in medias res | Croats Not to ‘Fear’ Slovenes Any More?
February 13th
the economy | The 2014-2020 EU Budget: The Imperfect Deal the industry | Croatian Milk Under Attack southeast europe · a fortnight in review no.21 / y.2 / subscription only / 27th february 2013
in perspective | Bosnia in NATO? On One Condition... event horizon | Of Serbia’s Autoimmune Systemic Diseases
THE FIFTH SEASON www.see-magazine.eu |
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February 13th
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content
introductory epistle
The Fifth Season
the industry 08
A retired pope? Can there be such a thing? Enter the domain of the Fifth Season...
Croatian Milk Under Attack
destinations 24
With slightly higher levels of a certain toxin detected, everyone's crying wolf...
Of General Interest
10 12
Vote of Non-Confidence for B&H Government Jeremić Loses the Party Whip A Tuđman Does It (Again)
13 13 14 14
Vladimir Ferdelji Submits a Serious Bid for Zagreb Mayor
30 did you know?
Four Popes for the Ages: Not in the Best Sense
50
So who else retired, voluntarily or not, before Benedict XVI? A few did...
34 did you know? 52 Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day… To All Russians
18
Man have and always will admire generals. And we know that nothing beats the Russians.
in perspective
Bosnia in NATO? On One Condition...
36 did you know?
Unique Boating Pleasures: The Early Bird Catches the Worm
Who wants NATO, and who doesn't? And what of military assets, the hot potato?
22
War on Corruption: Or of Serbia’s Autoimmune Systemic Diseases
54
Boats? Of course there are boats. There's even a submarine, believe it or not?
event horizon
Even Mišković is in custody, or sort of...but are lessons truly being taught?
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fortnightly interview
Or what it looks like when everyone wants to work with you because you're hot.
the economy
08
Krsto Papić: A Giant of Croatian Film This man truly loved film, and he is no more...so let us pay him homage.
The Ericsson Nikola Tesla Power Surge
Here we're entering the realm of serious billions, but not all are happy...Indeed not.
Optimism is a virtue, but when a German bank confirms it...Now, that's something.
in memoriam
the bright side of the business
the economy
Serbia's Positive Growth May be Real
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Could it be that the Ljubljanska Banka issue has finally been resolved? Soon...
The 2014-2020 EU Budget: The Imperfect Deal
What Is the Future of the Croatian Worker Come July?
Pre-election race is already in full swing... So trust us with this candidate...
in medias res
Croats Not to ‘Fear’ Slovenes Any More?
social economics
Or who will welcome them, and who will not? Trust us, most will...
highlights Kosovo MPs’ Medals Plan Comes Under Fire
42
1700 years since the Edict of Milan...but what else is there to do?
news The Economy
The Niš Centenary: Or Can We Make It More Than a Pilgrimage?
38 blast from the past to do list
56 58
February 13th
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impressum
editor-in-chief Igor Dakić
introductory epistle
The Fifth Season
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 Ben Berković contributors Dylan Alexander Mark Ferris Michael Devaney Črt Razboršek Jerko Markovina Marijan Grakalić photography Mens-Libera Photo, Shutterstock, IStock, Wiki Commons unless otherwise specified printer Grafički zavod Hrvatske Radnička cesta 210, Zagreb, Croatia
director Igor Dakić igor.dakic@see-magazine.eu sales & marketing (cro & slo) Ben Berković ben.berkovic@see-magazine.eu + 385 95 63 99 702 sales & marketing (srb & bih) Miša Milošević misa@see-magazine.eu + 381 63 22 42 23
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Auto-plagiarism, or the quoting or citing of one's own self, is not something I would recommend that one do on a regular basis. Yet, every now and again, it is hard not too resort to one's own former scribblings, and that for an all too obvious reason: it is difficult to (attempt to) be clever or insightful time and again, especially in a different fashion… Anyway, here it goes: “…soon thereafter the men too commenced to depart, commenced to depart whither rests one of the most enduring mysteries of the realm. Alone, immortal, at first they had essayed to live off fishing and in dreams but had one day forgotten Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter and had vanished into the Fifth Season, a place outside of time or a time devoid of a palpable place which is said to have been responsible for inspiring Dante’s description of the Purgatory.” The quote is from the Prologue of the namesake novel, written by yours truly, and the Fifth Season obviously refers to that particular type of feeling, ever elusive, which unmistakably tells us that, though explanations of certain phenomena are viable and many, there is yet some inexplicable pang which puts us in a realm beyond that which we can rationally account for. Which is how I felt, in the recent period, about a number of things, but the one which I should like to discuss briefly here concerns, though it is hardly surprising, the soon to be former Pope. Now, relinquishing the Seat of Saint Peter under the pretext that one is worn out is either heroically quaint or a spin so far-fetched that people are actually likely to believe it, especially if one is a pope. Now, Mr Ratzinger wasn't just anybody, even in his former life: we are talking about a theologian who carried on a discourse with Jurgen Habermas, and a theologian who managed seriously to grapple with Nietzsche, even proposing a very interesting, philosophically speaking, way to look at the concept of (Platonic) Eros, which Nietzsche had thought irreparably corrupted by Christianity; we are also talking about a man who, having spent decades there, certainly knew his way around the Vatican and its boiler-room pseudo-corporate battlefields. One cannot but wonder, and ascribe Benedict xvi’s move to the workings either of some incomprehensible mystery, blackmail, or worse. Whatever the case, a retired pope can only belong to the realm of the Fifth Season. As for the weather, we find ourselves in between Winter and Spring, which may or may not be the Fifht Season. As for the economy… you know what I was going to say, don’t you? Yes, we can only hope that we indeed have entered the realm of the Fifth Season, meaning that we have exited the skinny Winter… and, as at least a few articles in this issue bear witness, we do have some right to hope…
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news |
The Economy
Montenegrin Real Estate Market in Flux
Serbian Ministry of Finance Sells More Eurobonds The Serbian Ministry of Finance and Economy has released the new round of Serbian state Eurobonds to the international markets, with total value of 1.5 billion dollars and an interest rate of 4.874%. The auction of bonds, with a 7-year maturation period, resulted in 5.15% yield for a total of 148 financial investors, mainly from the US, Great Britain, and UAE. The demand exceeded the supply by 200%, and the Ministry claims this trade is in accordance with the Government's plan on maintaining financial stability in 2013. One part of the collected funds will be used for early repayment of expensive loans and other financial liabilities from previous years. The yield is considerably lower than in the September 2011 issue, when it was as high as 7.5%.
Standard & Poor’s Lowers Slovenia’s Credit Rating Standard and Poor’s have lowered Slovenia’s credit rating by one level, from A to A-, due to potential increases in the state debt related to solving the state-owned banks issue, as well as due to uncertain growth potential of the economy. S&P also stated that State Aid, in the guise of financial help for the banking sector, will increase its debt from three to four billion Euros, in which case the debt will total 59% of the national GDP. As reported by the Slovenian media, S&P predict that Slovenia will achieve its goal of decreasing the budget deficit to 3% of the GDP (as a result of new and fiscal stabilisation measures), but warnings were also issued, mainly regarding the political risks involved in the implementation of the planned reforms. 12
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UAE to Buy ‘Queen’s Beach’ in Budva Royal Group has offered 21.18 million Euros for the Queen’s Beach in Budva, along with 180 million Euros in related investments. The UAE based Royal Group delivered the offer through its Montenegrin subsidiary Queen’s Beach Development Company, based in Podgorica. The Queen’s Beach locale consists of almost 423,000 square metres, 188,000 of which are owned by the Bar Municipality, while the rest belongs to Budva. The investment cycle of eight years is estimated to be worth 180 million Euros, with central installations such as a luxury hotel, a spa centre, and a marine planned for the first phase. The Vice President of the Tender Committee, Dragan Simović, stated that he expects that construction will begin this very year.
EBRD to invest 150 million Euros into Montenegro The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is planning to invest about 150 million Euros into projects in Montenegro in 2013. The director of the Montenegrin EBRD office, Giulio Moreno, stated that the projects in question are already prepared and simply await investors. Concerning the state of the Montenegrin economy, he stated that a solution for the Aluminium Complex (KAP) has to be found soon, as the company continues to represent a number of significant problems for the economy: “We do not have a solution regarding KAP, but it is clear that many critical questions still remain unanswered, primarily regarding the trade and production of aluminium in general, since there is no significant demand for aluminium in the European market”.
Prices of new residential developments in Montenegro have dropped by 13.5% in comparison to 2011 and amounted to 1,160 Euros per square metre, according to Montstat. At the same time prices have seen an increase in 2013 by 5.9% on average; the highest price currently recorded for residential property is 2,110 Euros for a development in Budva, while the lowest is in Nikšić and amounts to 689 Euros per square metre. The price change is influenced by the increase in land available for construction, ongoing projects, and other expenses. At these prices most of new homes in 2012 were sold in Podgorica (151), followed by Nikšić (16), and Budva (11), which sees a 58.6% growth YTD and a 36.2% increase compared to Q4 2012.
Gorenje Expands Production in Serbia The Slovenian company Gorenje, regional leader in home appliances, has launched its new refrigerating production facility in Valjevo, worth more than 21 million Euros. This is Gorenje's fourth production plant in Serbia since the company's first investment in the country in 2006, and the second of the two refrigeration facilities, which are expected to deliver 800,000 units to the market this year. The investment will also bring product expansion to technically more demanding and complex product ranges – to cooling and refrigeration equipment in colours – which haven't been produced in Serbia so far. At the same time, the new production plant employs another 290 workers from Valjevo and the area, bringing the total number of Gorenje employees in Serbia to over 800.
