

Magnezij 375 effervescent tablets contain the recommended daily dose of magnesium, 375 mg, as well as vitamins C and B6 .

2 Bio-C 500ÂŽ tablets with extended time of release contain 500 mg of vitamin C. Moreover, the addition of bioflavonoids further improves their protective properties. These tablets are recommended not only as immunity boosters, but also for anti-stress relief.

3

4

Influstop effervescent tablets are a food supplement primarily intended to boost immunity, reinforced with propolis and vitamin C, a perfect solution for these cold winter days.

4 Centravit ENERGY is a multi-vitamin-mineral food supplement enriched with the coenzyme Q10. Accompanying a regular and healthy diet and moderate exercise, only one Centravit ENERGY tablet per day can help you stay healthy.

2

3

Winter 2012 63

www.see-magazine.eu 64

Winter 2012 65

did you know?

A CHRISTMAS EXPOSÉ Rather than translating Christmas carols or direct you to the nearest Church for mass, we have chosen a somewhat more 'pagan' approach.

Literal interpretation of the Bible is not exactly our thing, and neither is Christian dogma. More to our liking are quaint historical facts and even quainter number. But read on...we shall not disappoint...

by Ben Berković

www.see-magazine.eu 66

did you know?

When was Jesus Really Born?

Don’t get us wrong, we do like Christmas, but Jesus was almost certainly not born on the 25th of December. Preferring to avoid controversy, we merely bring forth a few facts, mostly Biblical no less, to set the record straight.

T

he celebration of Christmas is a holiday during which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, however much the present day consumerist madness tends to diminish the true meaning of that fact. Furthermore, most people (including the Church), are completely oblivious to the fact that Jesus Christ was almost certainly not born on the 25th of December, a theory that most historians and independent theologians accept.

In fact, there are several sound explanations for the assumption that Jesus was born sometime during April or May: 1) The Bible clearly states that the shepherds were tending their flocks in the fields at night. This would not have been the case in the cold and

rainy winter months, during which they would have been in pens or corrals, especially at night. The feeding of the flocks in the field during night is a chronological fact.

2) The census of Quirinius, which obligated Joseph to return to his home town of Bethlehem, most probably took place after the autumn harvest, when people were more able to travel to their ancestral homes. It was also customary to have the collection of tax during this period, since the bulk of a farmers income came at this time.

3) Mary and Joseph were forced to find shelter in a barn or grotto, because all the inns and taverns were full. This would indicate that pilgrims had begun to arrive in Jerusalem and surrounding towns, for the autumn festival.

Why December the 25th?

The 25th of December was chosen as the official date of birth of Jesus Christ in the 4th century, probably after the Council of Nicea and Constantine’s strongest attempt to consolidate Christianity as an ecumenical religion, primarily because it coincided with the pagan festivals of Saturnalia and the winter solstice. In this way, the church offered people a Christian alternative to the pagan festivities, and as a matter of fact reinterpreted many of their symbols and actions so as to be acceptable to the Christian faith and practice.

Finally, not only is it believed that he was not born on the 25th of December, there is also proof that he was born sometime in 4 bc (considering the date of birth of John the Baptist, and also the death of Herod).

Winter 2012 67

did you know?

1

Deities Purportedly Born on the 25th of December It is little known that not a small number of important deities in other religions were also born on December the 25th, many of which predate the birth of Jesus by thousands of years. Not only were they born on the same date, but also share a number of almost exact characteristics: the archetype of the solar man-god, born of a virgin, slain and risen, span many cultures and many times. Straight out of Dan Brown, some would say.

2

1

Horus

Horus was one of the oldest and most important deities in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped since as far back 6000 B.C. (according to more than a few historians), as the god of the Sun, war and protection. Some argue that he too: • Was born of a virgin mother (Isis) • His birth was announced by a star in the east • He had 12 apostles • Was crucified, dead for 3 days, and resurrected 2

3

Dionysus

Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, theatre and ecstasy, worshipped from 1500 B.C. until Roman times, after which point he would become better known as Bacchus. Similarities to Jesus: • Birth (25th of December) prophesised by a star • Jesus was visited by the Magi, who are, some would have it, followers of Dionysus • Turned water into wine • Dionysus appears before King Pentheus on charges of claiming divinity 4

3

Krishna

Hindus believe that Krishna was the eighth “avatar”, or reincarnation of the God Vishnu, one of the deities in the Hindu trinity.

• Born of the virgin Devaki • According to Christian apocryphal texts, Jesus and his family fled to Maturea.

Krishna was born in Maturea, India, hundreds of years earlier • Krishna raised the dead and healed leapers, the blind and deaf • Krishna washed the feet of Brahmins • Both are referred to as The Saviour of Men 4

Attis

Attis was a Phrygian god and consort of Cybele in Greek mythology, known to be worshipped between 500 B.C. and 400 A.D. The similarities to Jesus are not so convincing though: • Born from a virgin mother: Attis’s mother Nana was impregnated by an almond from a daemon.