February 13th
Carrefour to Open in Serbia in 2015
Alarming Unemployment Statistics for the region In 2012 Croatia saw 30,216 people lose their jobs, Slovenia saw 18,417, while the number of employed in B&H dropped by 2,990. Miroslav Zdravković, an economist and editor of the ‘Makroekonomija’ website, stated that the Serbian debt is increased by 159 Euros per second every day, while a quarter of a million people have lost their jobs in Serbia over the course of the last three years. Serbia currently owes 17.55 billion Euros, and returned 125 million Euros of foreign debt in January of 2013. On average, every employed Serbian citizen currently owes 10,000 Euros. At the same time, though basic monthly expenses amount to 576 Euros, the average salary for December 2012 was 423 Euros. As for the unemployment rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it has reached record breaking levels, and, according to the latest statistical poll, stands at 44.4%. A total of 550,574 people are currently unemployed, of which a little more than 50% are women. A little more than 686,000 persons are employed, which is 0.3% less than in 2011. Almost 60% of the unemployed are unqualified workers, while 6.25% hold university degrees. The Labour and Employment Agency issued a so called Poll Unemployment Rate, according to which the unemployment is 28%. The huge difference between the poll rate and registered unemployment rate indicates that a significant number of people registered at the Labour Exchange Institute are not there to find a job, but to achieve certain benefits.
Delta Real Estate has announced the opening of the first Carrefour hypermarket store in the Delta Planet shopping mall in Belgrade, due for completion in 2015, in spite of Delta Holding's owner Miroslav Mišković being under investigation and held in custody these past two months, with administrative questions still to be answered in relation to the site where the mall was built in the first place. The Serbian developers said that this store would be 10,000 square metres in size, and would feature over 3,000 brands from Carrefour’s portfolio. They also expressed hope that future collaboration would lead to more stores being developed over time.
Croatia Airlines Records Huge Losses, 200 Employees to be Laid Off The Croatian national airline, Croatia Airlines, concluded 2012 with losses of more than 62 million Euros, with the company management announcing that they would be laying-off 20% of their personnel. A meeting concerning the restructuring of the company, between representatives of the workers and the management, was held on February 14th, which ended when representatives of the disgruntled workers abruptly left. Tomislav Rajković, the President of the Independent Syndicate of Airline Employees, said: “We are not denying that the number of employees should be decreased, but we consider 20% to be too much, because there is no way to replace that many in vital areas”. During the meeting, the CEO of the airline, Krešimir Kučka, stated that he doesn’t think that the airline will be filing for bankruptcy, but that deep restructuring is inevitable and long overdue.
Istria Boasts Higher Living Standard than Zagreb Istria has not only become the favourite “second home” for the wealthier part of the populace, but also boasts the highest living standard in Croatia. The highest household budgets are in Zagreb and Istria, but Istria has a poverty rate of only 3.9%, whilst Zagreb has 7.9%. Predrag Bejaković, from the Institute of Public Finances, explains that Istria’s historical and sociological advantages are to be thanked: “Istria has always been the richest part of Croatia historically, due to a stronger influence from Austro-Hungary and the vicinity of Slovenia and Italy, and so it became industrialised much earlier than most other parts of Croatia”. According to research carried out by the Institute of the Economy, the three poorest Croatian counties are Virovitica-Podravina, Karlovac, and Sisak-Moslavina.
Appropriated INA Properties for Sale The Croatian oil company, INA, will not bid for 45.5% of Republika Srpska owned Krajinapetrol, primarily consisting of properties taken from INA after the war. The Croatian company stated that the price, nearly five million Euros, is exaggerated, and considers that competing would weaken their chances in the lawsuit they filed to reclaim their properties. The sale of Krajinapetrol is the final act of disaffecting former INA properties in countries that emerged after the breakup of Yugoslavia; INA is demanding the return of fourteen petrol stations, administrative buildings, an oil terminal in Derviši, and a liquefied petroleum gas storage facility. Petrobart, from Serbia, is likely to become the new owner of Krajinapetrol.
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Politics / of General Interest
Serbia Just Wants a date, Not Compliments Serbian Vice-PM Aleksandar Vučić expressed hopes that Serbia would be granted a date for the beginning of negotiations on EU accession in June. “My greatest concern at this moment is that we may receive lots of praise from Brussels and Berlin, without getting what we aim for, and that is the date of when negotiations can start. That worries and concerns us, and those praises for what Serbia has accomplished would have no significance”. Vučić also mentioned that there is a possibility of beginning negotiations without a precise date as an intermediate solution, but underlined that Serbia hopes for something more concrete. Should that not be the case, it would be bad news for which Serbia, according to Vučić, “wouldn't be responsible at all”.
No More Parallel Institutions in the North of Kosovo In response to the question whether parallel institutions are to be legalised in Northern Kosovo, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić announced the creation of Kosovo Institutions led by Serbs: “What will happen is the creation of new Kosovo institutions, as well as branches of already existing institutions, led by Serbs. And this is where parallel institutions end. If they say that Serbia has regulated education and health-care, and that we have a court in Kosovska Mitrovica and police forces in northern Kosovo and Metohija, then these Serbian institutions are to become Kosovo institutions, but managed by Serbs. According to the Resolution, we have the right to assist, financially or otherwise, in these areas, as if they were under the control of Belgrade, which they aren’t.” 14
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Macedonia Loses Another EU Chance
Josipović Attends Serbian Independence Day Celebration The Serbian Embassy in Zagreb hosted a dinner at the Sheraton Hotel celebrating Serbia’s Independence Day, with the Croatian President Ivo Josipović in attendance, as well as the Vice-President of the Parliament, Nenad Stazić, and the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of the Exterior and European Affairs, Vesna Pusić. The Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić was also present, alongside representatives of Croatian Serbs, led by Milorad Pupovac and Vojislav Stanimirović, numerous ambassadors, diplomats, military attaches, and many notable public figures. The Serbian ambassador, Stanimir Vukičević, stated that a change in the political structure of Serbia took place after last year’s elections in Serbia, but that the stances and views regarding its foreign policy have not changed: “Serbia remains liberal and firm regarding its Euro-integrations policies and the development of neighbourly relations and co-operation with countries in the region”. The Ambassador also emphasised Serbia’s bright future as a member of the EU: “We are aware that a great many burdens and tireless work lie ahead of us on the road to the EU, but Serbia is willing to prove her readiness to respond to all challenges standing in the way of its final success”. Vukičević reminded those gathered that not only has dialogue continued between Belgrade and Priština, but that it has, upon Serbia’s initiative, been elevated to a higher level, with two rounds of negotiations already conducted and another meeting in Brussels soon to be held. The Ambassador also stressed the importance of the meeting between the President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić, and the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga.
The EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Füle, cancelled a visit to Macedonia over a political dispute that he warned could undermine Macedonia's bid to start membership talks. Macedonia's main opposition party, the Social Democrats, have been boycotting Parliament since they were thrown out of the assembly by security during a brawl over the Christmas period. “I am frustrated by the lack of progress in putting an end to the political stalemate”, Füle said in a statement. He warned the situation was “putting at risk” an opportunity for Macedonia to clinch the start of membership talks. Mindful, however, of the threat of instability in the country, there have been growing signs that the EU's 27 members might agree to open accession talks even without first resolving the country's name dispute with neighbouring Greece.
Novi Pazar: People Freezing Due to Heating Plant Strike As a result of irregularly receiving fuel for the power plant and the ongoing workers’ strike (the workforce has been unpaid for the past five months), the relevant utility company failed to supply heating to about 1,500 users who have been ‘freezing’ in as many as 300 public institutions, banks, and various companies in Novi Pazar, in the Sandažak area of Serbia. The cold classrooms forced two high-schools and one primary school to cancel lessons, allowing 3,500 students to stay at home, with no idea when the radiators will be turned on again. Saša Milutinović, representative of the strikers, said: “We intend to persist with our demands. All we are asking for are our well deserved salaries. When we get our pay cheques, we will reignite the boilers”.
February 13th
Croatian Citizens in Bosnia and Serbia will be “Europeans”... Although Bosnia and Herzegovina has not yet gained EU candidate status, and Serbia has not even received a date for the start of negotiations, a significant number of citizens of both countries will become citizens of the EU come July; according to Deutsche Welle, 90% of citizens of Western Mostar claim to have Croatian citizenship. Danijela Barišić, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Exterior and European Affairs, stated: “Citizens of Croatia living abroad will have equal rights as those living in Croatia, including employment rights and freedom of movement”. According to unofficial estimates, 87% of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina have Croatian citizenship, which means that at least half a million citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina will become citizens of the EU on July 1st.
Margareta Mađerić of HDZ Runs for Zagreb Mayor The last of the major political parties has finally settled on a candidate for the Zagreb Mayoral election, as HDZ finally put forth their candidate. It is Margareta Mađerić (35), a local level politico, by profession a marketing and communications manager, currently a representative in the Zagreb City Council. She is also a member of the Committee for Culture, Committee for Election and Appointment Procedures, Committee for Control, and the Commission for Gender Equality. The President of HDZ, Tomislav Karamarko, gave her his full support in her candidacy. She said that her programme will concentrate on resolving unemployment-related issues and encourage entrepreneurship and SMEs. She is best known amongst the younger voters for loudly opposing the naming of a Zagreb street after the Serbian rocker Milan Mladenović of the 80s Belgrade band Ekaterina Velika.
Montenegrin SDP Files Complaint Regarding Vujanović’s Presidential Candidacy
Ljubljana Mayor Janković Fined 3000 Euros The Slovenian Anti-corruption Committee confirmed that Zoran Janković, the Mayor of Ljubljana and the leader of the Positive Slovenia party, is to pay a fine of 3000 Euros for violating the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Law. Both appeals regarding the proceedings were denied, and the corrupt conduct sentence confirmed. This is the Committee’s first ruling by which someone has been unequivocally fined for corruption. Zoran Janković was charged for conducting business with legal persons whose representatives were the Mayor’s son, Jure Janković, and the Ljubljana City Councilman, Jani Medendorfer, a member of Janković’s party. The facts of the matter show that Zoran Janković, as Mayor of Ljubljana, deposited 130,000 Euros of the city budget into the account of the Olimpija handball club, the representative of which is Jure Janković. The aforementioned club’s accounts have been blocked since July 2009, only two months after Jure Janković took over the management. Incidentally, the Mayor’s son moved to Cyprus due to an outstanding debt of three million Euros. The first attempt to seize Jure Janković’s property (the house owned by the Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković), ended with Zoran Janković’s father-in-law threatening the reporters and officials with a handgun. A second related and controversial affair, which ended with Zoran Janković being fined, were the payments he made to the Olimpija basketball club, whose representative Jani Medendorfer, a member of Janković’s party, took 1.9 million Euros. The basketball club’s accounts were also blocked, as was the case with the handball club. The Mayor of Ljubljana has not yet given any statements as to whether he intends to pay the fine.
SDP has filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court regarding Vujanović’s Presidential candidacy, describing it as unconstitutional. Despite DPS and SDP having been coalition partners for many years, the party, led by Ranko Krivokapić, disputes Vujanović’s right to run for the office of President once again, because he, allegedly, has no legal right to do so. So far, Vujanović has been elected President of Montenegro twice, but his first mandate is in dispute as Montenegro was not an independent country at the time. A party official, Borislav Banović, stated that the basic goal of SDP is to preserve the Constitution. Other than Vujanović, official candidacies have been announced by the leader of the Democratic Front, Miodrag Lekić, as well as by Rade Bojović of the Pravedna Crna Gora party.
Tito's Personal Belongings Up for Auction? It's the stuff of movies… after the Serbian President, Tomislav Nikolić, mentioned that he was considering opening the vault where Tito's effects are stored, interested parties emerged from all corners. The former President for Life's estate is already tied up in court by his extended family, but now the former countries of Yugoslavia are angling for their cut. Zenit Kelić, of the B&H Finance Ministry, has already indicated that his country will be seeking a percentage of any auction, but acknowledged that the other five constituent parts of Yugoslavia each held an equal and valid claim. It is known that Tito once owned a Cossack sabre, covered with gold and diamonds, which was a present from Josef Stalin. And there's more, much more…
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highlights
to those who were involved in the final negotiations for separation, as well as for all who were MPs at the time – though it was unclear whether all 120 MPs were to be awarded the medal, or just the 109 who had actively pursued Kosovo’s removal from Serbia. Leaving aside the back-slapping nature of such a cer-
emony, several of the MPs in question have since been convicted of crimes, or are under investigation for the same. Nazim Haliti, Deputy Head of the Forum for Civic Initiatives, said he was opposed to the whole the idea of giving MPs medals, whether or not they had convictions. “It is too much,” he said, referring to the 500 Euros that all Kosovo MPs were awarded in 2008 for signing the Declaration of Independence, “They get a salary for the work they do as those elected by the people, and with a shameful decision they also gave themselves 500 Euros, for ‘working hard’ in declaring independence,” he snorted. This, of course, could be looked at from two points of view. The first – and obvious one – is that even (or especially) the Kosovan civic sector should be far less facetious and far less trifling when it comes to honouring those who have had, directly or indirectly, something to do with the Declaration of Independence and independence itself. For no country – and no people – is perfect. The second is, when it comes to suspected selfaggrandisement, that the Kosovo politicos have had ample time to learn from others’ mistakes – and apparently haven’t made much of the historical opportunity…
ter Future, the Croatian Democratic Union, and its sister party HDZ 1990. The pretext, as Jasenko Selimović of SDP bluntly said, is that “The current Government of the Federation does not reflect the will of the Parliamentary majority anymore”. SDP's former coalition with the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) broke up on May 31st, 2012, when the Party of Democratic Action refused to support the proposed state budget, followed by the largest political crisis after the war. SDP then found a new partner in Radončić’s SBB and the two main Croatian parties. Naturally, then, the new parliamentary majority in the Federation tried several times to dismiss the Ministers hailing from SDA. Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić of SDP first asked them to leave of their own accord, and then asked the Federation President, Živko Budimir, to dismiss them. After these at-
tempts failed, the ‘no confidence’ vote followed as a last recourse. The vote of the House of Representatives now has to be confirmed by the House of Peoples, the second chamber in the Federation. Following the vote, the United States Embassy and the EU Delegation to BiH announced in a joint statement the end of their efforts to assist in Governmental restructuring in the Federation: “The responsibility for resolving the political stalemate in the Federation lies with local leaders. At their request, we have attempted in recent weeks to facilitate dialogue among the parties on a reshuffling of the Federation Government. However, we now have no option but to discontinue our efforts to assist in restructuring the Federation Government.” Our question is: who’s finally come to their senses, the Locals or the Internationals?
Kosovo MPs’ Medals Plan Comes Under Fire Every new nation is in dire need of a fair share of heroes. Very few nations seem to know how to go about finding and awarding them, and Kosovo’s no different...
› Plans to hand out medals to officials to mark the fifth anniversary of Kosovo’s independence on February 17th drew complaints about whether pampered officialdom needed such rewards. On Independence Day, a delegation visited the graves of two national heroes, the Kosovo Liberation Army Commander Adem Jashari and Kosovo’s veteran independence leader and first President, Ibrahim Rugova. A parade was held, and in the evening, a concert featuring some of the country’s biggest musical acts, followed by a fireworks display. The festivities themselves may not have caused any controversy, but the whole concept of handing out medals, as could probably be expected, did. The Order of Independence, as the medal was named, was considered for distribution (first and foremost by Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo)
Vote of NonConfidence for B&H Government Perhaps it's nothing particularly surprising, but even the Bosnians don't practice this on a daily basis...
› The House of Representatives of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina passed a vote of no confidence in the Government with 58 votes for and 26 votes against while six abstained from voting. The vote was the work of the new Parliamentary majority, comprising the Social Democratic Party, Fahrudin Radončić’s Alliance for a Bet16
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February 13th
Jeremić Loses the Party Whip A few weeks’ back he found himself under the scrutiny of International musical moralists; this time round, it’s his own party… former party, apparently.
› President of the United Nations General Assembly and former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić has been expelled from the Democratic Party for refusing to obey the party’s directive and surrender his Parliamentary mandate. Having taken over the remains of the Democratic Party from Boris Tadić, Dragan Đilas continues to carry out his inner-party “reign of terror”. As a pre-emptive strike on possible inner-party opposition, Đilas, Mayor of Belgrade and the party’s new leader, demanded that all present MPs, who took part in the previous Government, resign their seats as a sign of the party’s internal reorganisation. The decision of the Democratic Party’s Presiding Board was confirmed with 250 votes in fa-
vour, and 21 votes against or abstaining. A statement issued by the party leadership said: “We welcome the exchange of opinions and arguments within the Democratic Party; however, after the competent authorities within the party make a decision, it is to be followed by every member, with no exceptions”. Instead, Jeremić persistently repeated that he intends to keep the mandate upon returning from New York. He was not the only party member to show dissent, however, with, say, Dušan Petrović, another prominent party official, also failing to comply. And, indeed, Jeremić would not stop there, as he has already asked the Serbian Constitutional Court to examine the legality of Đilas’s decision; if so,
A Tuđman Does It (Again) This family member of Croatia’s founding father has found himself caught, yet again, in the act of passion...