• Resurrected: he was reborn as the evergreen pine, or resurrected by Zeus.

www.see-magazine.eu 68

did you know?

St. Nicholas’ Trials & Tribulations If you think Santa is merely a relatively modern invention – although it would not be far from the truth to say that the retail industry has certainly ‘reinvented’ him over the last odd-century – think again. As always, there is more to it, even a veritable story of plight, purported miracles, even body snatching...

T

here’s more than one legend which contributed towards the being we know as Santa Claus, and one of those is Saint Nicholas, known to many from the poem ‘Twas the Night before Christmas’. What might not be known about him is that he was in fact Greek, born in the 3rd century, in the ancient town of Patara in Lycia, and that he lived in Myra, which is in modern day Turkey. He is indeed the primary inspiration for the American Santa Claus, as well as the Anglo-Canadian and British Father Christmas, which are all, in turn, derived from the Dutch Sinterklaas. He died on the 6th of December 343, at the ripe age of 73, and was buried in Myra, which subsequently became a place of pilgrimage.

Other than being the patron saint of children, good old Saint Nick is also the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, students, and last (but certainly not least, given his alter-ego’s predilection for climbing down chimneys), of thieves.

The region surrounding Myra has been far from peaceful, so it is hardly surprising that Saint Nicholas’ own body has hardly been in peace: for one, in 1087 (in that era when relics were just about the most sought after commodities), a group of Italian merchants stole his body and transported it to Bari, in modern day Italy. Lastly, on the 28th of December, 2009, the Turkish Government requested that his remains be returned to Turkey and laid to rest at his Episcopal town, even though Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country.

-MANNA An oily substance called manna is said to flow from the relics of St. Nicholas, and is valued for its healing powers. A flask of manna is extracted from the tomb each year, on the 6th of December (the Saint's feast day) by the clergy of the basilica. It

is uncertain whether the manna comes from his body, or the marble of the sarcophagus, but there are several natural explanations for it, primarily the fact that the crypt is below sea level, and in a harbour town.

- BLACK PETER & RACIAL CONTROVERSY Black Peter is the helper (originally slave) of Santa Claus, or Sinterklass, in the Netherlands, and is tasked with amusing children, giving them sweets, but also with taking misbehaving children with him back to Spain, where Sinterklass lives.

However, Black Peter is often portrayed with an Afro hairstyle and exaggerated African racial features. This has led to much

controversy, and so this somewhat racist aspect to his appearance has been downplayed in recent decades, and he is now described as a chimney sweeper instead of a black slave. Nonetheless, the Dutch are proud of their tradition and holiday revellers continue to blacken their faces and wear afro-styled wigs, gold jewellery, and bright red lipstick.

Winter 2012 69

2013 pullouts

Sunday December 23rd 6.30 pm Specijalna bolnica za leÄ?enje cerebralne paralize Beograd, Sokobanjska 17a

Do not forget those who need it the most.

2nd Humanitarian Initiative Daj i biće ti dato (Give and you shall receive) Aimed at helping children suffering from cerebral paralysis, wards of the Special Hospital for Cerebral Paralysis, Belgrade (Specijala bolnica za cerebralnu paralizu, Beograd)

We invite companies and individuals alike to donate and help improve the hospital conditions for children suffering from cerebral paralysis, most of whom are orphans.

Funds are payable directly into the bank account of the hospital. For further details please call Ms. SneĹžana Dukanac at + 381 (0) 60 7111 736

www.see-magazine.eu 70

did you know?

Krampus – The Claw of Alpine Villages Every yin must have its yang, every angel its concomitant demon, every hero his villainous arch nemesis… and so on. Naturally then, if there is Santa, there is also – the Krampus.

A

merican kids need not worry if they will or will not receive the latest techno gadget for Christmas - no matter how bad they’ve been throughout the year. But across the ocean, the German kids don’t have that same notion of selfentitlement, and here’s why… It would seem holiday festivities are also a good way to discipline and ‘warn’ your children, and what better way to do it than with a terrifying horned figure? He is the Krampus, the holiday devil!

Parts of Germany, Bavaria and Austria (and also Slovenia and Croatia) celebrate ‘Krampusnacht’, organising big parties featuring a scary clawed demon that accompanies Santa Claus. His job, of course, is to punish the children who have been bad, while Santa Claus rewards those who’ve been good.

It is usually intoxicated men in their teens and early twenties, who parade as the Krampus on the 5th of December, wearing goat hair costumes and terrifying carved masks, with a cow-bell hanging around their necks, all of which are to warn others of their approach. They roam town streets, as any self-respecting demon would, hitting people with their sticks. A special target of this “harassment” happens to be young women, who are well advised to stay in-doors on this particular night.