› Igor Tuđman, one of the grandchildren of the late Croatian President and star of two home-made porn movies, has been arrested in Serbia and put into custody with his wife Nataša Antulović on criminal charges of attack and theft. The couple are accused of having sedated and robbed a businessman in his home in Belgrade, and they were duly arrested on the Hungarian border whilst trying to escape from the country. The duo, who became famous from Triglav to Vardar for their foray into the amateur porn indus-
try, met their victim on a regional dating site, which is well known in the region as a means to arrange adult encounters. A ménage à trois was agreed upon, to take place at the victim’s residence in Belgrade, but the couple had still not revealed their true identities. Pouring drinks upon their arrival they drugged the single man with a sleeping draught, before proceeding to loot the apartment; laptop, mobiles phones, cash, and other valuables were all taken, along with the man’s SUV, which they then used to travel to Novi
he would return his parliamentary mandate immediately. That said, this is what Jeremić announced on his Twitter profile: “I will not comment on the party's dirty laundry on Serbia's Statehood Day..but... Dragan Đilas is getting rid of people who don’t agree with him. If he becomes Prime Minister, will he be revoking citizenship for the same reason?” As for us... what can we say? Well, is anathematising the President of the UN General Assembly really the best course of action, especially in a country which can hardly claim a surplus of supremely competent individuals, much like all the other countries in the region. We’ll allow Đilas to deal with that one, though we doubt he hasn’t thought it through already…
Sad. The unfortunate man, however, woke up too soon and raised the alarm with the authorities. Then chase was given, and it was at the border, as we’ve already said, where the two were apprehended, having already ditched the SUV for a more modest taxi (not stolen either). At the police hearing both Tuđman and Antulović wasted no time in accusing each other of being the instigator of the whole plan, as, we imagine, could only be suspected. Although Igor Tuđman allegedly tried to launch a business in Serbia on several occasions, he has already acquired a reputation as a bit of an enfant terrible for brawling, absconding with unpaid hotel bills, to name but two less zany escapades. And we hope the kind reader will forgive us our own escapade into a type of journalism certainly less august, but it was only to illustrate that, when it comes to the descendants of the ‘aristos’ of the transitional era, no border and no lifestyle appears to be held in particular contempt. www.see-magazine.eu |
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in medias res |
by Sebastijan Maček
Croats Not to ‘Fear’ Slovenes Any More? It has become a familiar scene; Croatia, inching ever closer to eu membership, finds itself embroiled in a dispute with neighbouring Slovenia… It happened in 2010, when Croatia was completing accession talks, and again in 2012, as the date of Accession neared. However, the era of brinksmanship appears to be ending, and the two countries seem to be genuinely on track to sorting out the remaining problems stemming from the break-up of Yugoslavia.
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he two Foreign Ministers, Croatia’s Vesna Pusić and Slovenia’s Karl Erjavec, were rightly proud when they declared on February 6th that they had found a way to resolve a fiendishly complicated (and decades-old) dispute over Yugoslav-era savings deposits held by Croatians in the Zagreb branch of a Slovenian bank, Ljubljanska banka. Both sides are keeping mum about what the actual solution is, leaving it to experts to iron out the final kinks before the plan is presented to both Governments, and the public. Whatever the solution, even if it takes years actually to be implemented (which it probably will), it will clear the path to Croatia joining the European Union on July 1st, as planned. But the agreement is more than that; it shows that after almost two decades of often unnecessary tensions, both countries have come to realise that problems can no longer be swept under the rug, only to be pulled out whenever political convenience renders it handy to brandish nationalist credentials, invoke perceived foreign threats, or both. 18
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Vojko Lok, the Slovenian Ambassador to Croatia
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“If we can’t solve this one problem, I cannot imagine how Croatia and Serbia are going to do it,” said Slovenia's Ambassador to Croatia Volk.
The realisation may have been informed by the very real threat of Croatia failing to fulfil its most important foreign policy goal, and by Slovenia being seen by European Union partners as a troublemaker for holding up what might be the last country to join the eu for a long time, over a dispute that to outsiders appears almost trivial. The Slovenian Ambassador to Croatia, Vojko Volk, perhaps put it best when he said in a recent interview for a Slovenian newspaper that “everything has been attempted so far except for solutions; now is the time for solutions”. Sage words indeed. Despite the justified optimism there are still potential snags along the way. For one, Slovenia is in the midst of its worst political crisis in over a decade: the Government looks set to collapse, which might trigger months of scrambling as old alliances fall apart, new ones form, and the country gears up for new elections. Reassuringly, Minister Erjavec has been firm that the Slovenian Parliament can ratify Croatia’s eu Accession Treaty regardless of whether there is a
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campaign going on or whether there is a Government in place with full powers. Statements by most other political leaders appear to uphold the Minister’s sunny disposition, though one should hold the applause considering how unpredictable politics in crisis can be. The solution, depending on whether it is as acceptable as both Ministers claim, was due to be presented by the end of February but not one to miss a trick, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša has now decided that it is his signature which is needed on the document. With Zoran Milanović's presence now required, the finalisation of this whole saga must wait a few more weeks, until the second week of March. If it is perceived, by the parties and the Slovenian public, as inadequate, some may seize the opportunity to make it a campaign issue. Nevertheless, one would imagine pressure from the eu, as well as the United States, will be an order of magnitude stronger than it was in 2010, when a concerted diplomatic effort by several eu member states not-so-gently prodded the two countries towards a deal that allowed Croatia to complete accession negotiations. It is unclear as yet what the deal will mean for the thousands who are still
The two ministers have shaken hands on it, but Janša still has time to get in the way.
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In a few years the dispute will have been forgotten, but it would be naïve to expect that Slo & Cro will become best buddies over night.
unable to get their money out of the Zagreb branch of Ljubljanska banka. The latest chapter in the dispute revolved around deposits which Croatia covered, whereupon it authorised two commercial banks to sue Ljubljanska banka and its successor, Nova Ljubljanska banka to recover the money. That still leaves an estimated 130,000 account holders who were unable or unwilling to join that scheme, many of whom were prevented from doing so because they did not have Croatian citizenship. The European Court of Human Rights last year handed down a landmark judgment ordering Slovenia to pay up, but Slovenia has recently lodged an appeal and it may take years before there is a final ruling. They can only hope that the secretive deal, which Minister Pusić enigmatically said was “innovative”, will include a solution for them as well.
Slovenia certainly wants that to be the case, in order to get the dispute off the table in one giant sweep. As important as the agreement may be per se, it will be much more than just the resolution of a bitter dispute that has poisoned relations between two countries who share so many similarities and should, in theory, be good, if not best, friends. It should serve as a blueprint for Croatia on how to resolve other problems stemming from the Yugoslav era, problems that have been on the backburner but will sooner or later resurface as the rest of the Western Balkans countries trudge towards eu membership as well. Ambassador Volk provided a friendly reminder when he noted that Croatia has only one dispute with Slovenia, compared to over twenty issues to sort out with Serbia. “If we can’t solve this one problem, I cannot imagine how Croatia and Serbia are going to do it.” Hopefully in a few years the dispute will have been forgotten. Still, it would be naïve to expect that Slovenia and Croatia will become best buddies over night. After all, the Arbitral Tribunal that the two countries have set up to decide on the course of the border between them will eventually “issue its award”, as the Arbitration Agreement legalistically determines, and there are bound to be those discontented with what they will get. However, by then the border will have been largely invisible and the Slovenian generation which has grown up not knowing what it is like to go on holiday in Istria or Dalmatia without having to go through passport control will finally understand what their nostalgic parents have been complaining about. All this time… www.see-magazine.eu |
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the economy |
by Lee Murphy
The 2014-2020 EU Budget: The Imperfect Deal February 8th, 2013, saw the wrangling and negotiations between Europe's various Ministers for Finance come to an end – and so, for the next seven years, Governments can relax a bit, and prepare for the same arguments and fights in 2020. Sort of...
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t's not something that media in any country in the Western Balkans, save Slovenia, had much interest in, but the amount of political infighting that occurred during the negotiation process for the eu budget, and the reasons for such, should be enough to have Dačić, Đukanović, et al sitting up and paying more attention. That an agreement was even reached on the budget was in itself something of
a minor miracle; for the last six months, and even beforehand, talk of a growing rift within the European family dominated the press headlines, albeit mostly in Britain where David Cameron railed against the ongoing negotiations, and it could not have helped when the French President, Francois Hollande, went back on a promise made by his predecessor to support calls for a halt to spiralling budgetary expenditure (both year-on-year
What is the budget?
The European Union’s budget is to pay its administrative costs, which includes a Parliament, an executive branch, and a judiciary which are all distinct from those of the member states. It also pays for policies carried out at a European level, such as agriculture, cross-continental networks, research, and overseas humanitarian aid. The administrative arm of the EU looks after the application of treaties, laws and agreements between the member states and their expenditure on common policies throughout the Union. Some 5% of expenditure is on administration, 95% on policies. The 2014-2020 budget amounts to 960 billion Euro, and is approximately 1% of EU gross national income; the 2007 EU budget was 1.1% of GNI, and the 2007-2013 budget was 1.05% of GNI.
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and long-term) – of course, whether one can renege on a promise made by a third party is a debate for another day. The 2014-2020 multi-year budget, you see, is the first ever such budget to be reduced when compared to previous offerings, and this at a time when belts have been tightened all across Europe, five years and counting now. The British were not the only ones seeking a halt to the spending: the Dutch felt the same way, and at one time so too did the French and the Germans, but the latter two circled their wagons amid fears of the Eurozone collapsing, something which would likely devastate their respective economies in the aftermath of a (more than theoretical) currency devaluation. There were countries that were in favour of seeing the European budget increased, Poland most notably, which had guardedly joined the European Union in 2004, seeking to maintain as much sovereignty as was possible from a resurgent Brussels. By the time negotiations for this latest budget had begun, however, their attitude had shifted to the left; whereas in 2004 they were seen as kindred spirits by the sometimes-Eurosceptic Brits, now they were more German in outlook, buoyed by a European aid budget totalling
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almost 70 billion Euros, helping increase the Polish gdp by 0.7%. Poland, as one of Europe’s largest nations, has been able to reenergise her economy, to the point where the population is slowly being swelled by returning emigrants and more than a few non-nationals. Whereas once upon a time Warsaw eagerly joined Britain in the war in Iraq, Poland now looks to become a central part to the European Union. “Poland’s strategic interest is to be at the centre of decision making, while Great Britain’s position on a host of issues shows it is not possible to come to a unified position among 27 member states,” said Piotr Serafin, Deputy Foreign Minister during the negotiations in 2012. It is clear that Poland, who was the greatest beneficiary of the European coffers, wanted the money to continue to flow; Britain, who have been net contributors since 1973, wanted more fiscal responsibility.