In Croatia the Krampus is depicted as a figure hauling chains behind him, keeping an eye out for any misbehaving children. St. Nicholas gives the children presents and a golden branch, representing their good deeds throughout the year. But if a child has misbehaved, the Krampus will take all their gifts and leave only a silver branch, which signifies the child’s bad acts. Oddly enough, children are actually scared into going to sleep when St. Nicholas brings his gifts,

Adolf Hitler was terrified of Krampus; a New York Times article ran the headline, “Krampus Disliked in Fascist Austria”!

telling them that if the Krampus catches them awake, he will think they have been bad and will take them away in his sack.

Here are a few facts about Krampus, which you might not have known: 1) Krampus predates Jesus. Krampus (which means claw) is a pre-Christian tradition, specifically an Alpine-Pagan tradition, and can be related to the satyrs of Greek mythology.

2) The Krampus does not stop at mere stick lashings. According to quite a few popular 1800s postcards, the Krampus also ripped pigtails out, led children off of cliffs, pulled ears way beyond usual standards, shackled pre-teens, threw children onto the Express Train to the Lake of Fire, and, last but not least, drowned children in a lake of ink, fishing out their bodies with a pitch-fork. What a pleasant chap.

3) Adolf Hitler was terrified of Krampus; a New York Times article ran the headline, “Krampus Disliked in Fascist Austria”! Hitler even went so far as to order the arrest of “the devil, on sight”, whom he labelled “the work of wicked Social Democrats”.

4) Most people associate the holiday seasons with good will and general happiness, gifts brought by Santa Claus and St. Nicholas, and basically a warm fuzzy feeling all around. BUT…! It would seem Krampus is not the only mischievous, scary figure that accompanies the “good fellas”. In Icelandic folklore, 13 Santa figures, known as the Jolasveinar, are mentioned, each worse than the next. There's also Hurdaskellir, or "The Door Slammer."

Then we also have the vicious elves, "The Window Peeper," "The Sausage Snatcher," and "The Doorway Sniffer”.

All in all, it would seem that spanking and punishing is considered equally as rewarding as nice, soft, cuddly gifts.

Winter 2012 71

did you know?

Citius, Altius, Fortius Or, if you will – ‘Faster, higher, stronger’

The Largest Christmas Present in History

One can’t make mention of astronauts and NASA without delving into some of the actual science surrounding Christmas.

While there are approximately two billion persons under the age of 18 in the world, only 15% of these are Christian: Santa Claus doesn’t appear to be dealing with children of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist etc. faiths. With each household possessing, on average, 3.5 children, these 300 million benefactors of Santa’s goodwill live in 85.7 million homes (we will take it as given that at least one good child lives in each home). Assuming the man himself works from east to west he can avail of 31 hours of Christmas, thanks to different time zones and the roin polar orbit… Looks like he might be going to tation of the planet. This works out at 768 re-enter soon… You just might let me pick up homes visited per second, calculating an apthat thing… I see a command module and eight proximate speed for Santa’s sleigh of roughsmaller modules in front. The pilot of the com- ly 677 miles per second, which is over 3300 mand module is wearing a red suit.” This report times the speed of sound. highly alerted Mission Control, and as they were The sleigh itself, if carrying no more than a planning how to deal with it, they heard an ex- small present for each child, weighs in excess tra-terrestrial rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ coming of 140,000 tonnes. In order to pull this much from Gemini 6. The two astronauts managed to weight, we would need over 100,000 reinsmuggle aboard a harmonica and small sleigh deer, and this is making the assumption that bells especially for this opportunity, which went Santa’s flying reindeer are somewhat strongdown in history as the first musical instruments er than the usual breed found wandering the steppes. This many reindeer will bring the total to have been played in space. weight of the convoy to over 160,000 tonnes, which is almost twice the weight of a serving aircraft carrier.

This much weight, travelling at such speeds, creates a certain amount of natural resistance, which in turn creates a massive amount of generated heat. The leading pair of reindeer will be able to absorb 7.2 x 1018 Joules per second. This will not be good for the poor reindeer; within 0.004 seconds the entire 100,000 reindeer will be vaporised. Santa, meanwhile, will find himself the subject of centrifugal forces which are 17,500 times greater than gravity on Earth. No matter how you do the math, this is not going to work out well for jolly old Santa.

WARNING: Keep these facts to yourself in the presence of children!

In 1886, the United States received The Statue of Liberty as a Christmas gift from France, making it the largest Christmas present in history, weighing 225 tonnes and towering at 46.5 metres. It cost the French 530,300 us dollars to construct the statue. The statue that stands tall on the shores of New York, commemorates the friendship between the Americans and the French, and was designed by the eminent French sculptor Bartholdi. The figure represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, bearing a torch and a stone tablet on which the American Declaration of Independence is inscribed. At her feet lay broken chains, representing the abolition of slavery.

Christmas, the Final Frontier On the 16th of December, Gemini 6 astronauts Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr. and Thomas P. Stafford decided to give NASA a surprise Christmas present. After successfully completing their mission in space, they were preparing their atmospheric re-entry manoeuvres, when they suddenly and frantically reported a UFO sighting.

Stafford was the one who contacted mission control saying, “We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably

Some Strange Santa Physics

www.see-magazine.eu 72

did you know?

1914 Christmas Truce Days of chivalry may well, by now, belong to some irretrievable past, but that does not mean that we should not remember them with a sense of nostalgia, especially for Christmas. What follows is at least one story testifying to how, even in tremendously difficult and unlikely circumstances, Chrismas can bring out the best in us.

C

ome Christmas time in 1914, although The Great War has started only four months past it was already one of the bloodiest wars in history, giving the word slaughter a new meaning. On the Western Front especially, both sides were inescapably trapped in trenches, covered in mud and blood, all the time trying to endure the harsh cold of the winter months and the gruelling threat of snipers and machine guns wreaking havoc just inches above soldiers’ heads. In such a place, which some might describe as closest to hell, something completely surprising happened for Christmas 1914.

It was no secret that, even before then, soldiers in both lines of trenches had become rather “pally”, regardless of the fact that such practices were strongly

discouraged by both high commands. At some places the trenches were only 60 yards apart, so communication between the opposing forces was easy. For example, every morning a soldier would stick a board in the air, after which all the fighting would stop for an hour or so, providing both sides with enough time to eat up and drink in serene silence; once the board went down, any man unlucky to show as much as a finger got it blown off.

Soldiers often yelled back and forth, inquiring about common interests, shouted rude and prurient remarks for entertainment, and also sang to each other.

On Christmas Eve, though the phenomenon was not ubiquitous, both sides in many parts of the front took a break from fighting, singing carols to one another across the battlefield. The following

morning, German soldiers left their trenches and started approaching the Allied troops, shouting out “Merry Christmas”, in English. Luckily enough, this was no trick or deceptive military tactic, and soon many British soldiers left their trenches to go and meet the Germans in No-Mans’-Land, greeting them, shaking hands, and even exchanging cigarettes as gifts.

Much to the dismay of the commanding officers, this unofficial and strange truce lasted for several days, and was one of the last examples of true – and spontaneous – wartime chivalry. Alas, as the war progressed and started assuming an increasingly more horrid mien – especially after the introduction of mustard gas and unprecedentedly bloody battles of the Somme and Verdun – by Christmas of 1916 the ‘fraternal’ truces would be held no more.

Be that as it may, for those who wish to acquaint themselves a bit more with this unique phenomenon, we can recommend Stanley Weintraub's 2002 book Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, as well as the 2005 French film Joyeux Noël (English: Merry Christmas), in which the truce is depicted through the eyes of French, Scottish and German soldiers. Diane Kruger delivers one of her strongest performances as Anna Sørensen, the Danish soprano visiting her German lover on the Front, and we shall leave you by saying that the film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards was one of Ian Richardson's last appearances before his death on February 9th, 2007.

Winter 2012 73

Perfect chocolate, perfect flavour, perfect gift!

Medvedgradska 7, 10000 Zagreb / t + 385 1 46 69 100 / f +385 1 46 69 115 / www.leonidas.com

www.see-magazine.eu 74

did you know?

Hail the Christmas Tree Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Norway spruce, Tannenbaum, juniper... even the cherry tree has been used in the past. But we shan’t dabble into botany just about now, but rather, again, look into the past.

T

he early Christian Church, in the 3rd century, actually prohibited the decoration of households with evergreen boughs, considering them to be Pagan traditions. Today’s Christmas tree tradition is traced back to Western Germany in the 16th century. They called the trees "Paradeisbaum" (paradise trees) and were brought into homes to celebrate the annual Feast of Adam and Eve on December the 24th. German immigrants first brought them to America around 1700.

The modern day tradition of decorating evergreen trees for Christmas only truly caught on in the mid-19th century.

As always, there is more than one tradition that observes the decorating of a tree during the winter solstice, some far more ancient than the Christian one; 1) The Pagans celebrated the winter solstice by cutting down boughs of evergreen trees in December, moving them into their homes or temples, and

decorating them. Since all the other trees, bushes and crops died during the winter, Pagans believed that the evergreen trees had magical powers.