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To be more precise, over the next seven years Croatia will have access to as much as 11.7 billion Euros in cohesion funds and joint agricultural policies.
Reactions
Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission > This has been a difficult negotiation, but a fair assessment should recognise that this deal is not perfect but it offers a basis for negotiations with the European Parliament. I hope these negotiations will be successful. David Cameron, British Prime Minister > Overall this is a better framed budget in terms of growth, jobs, and competitiveness. It is disappointing that administrative costs are still (high)… Reform of EU spending is a long-term project but this deal does deliver important progress. It is a good deal for Britain and a good deal for Europe. Guy Verhofstatdt, former Prime Minister of Belgium and current MEP > This is a budget for less Europe, not more Europe. Let's be honest, this is a copypaste of the 2006-2013 Financial Perspectives. Yes, it's true; there is a little less money for agriculture and a little more for innovation. But for the rest, nothing has changed. Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister > If you ask me if people in Poland have noticed that Britain wants to cut the European budget by 200 billion Euros, where Germany is in favour of a more ambitious budget, I’m forced to tell you, yes they’ve noticed.
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t took one last 24 hour marathon negotiation session to arrive at the figure of 960 billion Euros, give or take a few hundred million; but by the time the budget is finally ratified that bottom line will almost definitely be as high as 1030 billion; the reason for this, as given by the European Commission, was tenuous to say the least – that extra funding would need to be allocated towards the integration of Croatia into the European www.see-magazine.eu |
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system; even though the framework for the budget clearly emphasised that all negotiations were being conducted for an assumed 28 country European Union – specifically that “the new mff (multiannual financial framework) will cover the seven years between 2014 and 2020 and be drawn up for a European Union comprising 28 Member States on the working assumption that Croatia will join the Union in 2013.” The budget will still likely be ratified. The working total was the main sticking point for the major players, but even now there is plenty of work for the European partners to do, as there are over 70 legislative acts, covered by the budget, which have yet to be formally adopted. Closer to home Zoran Milanović, the Croatian Prime Minister, was more than happy with the breaking of the budget deadlock because of concessions gained by his country, namely the n+3 rule, whereby any European funds which cannot be spent in the year in which they are allocated can instead be drawn upon in any of the three succeeding years. To appreciate just how important this gain was, one must realise that accession states are usually held to an n+2 rule. So the Croatian pm proudly stated to his people that “It is up to us and others to apply the n+3 rule. That was our proposal in November last year. The amount that we got, almost 12 billion Euros, is theoretical. It is at your disposal and if you know how to use it then you can significantly improve the prosperity of your country. That is a lot more than we have had in Croatia until now…” To be more precise, over the next seven years Croatia will have access to as much as 11.7 billion Euros, which can be broken down roughly in a 2:1 ratio between cohesion funds and joint agricultural policies. In addition to this the country will have access to a 6 billion Euro fund aimed at creating initiatives for the employment of young people. Croatia has, of course, had access to certain European funding over the last decade or so, claiming 262 million Euros between 2000 and 2004 for the purpose of strengthening the country 22
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The main figures (figures in brackets are changes proposed by the European Commission)
1 The Council has agreed an overall ceiling of €959.988 billion (€1 033 billion) under five headings: > Smart and inclusive growth: 47% (48%) > Sustainable growth: natural resources: 39% (37%) > Global Europe: 6% (7%) > Administration: 6% (6%) > Security and citizenship: 2% (2%) 2 The commitment ceiling amounts to 1.00% (1.08%) of EU gross national income (GNI) compared to 1.12% for the period 2007-2013. 3 The ceiling for payments equates to 0.95% (1.03%) of EU gross national income (GNI) compared to 1.06% for the period 2007-2013.
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Zoran Milanović was more than happy with the breaking of the budget deadlock because of concessions gained by his country.
in the fields of democratic stabilisation, economic and social development, judiciary and internal affairs, strengthening of administration capacities, protection of environment and natural sources. In 2005 and 2006 Croatia received 252 million Euros from the pre-accession programmes Phare, ispa, and sapard. Funds were drawn from ipa (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance) from 2007 until 2011, for a total of 749 million Euros. But from 2014 onwards Croatia will have access to funding approximately fifteen times as large as that which they have received to date, and the question is whether the
Government can handle it without buying too many White Elephants? To begin with, Croatia clearly does not have enough projects ready to receive funding, and those that are in place often suffer from the same problems which beset smaller, localised, projects in the country: permitting, ownership of land, and a lack of cost/benefit studies. The European Union has one final inspection of Croatian legislative progress before July, and the worry must be that, with the accession date so close, those in positions of power might focus overmuch on that eu funding without realising that the current bureaucratic nightmare that is Croatia might well result in wasteful spending or excessive delays in completion of key, and likely cross-border, projects. In other words, the money is there to spend, and spend it wisely the politicians must. The temptation will be there to use this windfall on pr projects, buying votes so to speak, but with Brussels looking on, perhaps too closely, it may be that Milanović and his coalition will only choose to dip their toes in, at first. 12 billion Euros? The future looks rosy indeed. Or does it?
February 13th
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the economy |
by Miša Milošević
Serbia's Positive Growth May be Real The Serbian Government's seemingly ungrounded optimism and prediction of an economic recovery (naturally involving the usual political promises of growth) might well have been par for the course, but now Commerzbank's 2013 positive forecast gives cause to revisit this optimism… in an actually optimistic fashion.
O
n January 30th, Frankfurt-based Commerzbank ag Group published its 2013 macroeconomic forecast, which featured two items of particularly good news. The first saw the group raise its previous forecast for the Euro against the Dollar through December 2013, saying that the projected weakness in the European currency will come later than previously forecast, especially after the markets have relaxed following the ecb's announced plan to purchase unlimited quantities of Government Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt bonds of those nations requesting aid to help contain the region's debt crisis. Much more importantly for Serbia is the news that Commerzbank's ana- billion Euros investment. The most surlysts see the country's economy becom- prising fact, however, that the someing stronger over the course of the year, what pharaonic project relating to wadue to the sharp rise of foreign invest- ter canals which would connect Belgrade ments and also thanks to measures tak- to the port of Thessaloniki in Greece, an en by the National Bank to keep the cur- investment which is to be undertaken rency strong and attractive. German mostly by Chinese state corporations and analysts are stating that Serbia will ex- be in the range between fifteen and sevperience a strong recovery and will have enteen billion Euros, is considered to be gdp growth ranging between 3 and 3.4%, ‘serious’ even by Commerzbank analysts’ based on stimulated and announced in- standard (although not calculated in this vestments in Serbia: those investors be- year's investment cycle). Then there are ing United Arab Emirates and China, Russian partners as well: planned inboth primarily interested in agricul- vestments amount to between 200 and ture and infrastructure. Investors from 500 million Euros, mostly in the energy Abu Dhabi will invest 200 million Eu- sector, while the Serbian Government is ros in agricultural combinates in Vojvo- putting much effort in finally settling the dina, while they have also expressed an agreement with ‘Uralvagonzavod’ on the interest in establishing a microchip pro- oft written Smederevo mill, the aim beduction plant, which would be a four ing finally to restore steel production to 24
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the levels seen in the glory days of old. Speaking of the Serbian Dinar, Commerzbank experts says that the value of the country's currency will be influenced not only by fresh revenue, but also by the actions undertaken by the National Bank: nbs has recently responded to negative exchange rate tendencies by raising the reference rate, thereby attracting foreign investors, especially when it comes those interested in purchasing State bonds. The foreign trade deficit is also steadily on the decline, mainly as a result of growing exports of Fiat Serbia and the oil refinery in Pančevo. To sum up, Serbia may expect a total of 3.5 billion Euros in direct investments in 2013, with a gdp increase of 3.4 and budget deficit of just 4%. In this scenario public debt would be reduced to 54.3% of gdp (currently over 60%), and further strengthen the Dinar against the Euro by 6 to 7% which, as probably the only negative consequence of this optimistic trend, might in turn weaken the export industry and boost the import market. All in all, Commerzbank believes that Serbia will not need to call the imf for help this year. And, needless to say, the analysis emphasises a potential negative impact of early elections, a possibility which still lingers in Serbian political circles. After receiving praise from Europe for its political and anti-corruption agenda, Serbia seems to be on the right track even economically – at least on paper.
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the industry |
by Ben Berković
Croatian Milk Under Attack February brought more than rain and Valentines, for Croatia at least, as Croatian authorities ordered several types of milk, produced by Vindija and Dukat, to be withdrawn from the market, due to contamination with aflatoxins which had been discovered in products from Bosnia and Herzgovina. A week later, the Croatian Border Inspection at the Stara Gradiška border crossing discovered the same carcinogenic mycotoxins, in a large delivery of carton milk from Kozarska Dubica in Republika Srpska, meant for distribution in the Croatian market.