2) The ancient Egyptians also held a similar tradition. For quite obvious reasons, they did not use evergreen trees, but instead considered the palm tree to symbolise resurrection, and decorated their homes with its branches during the winter solstice.

3) As for Europe, the ancient Germanic people who viewed trees as symbols of eternal life, tied fruit and candles to evergreen trees, in honour of their god Woden. This is the deity after which Wednesday was named.

Of course the Christmas tree has long been a ubiquitous part of Christmas. The first tree to have been decorated for the purposes of Christmas was thought to have been in Riga, Latvia, as far back as 1510, and not long after, in 1531 in

Germany, the tree found its way into the medium of print, featured in various stories. The life of the Christmas tree took off in 1850 once the United States began selling them commercially, and so, like so many other holidays, the world took much of its lead from the west.

Almost 40 million trees, in the United States alone, are produced specifically for the Christmas market, and most are grown in designated Christmas tree farms.

Europe sees over 50 million Christmas trees purchased, with almost half of those coming from Germany, long the home of the Tannenbaum. And it was also in America that the idea of Christmas lights originated, when an assistant of Thomas Edison came up with the idea in 1882.

And if you so desire, you can always go into Christmas tree farming, with the overheads (cost of land aside) being quite low and farms returning as much as 500 – 800 Euro per acre planted.

Winter 2012 75

www.see-magazine.eu 76

good stuff

Christmas Presents for Him & Her It’s the season to be jolly, and all that, but more and more we’re faced with a stressful conundrum as to what our significant others might like for Christmas; after all, in this day and age we tend to be a people who have everything we really need. However, these few offerings might prove themselves lifesavers nevertheless. Ho ho ho!

FOR HIM Watch - Zenith Stratos Flyback Striking 10th The absolute horological hit of the year, if only due to one simple record breaking fact: the Stratos Flyback Striking 10th was the very model which Felix Baumgartner wore during his spectacular and unbelievable parachute jump from the edge of space. On the back of that once-in-a-lifetime event it is the only such instrument to have been exposed to speeds in excess of Mach 1, outside of any vehicle or craft. Enough said. € 8,000

Perfume - Tom Ford Italian Cypress This exclusive perfume is, in the words of Tom Ford, “designed unconstrained by the conventions of main stream scent-making with the true fragrance connoisseur in mind”. The fragrance itself is a robust blend of citrus, clove and centred on the masculine body of cypress resin essential oil. € 180 per 50 ml bottle

Gadget - Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 8 Dock The Danish company are not one to stand idly by, and are innovators more often than not. The BeoSound 8 is a universal iPhone, iPod, and iPad audio speaker dock, the only one of its kind on the market today. The dock, which comes in a black or silver finish, can link to your devices via jack or wireless connection. € 700

Film - James Bond 50th Anniversary BluRay Box Set Marking the golden(eye) jubilee of the greatest spy/playboy of all time, MGM have come up with this full 22 James Bond feature film box set. A welcome addition to any film collection and a stylish ornament of any self respecting man cave, plus the benefit of enjoying the Bond exploits in full HD. € 180

Espresso Maker - Illy Francis X1 As per the premise that any man enjoys a good cup of espresso, the choice of Illy Francis X1 as a gift comes without much thought. What one might refer to as retro-futuristic or simply steam punk design has become quite the must-have when it comes to home espresso makers. Arguably the best such appliance on the market today. € 600

Winter 2012 77

FOR HER Handbag - Balenciaga Giant 12 Rose Gold Town An iconic handbag made by the legendary Balenciaga, this is something that is sure to put a smile on any women’s face.

Hand stitched in Italy and made from the finest lamb skin, with rose gold plated metal hardware, this exceptional handbag comes in thirteen different colours from which we recommend red, again in the commercialist spirit of the season. € 1,500

Gadget- Sony Vaio Croc Among the best out there, for sure. Still, we won’t delve into the technical specifics of this device, but rather focus on the leather finish, pressed with a crocodile skin pattern, and a gold plated trim and logo, all available in a choice of trendy colours. € 3,500

Garment - Burberry Scarf This timeless classic will warm the heart (and neck) of any woman; or man for that matter. The iconic beige and tartan pattern has once again become an accessory which is very much acceptable in the very best of companies. € 170

Perfume - Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Classique is basically the essence of all other JP Gaultier female ODP and ODT fragrances, only it is concentrated. Described by connoisseurs as floral, voluptuous, and deliciously entrancing, Classique revolves around the scents of Rose and Rum, Orchid sweet amber, and sandalwood.

110 Euros per 100 ml Bottle

Hedonism - Wellness Weekend Getaway A woman’s love for being pampered is no secret, and no one has ever objected to getting away from it all. Vouchers might well seem a safe catchall present, but there is never anything wrong with putting a voucher for a Wellness Weekend under the tree. There are far too many spas and hotel retreats for us to even attempt at choosing one, so we’ll leave it up to you, the reader, to make that decision alone. € 150 and up...

www.see-magazine.eu 78

good stuff

Regional Bubbly Extravaganza Ah, the sweet joy of refined bubbles. And though the term ‘Champagne’ is reserved for sparkling wine produced through the traditional (or classic) method of secondary bottle fermentation in the namesake province of France, do not think that this neck of the woods doesn't have many a contender in this prestigious wine class.

3...2...1...uncork and Happy New Year!!!!

Istenič Prestige Brut The Slovenian winery Istenič, based in the Bizeljsko region, is famous for its diverse line of sparkling wines, and it’s from here that we bring you their flagship product, Prestige Brut. This very dry and well aged bubbly is made from 100 percent chardonnay base wines, selected from only the best vintages.

Firm bodied and with a delicate and refined flowery character this, exceptional sparkling wine is best served chilled at 6°C with poultry, shellfish, or mild cheese. € 25

Tomac Rose One of the most appreciated Croatian sparkling wine producers is definitely the Tomac winery from the Plešivica region. With a tradition of bubbly-making and a diverse product line, it fell to us to present the latest addition to their menu, which is the Tomac Rose. This wine is a blend of Chardonnay and Portugieser varieties, aged on the yeast for no less than two years.

Characterised by its dry taste, fine pearly bubbles, and a flowery aroma, it is best served chilled at 8°C as a companion to scallops, lobster, or pheasant. € 16

Domanović Domano

Tikveš Ergion

Crnogorski Val

The first, and as of yet only, B&H bubbly is produced by the Herzegovinian Domanovići winery, which is owned by the Zadro family.

The winery is known for producing the indigenous Žilavka and Blatina, and has chosen to make a sparkling wine out of 100 percent Žilavka base wine, which is aged on the yeast for no less then three years. The strong bodied base makes for a dry bubbly with elegant fruity notes reminiscent of cantaloupe and citrus. Serve chilled at 6°C as a companion to cantaloupe and Herzegovinian prosciutto, or Livno cheese. €9

The renowned Macedonian Tikveš winery is, of late, proud to include a natural sparkling wine amongst its well known and sought after selection of whites and reds. The only such Macedonian product is marketed under the name Ergion, which is a dry white sparkling wine made with a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes to produce a base wine which is aged on the yeast for two years, and can be described as being fruity with exceptional freshness and a pronounced mineral note – a tell tale hallmark of the Tikveš terroir. Serve chilled at 6°C as a companion to white meat, fish, or mild cheese. € 12

This natural sparkling wine is produced by the Plantaže winery, known for the largest wine cellar in Europe. This Montenegrin bubbly is made from a blend of indigenous Krstač and Chardonnay grape varieties, and is aged on the yeast for no less than a year.

Crnogorski Val comes in two variants, Brut and Demi Sec, and we chose the latter, a bubbly which is characterised by a sweet fruity and rich aroma, easily enjoyable and fresh on the palate. Best served chilled at 8° C as a companion to deserts and aromatic cheese. €7

Winter 2012 79

www.see-magazine.eu 80

see promo

New Generation of Gorenje Washing Machines Who says the region doesn’t have its prize horse even in the cutthroat electrical appliances and machinery business? That said, Gorenje is especially proud of their new line of washing machines – and only this remains to be said – spotless whiteness of your laundry is guaranteed.

H

ave you ever dreamed about a truly intelligent washing machine? One that would automatically adjust the washing process to the selected programme and the type and weight of the laundry? A washing machine that provides care and protection for your laundry, and makes smart choices of washing modes, ranging from environmentally friendly to allergy-friendly? A small miracle that is simple to use, economical, superiorly designed and so smart it would automatically choose the right parameters for optimum washing and care of your heap of laundry? Owing to the new generation of Gorenje washing machines and the revolutionary SensorIQ technology employed in them, this dream has become reality.

Fully customised washing Gorenje washing machines offer the option to choose the washing method best suited to your needs. If you tend to use the conventional washing programs (cotton, synthetics, mix, delicate, woollens), there are four new possible modes to choose from: Normalcare, Ecocare, Timecare, and Allergycare. These washing modes provide excellent washing results and perfect laundry care every time. Normalcare is preset for regular daily use, optimising the use of power and time; Ecocare is focused on laundry care with very low amount of water and power, regardless of washing time; Timecare will be welcomed by those who live their lives on the fast lane as it steps up the intensity to efficiently wash the laundry in the shortest possible time; and Allergycare is the right choice for the allergy prone as it uses more water to thoroughly rinse the laundry.

Always optimum use of power, water, and time Gorenje washing machines feature numerous sensors that continuously monitor the washing progress. Based on collected data, the intelligent SensorIQ technology automatically adjusts the washing process according to the selected program and the type and weight of the laundry. This guarantees optimum results, as well as considerable savings in power, water, and time.