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he discovery of carcinogenic m1 aflatoxins in milk delivered to Croatia from Vindija’s and Dukat’s facilities based in Bosnia and Herzegovina, forced the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture to withdraw four types of uht milk from the market. At the time it was unknown which countries those products were delivered to, which in turn prompted the Montenegrin Ministry of Agriculture also to withdraw the milk from their markets. However, the Montenegrin Centre for Eco-Toxicological Testing stated that the milk received from both Croatian companies was completely safe for consumption. Spaso Popović, the Assistant Director of the Inspection Administration, stated that “Based on lab results received from the Montenegrin Centre for Eco-Toxicological Testing, we are certain that no harmfully increased levels of the m1 aflatoxin have been found in milk produced by Dukat and Vindija, and can therefore assure you that the milk on the Montenegrin market poses no health threats.” Popović could only add that increased product control will be introduced by both veterinary and sanitary institutions. 26
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February 13th
Authorities in Serbia stated that their citizens need not worry, since Serbian dairy companies did not buy any of the contaminated milk from Croatia. Despite this, analysis of the milk in all the regional markets was prompt and thorough. Test results have shown that milk with elevated levels of aflatoxins, produced by Dukat, has also been discovered in Macedonia. The Macedonian Food and Veterinary Agency stated that the laboratory results confirmed the presence of the m1 aflatoxin, but only in the range of 0.152 micrograms per kilogram. About 360 litres of milk, which did not leave the warehouse, were analysed, and the milk, which had been placed under supervision and was not released onto the market, was ultimately destroyed. Goran Ješić, the Provincial Secretary of Vojvodina, stated that, in this case, “it is not the
animals that are sick, but the feed they received that is infected.” The Ministry of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Forestry of Vojvodina stated that 272 of the 300 analysed milk products were found to be completely safe, while 28 recorded aflatoxins within allowed parameters. As for Croatia itself, the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture stated that the milk was being withdrawn as a “preventive measure ensuring the safety of the consumers, due to suspicion of elevated levels of the m1 aflatoxin, of which we were warned by the Bosnian mar-
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Then again, if Bosnia and Herzegovina has no such facility, the logical question that follows is how the authorities in the country were able to prove elevated levels of the m1 aflatoxins in the milk exported to Croatia? Is the origin of the imported milk truly Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Ukraine or Hungary, which has been riddled with aflatoxins due to heavy drought and lack of feed? Or is there some kind of ‘Big Game Milking’ scheme behind it all, a game played by various dairy lobbies with the goal of compromising the competition? Conspiratorial perhaps, but one can only speculate for now, and the wheels for such questions have been set in motion. Whatever the case, we can be sure that neither Vindija nor Dukat were – or are – particularly happy with the way the situation has unfolded. As for what exactly the milk that we drink is, it can be anything from condensed milk, powdered milk, or freshly milked milk from one or a dozen different farms. The matter of fact is that we cannot know for sure what we are drinking. Carton milk could consist of 30% imported milk from Hungary, 20% powdered milk from Bosnia, and the rest
European standards for aflatoxin levels are very strict, only allowing a maximum presence of 0.05%. Still...
ket”. This leaves us with three possibilities: the milk was imported from Bosnia, the feed supplier is the same for both sides, or the corn is infected by aflatoxins in Croatia and Bosnia alike. Taking into consideration the media frenzy and the early panic-stricken reactions of the relevant Ministries, one would not hesitate to consider that Croatia hardly, if at all, controls and tests imported milk for heavy metals, such as mercury or cadmium, but also that Bosnia and Herzegovina, from where Croatia imports the most milk, has no relevant laboratory for such control and analyses.
could be from ten domestic farms. Or it could be a combination of 50% fresh milk, and 50% of, so called, condensed milk, which is made so to reduce import costs, and later diluted with water. There are dozens of such combinations.
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uropean standards for aflatoxin levels are very strict, only allowing a maximum presence of 0.05%. As for the detected levels in the milk from Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are only a little higher than is permitted. Testing results achieved through the ad hoc method have shown that milk from Bosnia www.see-magazine.eu |
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and Herzegovina has an average aflatoxin level of 0.15%, which is tolerated in the country. Surprisingly enough (or not so at all), the United States have raised their limit to 0.25%, with the fda stating that this new higher limit is not harmful, which would practically decorate the milk from Bosnia and Herzegovina as being of a medicinal nature! The whole situation could also be considered, from a slightly more extreme viewpoint but nonetheless possible – sabotage of the Croatian dairy industry. For if someone can nonchalantly present such claims, with no proper proof, and with no proof of the origin of the milk, resulting in media hysteria, what else is it than an attack on the dairy sector? The point is that, with the introduction of a monitoring system, the competent authorities could pinpoint the exact source or cause of the infection. An infection originating from animal feed can easily be resolved by adding mineral supplements to the livestock’s diet, which connect with aflatoxins, and eject them from the body, resolving the problem within a day or two, with no harm or panic spread to the farmer or processor. However, if one continues to import thousands of litres of milk, with no proper validation of origin, and no competent laboratory testing results, then nothing well can come from it for the local dairy industry. Dr Franjo Plavšić, the Director of the Croatian Institute of Toxicology, stated: “Considering last year’s drought, when the price of feed drastically went up, it was completely expected that farmers would look for the cheapest feed. That said, things could become even worse; because the price of feed is ever increasing, farmers and merchants want to make as much of a profit as possible, and so it is logical that they will purchase cheap, low quality, raw materials, which ultimately result in carcinogenic food reaching supermarket shelves. And this does not apply only to milk and fruits. In Belgium, there was a case of carcinogenic eggs laid by chicken that ate feed infected by aflatoxins.” 28
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But could the whole situation also be considered - from a slightly more extreme viewpoint but nonetheless a possible one – as sabotage of the Croatian dairy industry?
A question remains, which weighs heavily on the minds of the farmers, and expresses their suspicions of foul play and concealment of evidence - why did it take six days for the testing of farm milk to begin? The Croatian Minister of Agriculture, Tihomir Jakovina, explained that there is no need to spread panic, since domestic milk is of the highest quality. Radovan Fuchs, a toxicologist, stated that the eu provides extremely low parameters for the allowed levels of aflatoxins, and that, therefore, the levels discovered in Croatian milk do not present a threat to people’s health. But after all is said and done, and with the occasional bump on the road - to which no nation or industry is immune - there is no doubt that Croatian milk is of the highest quality.
Aflatoxin
Aflatoxins are toxic metabolites produced by the “Aspergillus flavus” fungi, which can be present in feed, raw foods, and intermediate products used to produce human food, as well as in cereals, corn, potatoes, fruit, nuts, and animal based foods, especially milk, if the animals are fed with contaminated feed. The mold can envelop all the processes from growing to harvesting, storing to processing, etc. Its appearance is a result of a combination of the climate, geographical location, agro-technical measures and the way in which raw materials are processed. Experts state that aflatoxins damage the liver, as well as other organs, and can cause liver cancer. The American Food and Drug Administration consider that, in the case of aflatoxins, there can be no absolute safety regarding food.
February 13th
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social economics |
by Lee Murphy
What Is the Future of the Croatian Worker Come July? No Blacks need apply, No Irish, No Chinese… Such signs existed across the New World not too far in our past, and whether we like to admit it or not there still remains a certain element of distrust or prejudice against peoples of other lands. We're not suggesting that Europe should consider Croatia to be some sort of second class nation, but recent events in the Dutch Parliament have raised some eyebrows locally. But do they have a point?
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he Dutch Parliament, nominally at were, perhaps, no longer ‘befitting’ the and Romania will soon have full access, the behest of their Foreign Minis- children of the Celtic Tiger and boom- it’s only been a matter of years since the ter Frans Timmermans, recently ing European economy. Once the global Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuaagreed that there was a need for a tran- recession hit, however, these ‘demean- nia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slositional period during which Croatian ing’ jobs were soon being taken by the vakia all gained the same. workers would not have free access to indigenous workforce, and almost always Still, with respect to the Croats, althe job market in the Netherlands. Again, at the expense of non-nationals, regard- though Sweden insists that it “intends this is not to say that somehow the Dutch less of how hard and dedicated they were to fully open its labour market to workview Croatians as sub-human, but rather – there was always an unspoken need to ers from Croatia as of 1st July 2013,” the Irish are far less clear, or forthcoming: that they are worried about the integrity retain domestic capital. of their own economy – it’s the same That the Netherlands has gone through “A decision has yet to be taken on labour in every country, if truth be told: keep the process of limiting access to their job as much money as possible within the markets for the incoming Croats is also, domestic economy so as to (hopefully) in itself, nothing particularly new; the encourage a recovery. Although it could common message across Europe is that be argued that such policies are protec- the European Union is stronger as a tionist and therefore against the ethos of whole, but that the strongest individual the European Union, it has long been ac- economies need to remain strong. Bulcepted that the core economies of West- garia and Romania are probably looking ern Europe need some element of protec- on with some element of jealousy given tion as weaker economies join the party. that only one country thus far has indiThis, of course, has long been the cated any definitive action in the restriccase, even before the European Union tion of movement for Croatian workers or any of its precursors existed; work- – citizens of these two countries have had ers from poorer regions travel to where their movements curtailed since the bethe jobs are so that they can send money ginning of 2007, and will only gain the back home – an axiomatic theme in in- full freedom of the European job market dustry since the days of Frederick Tay- once 2013 has passed; indeed some counlor. When Poland joined the European tries, or at least some elements within Union in 2004 both Ireland and Britain those countries, are trying to implement saw a sizeable influx of job seekers who extensions to these limitations, even if to were willing to take those jobs which do so is illegal. And though both Bulgaria 30
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market access for Croatian nationals. A decision will be taken by the Government nearer the time of accession.” Put simply, one doesn’t know, or one still isn’t sure as to what course of action to undertake.