Wellness treatment for your laundry High load capacity – up to 9 kg The spacious drum fitted in Gorenje's washing machines of the new generation allows optimum wash for larger amounts of laundry – up to 9 kilograms at a time. Owing to the door with a diameter of 34.5 cm which can be opened to a 180 °C angle, loading and emptying of the drum is very simple even when you are washing blankets, bedding or other large items. In advanced models, the drum is lit up when opened to allow a better view of the laundry inside.

Excellent energy efficiency Many innovative solutions like the efficient program algorithms, OptiDrum washing machine drum, and QuickWet optimum soaking system, combined with the intelligent SensorIQ sensor technology, deliver excellent energy efficiency. Gorenje's top models boast A+++ -20% rating, which means they use on average 50% less power than an A energy class appliance.

Innovatively designed drum interior made of stainless steel is completely adjusted to efficient motion of the laundry during the washing process. Large volume allows comfort even when washing larger amounts of laundry. Drum perforation is carefully thought out so that the size, shape, and number of holes provide lower water and power consumption. Wave-shaped 3d ribs gently move the laundry towards the rear part of the drum and then lift it towards the top.

Tilted design of the interior door glass also contributes to this process. OptiDrum will make sure your laundry gets the best possible care.

Simple choice of the right program for any type of laundry Gorenje washing machines offer several washing programs and temperature settings. The most commonly used programs – cotton, synthetics, mix, delicate, and woollens – are found on the right hand side of the dial; on the left side of

Winter 2012 81

the perimeter, special programs adjusted to a particular type of laundry are offered.

The innovative Ultrawhite program, for instance, is intended for care of white delicate laundry such as synthetics, silk, nylon, and lace, which, due to the specific character of the fabric, should never be washed at high temperatures. The laundry will receive excellent care at a temperature of no more than 30°C, owing to more intensive tumbling rhythm and more water. Normally, white laundry washed at such low temperature would gradually take on a greyish or yellowish shade and loose its white sheen. With the Ultrawhite program, however, white laundry will truly stay white. In addition to the revolutionary Ultrawhite program, the washing machine offers PerfectBlack, BioWash, NightWash, QuickWash, and two user-defined programs MyFavourite that are easily customizable by the user.

Assistance in dealing with the most stubborn stains It may often be the case that inappropriate washing method will additionally work a stain into the fabric, reducing the possibility to remove it in subsequent washes. Gorenje's high-end models offer a special StainExpert function for effective removal of the most common stubborn stains. Choose the most appropriate among the four offered groups of stains to make sure the laundry is washed effectively. The four groups include fruit – efficient for oranges, strawberries, bananas, tomato sauce, fruit mashes etc.; coffee – fights stains from tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, yoghurt, pasta, lipstick etc.; wine – cleans stains of red wine, dark fruit juices, blueberries, red beet etc.; and organic – in case of stains of fat, oil, butter, eggs, blood, or grass.

Superior component quality for a longer useful life The heavy-duty DuraHeat heater is coated with a protection layer of nickel which makes the surface very smooth and reduces accumulation of limescale. Compared to conventional solutions, the DuraHeat will last longer and make washing machine operation more efficient. This reasserts the quality of the machine and prolongs its useful life.

Efficient and environmentally friendly motor Generation of washing machines offering spinning rates of 1,600 rpm and accommodating 9 kilogram loads features a highly efficient electronically controlled PowerDrive motor which is, compared to the universal electric motor, more reliable and very quiet. Minimum use of power and handling larger loads more easily will translate into longer useful life. The motor is very efficient as it reaches maximum power very fast.

- R E D D OT AWA R D F O R N E W G E N E R AT I O N G O R E N J E WA S H I N G M AC H I N E S Sophistication and innovation in design of the new washing machines, paired with Gorenje new dryers, caught the scrutinising

eye of the eminent international jury for the red dot design award. Thus, Gorenje's new washing machines, designed by Gorenje's

in-house Gorenje Design Studio, joined the line-up of products with the best design of the year.

www.see-magazine.eu 82

a blast from the past

1913 One hundred years ago the region, like the rest of Europe, lived in the last days of the old Imperial powers. Change was knocking at the door, its imminence felt everywhere.

As the forces of the Balkan Alliance were engaged in a war to drive out the weakened Ottomans, the entire region, save for a handful of urban centres in the Austro-Hungarian territories, was vastly underdeveloped. In other words, looking at the heart of the matter through this prism, one can only say that major progress has been made, and that the doomsdayists and defeatists had better take the back seat for the nonce...

The region was divided between the Austro-Hungarian monarchy on one hand, which held control of present day Slovenia, Croatia, Vojvodina, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Kingdom of Serbia and Principality of Montenegro on the other, with the Ottoman’s grasp of the southern parts of the area diminishing under the assault of the Balkan Alliance.

The currencies used in the region a century ago were the AustroHungarian Krone (100 Hellers), Serbian Dinar (100 Para), Montenegrin Perper (100 Para), and the Ottoman Lira (100 Kuruş).

Only 15% of the region’s population was urban-based, and the regional capitals were so much smaller accordingly: Belgrade had just 90,000 inhabitants; Zagreb had 80,000 inhabitants; Sarajevo had 52,000 people, and Ljubljana 47,000. In 1913 the present day capital of Montenegro, Podgorica, had 15,000 inhabitants, but at that time the capital of the Principality was Cetinje, which had 18,000 occupants.

Literacy rates were devastating in 1913, and even though an elementary, four year education had been compulsory in the AustroHungarian territories since 1880, 24% of Slovenes and 40% of the population in present day Croatia was still illiterate, while in B&H the number went as high – staggeringly so – as 87%. In Serbia only 20% of the population could read and write.

Statistically speaking, out of every 1,000 children aged five to fifteen, 670 attended schools in Slovenia, 598 in Croatia, 175 in Serbia, and just 76 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the elections for the Croatian Parliament, following the resignation of the pro-Austrian viceroy Slavko Cuvaj (after two failed assassination attempts), the Croat-Serb Coalition parties collectively won a landslide 39% of the vote. Of some 2.6 million inhabitants of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, only eight percent were eligible voters, due to a complex franchise revolving around property, education, and professions.

The Second Balkan war broke out on the 29th of June, 1913, when the Bulgarian army launched an attack against their former Greek and Serbian allies in an attempt to gain control of Macedonia and the port of Salonika. The Bulgarians failed in their attempt due in part to poor planning, and a concurrent assault by Romanian and Ottoman forces on Bulgarian territory.

Ottoman control over the southern part of the region, which had lasted for five centuries, ceased after the First Balkan War, thus allowing for the expansion of the Serbian and Montenegrin territories. After that conflict Serbia gained control of the lands which make up present day Macedonia.

The Treaty of London saw the end of the First Balkan War, and this led to the creation of the Principality of Albania, which was now a protectorate of the Great European powers. The German Prince Wilhelm von Wied was appointed Head of State, and adopted the name of Skanderbeg II, after the 15th century Albanian hero George Kastrioti Skanderbeg.

Winter 2012 83

www.see-magazine.eu 84

to do list

Dec 15th – Dec 30th

Dec 27th

Jan 4th

International New Year's Fair

Miroslav Ilić

Snow Queen Trophy 2013

Belgrade Fairgrounds, Belgrade / Christmas shopping and fairground entertainment frenzy.

Coloseum Club, Sarajevo (22h) / Yugoslav pop-folk legend.

Sljeme, Zagreb / FIS Ski World Cup women's slalom

Dec 22nd

Dec 27th

Jan 6th

Evening of Sevdalinka

The Blues Brothers

Snow Queen Trophy 2013

Chamber Theatre 55, Sarajevo (22h) / Traditional Bosniak love songs special.

Stožice Sports Park Arena, Ljubljana (19h) / A popular musical about two men on a mission from God, devoted to a life of music.

Sljeme, Zagreb / FIS Ski World Cup men's slalom

Dec 22nd

Dec 28th

Jan 14th

Prljavo Kazalište

2Cellos

Giovanni Mirabassi Trio

Kombank Arena, Belgrade (20h) / Croatian New Wave legends, performing in Belgrade for the first time in 26 years.

Kombank Arena, Belgrade (20h) / Famous Croatian cello attraction, back home after supporting Elton John on world tour.

KD Vatroslav Lisinski, Zagreb (20h) / Italian jazz pianist and his trio.

Dec 26th

Dec 28th

Jan 18th

Mary Poppins on Ice

Philharmonic Ball

The Flying Dutchman

Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana (15h) / Spectacle based on the story of Mary Poppins, performed by Moscow Stars on Ice.

KD Vatroslav Lisinski, Zagreb (20h) / Annual holiday ball.

Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana (19h) / Romantic opera by Richard Wagner.

Dec 26th

Jan 1st

Jan 25th

Medveščak vs. Vienna Capitals

Open Heart Street

Museum Night

Dom Sportova, Zagreb (17:30h) / EBEL ice hockey match, an ideal outing to burn off some of those holiday calories.

Svetogorska Street, Belgrade / Traditional New Year's Day stroll with masques, free mulled wine, rakija and sour chowder to treat the hangover.

Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia (18h) / Free admittance to museums and galleries all across the region.

Winter 2012 85

www.see-magazine.eu 86