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he official line from the United Kingdom is that “Her Majesty’s Government wants to support the uk economy by continuing to attract the brightest and the best, but immigration must benefit the uk. The uk will continue to comply with its obligations under eu law. We will adopt a carefully considered approach in
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Although Sweden insists that it “intends to fully open its labour market to workers from Croatia as of July 1st, 2013,” the Irish are far less clear, or forthcoming.
ensuring we still attract the brightest and be lifted, along with all other European the best from around the world to come nations, as of December 31st, 2013. In other words, as things stand, this and live and work in the uk, while making sure the benefits of living in uk are may well be the approach taken for funot abused. Workers from Croatia, which ture accession states, but the reality is hopes to join the eu later and any other that qualified professionals will be able future members of the eu, will be sub- to gain employment throughout Europe ject to transitional controls as a matter of so long as they meet regional standards course.” In short, this suggests that any and certifications. Ironically, it is this, educated and skilled worker will be able rather than any limitation to the Croatian to earn a permit and enter the market in workforce, which should worry Croatia question. The same is true in almost eve- – braindrain is the bane of all developing ry other eu nation: Austria issues work economies; in order to grow an economy permits based on its domestic job market a country must have access to the best needs and advertise if there is a shortage and brightest graduates, people who are in any one of the 67 pre-defined areas; willing to put their ideas and entrepreGermany has eased its restrictions in re- neurship into action, and who are willcent years and many Croats and Herze- ing to support their native land. Within a govinians already work there as a matter larger economic market that’s not always of course; France also issues work per- feasible – just consider how many Croats mits but in some instances, depending left their villages and towns to work in on the occupation, permits will be given Zagreb or some other large urban cenwithout any onerous process; Spain has, tre; the same is true when the model is on account of recessionary crisis, fully expanded to nation-level. Barriers to mass emigration might restricted their market to Romanian workers, although this restriction will well be of benefit, ultimately; with the expected European Structural Funds only months away, the country will need an available workforce as construction begins again, as once dormant factory complexes see life anew, and as (we can only hope) various European multinationals see fit to expand into the Croatian market, thus creating more jobs. Losing the cream of the crop might be unavoidable, but ideally the country should seek to provide an environment where the potential of future generations doesn’t feel the need to leave. One could use Ireland’s Celtic Tiger as a prime example, with Ireland plagued by mass emigration throughout the 1980s, only to see a resurgent economy draw back her lost generation over the subsequent decades; the collapse of that economy should be used a guideline as well, by more astute economists. This will be the same for Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina over the coming years, and perhaps where Europe learned by the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, the other Balkan states can learn from the accession of Croatia. www.see-magazine.eu |
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SEE - A Fortnight in Review
fortnightly interview
Vladimir Ferdelji Submits A Serious Bid for Zagreb Mayor We spoke with Vladimir Ferdelji less than a year ago, but we had to speak with him again. Then, just having left the position of Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, he came out with the 2012 version of his economic Master Plan; after which we suspected that he might run for Mayor of Zagreb. And now, our suspicions having come true, we had to ask him how he plans to defeats the heavyweights, Mayor Bandić and Minister Ostojić; and, if successful, how he plans to turn a new leaf and take the City into the 21st century, the proper way… and mind, we're talking about an extremely powerful executive position, in Croatia second only to that of the country's pm.
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EE Let's get to the heart of the matter right away. The elections are but a couple of months away; how do you like your chances from where you sit. > VF I like them quite a bit, and I'll tell you why. First, I believe that this city truly needs a shift in the paradigm with respect to how it is managed; the people are getting to the point where they've had enough. Look here, a few days ago I was a guest at a round table discussion on one of the high profile political shows on tv, and do you know what happened: Margareta Mađerić, whose candidacy had been confirmed by her party, hdz, but a few days before, and Rajko Ostojić, sdp's Minister of Health, literally monopolised the opening minutes of the programme by bickering over their age-old partisan issues, which have no place in a mayoral race, where people vote for a person and not a party list. I actually had to step in – though, believe me, I know this is going to sound a bit harsh – and restore order. I want to talk about programmes, about integrity, about the future... 32
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You must know that every independent candidate either has to have a lot of money, which I don't, or use the infrastructure of established parties...
> SEE You've already mentioned sdp's and hdz's candidates, but what of Milan Bandić, the incumbent? > VF Milan Bandić's current policy is to ignore everything. To ignore all the problems, which of course keep mounting. As to how well this strategy will ultimately serve him, we shall see.
> SEE So let us speculate for the nonce. What if you do emerge victorious? What are your priorities? > VF First of all – though this might sound somewhat axiomatic – Zagreb must be managed in a different fashion. > SEE Have you been following the We need to decentralise the processpolls, although there hasn’t been that es, as right now the City Quarters, and many of them, has there? there are seventeen of them, find it im> VF No single relevant poll has been possible to participate in the process, the conducted as of yet. I am not evading worst sore spot of course being the way this question; I simply cannot give you a in which funds are allocated. In othnumber, or percentage points, if you're er words, people on the ground almost asking me what my support is at this very entirely depend on someone else, which moment. It is certainly not small, how- makes the most banal of interventions ever. And make no mistake. I am a prag- and repairs very difficult to carry out. matic man. I wouldn’t run if I didn’t Just to start with, these City Quarters think I stood a chance at winning. deserve to be and should be legal per-
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sons, and should be able to exercise all the rights – and bear all the responsibilities – that come with such a status. Second, we need transparency. This is a big word, but we truly do live in a city in which it is impossible to get the correct figures, a city in which accurate financial reports are impossible to come by. Third, the decision making process must be refashioned from scratch. Any concept in which all the power is concentrated in the hands of one man is unacceptable to me. To give you an example, I believe that all such strategic decisions
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Perhaps the most 'interesting' endorsement came from Don Ivan Grubišić... isn't it curious that a priest would support a declared atheist?
either has to have a lot of money, which I don't have, or use the existing infrastructure of established political parties. But they know better than to expect any concessions from me, should I become Mayor. Quite simply, they believe that my image can help them establish a new level of integrity, which, true, had been seriously compromised before they – the new people – decided to rebuild their parties practically from the ashes. And one should still not underestimate their position in Zagreb: eight out of fifty representatives on the City Council hail from hsls and hss. > SEE Who else gave you their support, apart from these parties? > VF Many, from the civic sector, from the economy, from the academe – but perhaps the most 'interesting' endorsement came from Don Ivan Grubišić, who is already a major political force in Dalmatia. I don't know to which extent his opinions can influence voters in Zagreb, but isn't it curious that a priest would support a declared atheist? Could it be that we share a common set of ethical and moral values, that we truly do want to change something for the better? This was a rhetorical question.
as will impact the City for longer than one mayoral term must be put to a referendum. Accountability must be the norm, in the sense that a Mayor should aim to improve the City not only in the short, but also in the long term. I am asking for no more, or less, than that we find an optimal balance of democracy and efficiency. And both words are key. > SEE Well put, but now we must ask you a less comfortable question. True, you're running as an independent can-
> SEE At any rate, perhaps we’ve had enough of the politics and the problems. As an introduction to the main points in your programme, what are Zagreb’s opportunities? > VF Zagreb is aching for infrastructural investment, and in this department my programme proposes three strategic didate, but you have the official back- projects. The first is the so called ‘Zaing of the Croatian Social Liberal Party greb on the Sava’ project. Zagreb, and (hsls) and of the Croatian Peasant Party we all know this but none can explain (hss), both of them so called fallen pow- it, is one of the rare cities which apparers, as their support nowadays, espe- ently doesn’t ‘like’ its river. But to simcially on the national level, is nowhere plify somewhat my plan for revitalising near to where it was, say, ten years ago. both the City and the River, it consists How do you account for that? of four points: in the first stage, which > VF Let me be very candid about this is a prerequisite for everything else, we issue: they called me, offering their sup- must stabilise underground waters so as port should I decide to run; a large part to put an end to the flooding, which, in of it is pragmatic, on both ends. You must the present circumstances, happens eveknow that every independent candidate ry three or four years. We must build a www.see-magazine.eu |
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relief canal for excess water and maintain the levels at all times, which would, in the second stage, be ‘reinforced’ by the construction of four hydro-electrical plants. These would not only generate energy, but also alleviate traffic congestion – it is common sense to recognise that every dam can also serve as a bridge. In the third stage, which comes as a consequence of the first two, we will have profited no less than 360 hectares of riverfront land, which could be used for construction and development: a conservative estimate is that this land, ‘cleared’ as a result of retracted waters, would be worth about 1 billion Euros. Now, in the last stage, now that the Sava has been rendered amenable to functional river traffic, we would build a port in Rugvica, in the east of Zagreb… do you know that river traffic is 3-7 times less costly than land traffic? And do you know that Zagreb is only 120 kilometres away from Rijeka; by using the Sava, we would create the shortest and least costly transport route to the Adriatic – from Ukraine, Russia, Germany – the implications, if this were to be achieved, are tremendous. Zagreb would become truly relevant. > SEE Ambitious, no question about it. But how much would it all cost; what is the value of such an investment? > VF Ambitious, but viable – and logical. I would put the value of the investment in the region of 5 billion Euros – but we should not forget that we are talking about an undertaking that would take in between 15 and 20 years to complete. Long-term planning is what I am interested in. > SEE What of other infrastructural projects? You mentioned three key ones initially. > VF The second one – an equally important one – is waste management. First and foremost we must build an adequate incinerator; at the moment, all the waste is simply deposited into the ground in Jakuševac, and should the protective wall start to leak we will see an ecolog34
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The system in which partisan appointments are the norm is the worst kind of corruption... it does not necessarily have to be of a financial nature...
ical disaster of a huge magnitude as Zagreb would, in this scenario, lose all its drinking water. But we must also put the right kinds of policies and a solid regulatory framework in place: the City should honour those who separate their rubbish, just as it should penalise those who do not. We must also build a recycling centre in each of the City Quarters, so as to decentralise this ‘problem’ as well… > SEE And the third project? > VF It related. I am a champion of free internet, city-wide, not just in the centre, but I would certainly not stop there. We must use available technolo-
gies fully to place the City Administration in the service of the citizens of Zagreb. Reducing red tape is an absolute priority, as is effectuating a more efficient system of traffic control. Believe it or not, the last major leap in this segment was made as far back as the sixties, and I believe that we have made at least a few relevant technological advances since then. To illustrate it for you, improving traffic regulation to the degree of which I speak would result in a system at least 20-30% more efficient, at a thousand times lesser cost than if we were to build roads. And Zagreb is aching for it, as the North-South routes are inadequate, leading to congestion… > SEE Impressive, and we can only wish you the best of luck – if luck has anything to do with…But, for last, what would you identify as being the absolute worst by-product of Croatian – or Regional, as it were – politics? > VF The system in which partisan appointments are the norm. This is the worst kind of corruption. It does not necessarily have to be financial, but a system, and a culture, based on endless 'indebtedness' to someone higher up the party ranks has brought us to where we are now. And now came the time to turn a new leaf over.
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SEE - A Fortnight in Review
the bright side of business |
by Mark Ferris
The Ericsson Nikola Tesla Power Surge There's always room for good news, and it rarely gets better than this. Ericsson Nikola Tesla, the largest specialised provider of modern telecommunications products, solutions and services in Central and Eastern Europe, has just released their figures for 2012, and it makes for excellent reading.
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hat can one say of a company that has increased, in 2012 as compared to 2011, its net profit by the almost unimaginable 353% (126.9 million kuna in nominal figures), a company that generates as much as 86% of its revenues from exports, and a company that has its mind firmly set on paying a top dollar dividend… well, one says exactly what’s just been written. As for the more detailed analysis, one might as well start from the beginning, which means begin with the home market. In spite of negative economic trends and the ever growing influence of competition on the Croatian telecom market (end-user behaviour and operators’ income, not to mention that Government investments into strategic ict projects in Croatia have been continually postponed. Nonetheless, it was steady improvement in the domestic market as sales amounting to 268.1 million Kuna presented a 2% year-on-year increase. Vipnet selected Ericsson Nikola Tesla as a strategic partner for the further development of their radio transmission network, which means that ent retains the position of the said company’s sole supplier within Croatia. During 2012, this 36
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Most importantly, the prognosis is good, as the telecom market is poised to remain extremely dynamic in 2013 as well.
collaboration continued with the expansion and modernisation of 2g, 3g and 4g infrastructure, as well as in the segment of core network modernisation, where new functionalities have been introduced and tested. The collaboration with t-ht continued on projects covering the network’s transformation into next-gen technology and the expansion of broadband internet access. The implementation of the ip/mpls project is already in full swing, thus paving the way for future t-ht performance as a convergent operator in an all-ip environment. Ericsson Nikola Tesla is an active participant in mobile network modernisation through their extension of capacities
in the microwave radio-relay systems, needed because of the increased data traffic volume. In addition, the migration of pstn network has continued in line with scheduling. They have also continued their long-term cooperation with Tele2 in the introduction of new functionalities and modernisation within the current network. In accordance with the present trends in telecommunications, the focus remains on the increase of transmission rates and coverage by the mobile broadband internet access service. The major focus in ict for industry and society was on upgrading the national ict healthcare system, the realisation of Cadastre and Land Database Joint Information System (jis), as well as on the modernisation and expansion of the communications network of the Croatian Electricity Company (hep).
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ithin the regional markets – that’s Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina – sales revenues amounted to 204.9 million Kuna, a decrease of 24% year-on-year. In this instance it is evident that negative economic trends, coupled with the unstable political situation, have impacted on the
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operators’ investments in the region. Nonetheless, at the beginning of 2012 Ericsson Nikola Tesla signed a two and a half year agreement with the Kosovo operator Ipko. The agreement covered the usage of the latest sw releases implemented in Ipko’s network, and is of major strategic importance as it ensures future upgrades of Ipko’s networks by using Ericsson’s state-of-the-art technology. With ht Mostar ent contracted an extension of the 2g and 3g networks, which covers the latest generation equipment delivery as well as installation and integration services. As for bh Telecom, the signed agreement covers the support and maintenance of its fixed and mobile networks. In q4 the company signed contracts with bh Telecom to expand mobile networks using gsm/umts technologies and the expansion of its fixed network. The implementation of the given contracts will enable the expansion of bh Telecom 2g and 3g networks and the strategic preparation for the transition to lte technology. In the Customer Information Service (cis) market, sales revenues amounted to 888.1 million Kuna, an amazing increase of 501.7% year-on-year, primarily due to the realisation of contracts in the Russian market. The leading Russian telecom service provider, Rostelecom, was delivered equipment for 2g and 3g mobile networks, including multi-standard radio base stations of rbs 6000 type for the channel and packed switching networks, as well as the architecture for the new Evolved Packet Core (evo) and Operating Support Systems (oss). The activities on the implementation of solutions based on Ericsson media content delivery network (mdn) are ongoing. Ent’s experts have been also providing consulting and dimensioning services to a1 Austria, t-Mobile Austria, Mobitel Slovenia, Slovak Telekom, Orange Romania, Monaco Telecom, Vodafone Spain, mtn IranCell, Magticom Georgia, and services related to new generation mobile network optimisation and management for Softbank Japan. In addition – the Global Competence Centre was
recently engaged in lte optimisation and on ‘Heterogeneous network’ strategic projects. Most important of all, however, is that the prognosis is good, as the telecom market is poised to remain extremely dynamic in 2013 as well. A further strong growth of data traffic, generated by a significant increase in the number of mobile smart devices (smartphone, i-Pad, etc) as well as by increased internet usage, is
Gordana Kovačević, President of the Board
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ICT implementation will continue, no matter whether enterprise or state administration is in question...
expected. Consequently, further expansion of fixed broadband access to xdsl technologies, as well as the introduction of high rate technologies based on optics (ftt-x) may also be expected. Intensive growth of mobile broadband access will continue through further implementation of 3 and 3.5 mobile technology generations (hspa, hspa+), while in Croatia the same is also true in terms of the intensity of implementation of lte technology . We can also expect a significant modernisation of the existing mobile networks applying the sran concept (Single Radio Access Network), enabling the operators to be more efficient and optimise costs.
With regards to edge and core networks, transformation towards ‘all-IP’ Next Generation Convergent Networks based on ims architecture will be continued as well. The company also expects oss (Operation Support System) and bss (Business Support System) modernisation, and all of this will, in the end, enable operators to provide a wide range of convergent services regardless of the location or the user approach. Ict implementation should be continued in Industry and Society as well, no matter whether enterprise or state administration is in question, taking into account effects and benefits achieved by the development, implementation and usage of ict solutions and services. The first steps in the area of m2m (machine-to-machine) communications are also expected, as well as gradual implementation of cloud solutions and business models based on them.
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he Supervisory Board of Ericsson Nikola Tesla met on February 19th, 2013, and approved the Managing Director’s proposal to the General Assembly, which is scheduled for May 28th of this year, that the ordinary dividend should be in the amount of 20 Kuna per share, and that the extraordinary dividend should be 150 Kuna per share. Yes, dividends are still being paid out, even in these circumstances. But it is perhaps best to quote Gordana Kovačević, the President of the Board of Ericsson Nikola Tesla, who said this on the Company’s performance: “The Company’s focus on strategic projects, technology leadership and partnership with customers generated excellent business results. There is no doubt that economic uncertainty and business challenges will also mark the year 2013, which means that a constant adjustment to technological and market conditions as well as responsible risk management will be in our focus. We shall continue to develop partnerships with our customers and use technology leadership, skills and competences of our employees as a significant competitive advantage.” No mere words, this actually seems to be working. www.see-magazine.eu |
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in perspective |
by Dylan Alexander
Bosnia in NATO? On One Condition... The Parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina will soon begin discussing whether or not they should abolish the military altogether – a controversial proposal made by none other than Milorad Dodik and his Alliance of Independent Social-Democrats, the majority party in Republika Srpska. Most others,however, nurture a different kind of opinion, not least because analysts tend to claim that a country without a military could lose an aspect of its sovereignty. And there’s the question of nato membership...
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osnia and Herzegovina is in possession of a torpid military machinery which consumes too much money, and provides no results, stated Dodik in his proposal back in October 2012, and was immediately seconded by his party comrade, Željko Miljanić: “We don’t need an army, because we have nato soldiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we also have Croatia and Serbia as neighbours who have a legal obligation to ensure peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina… Bosnia and Herzegovina has spent more than a billion Euros on armed forces… It Radmanović, Chairman of the Council of would be wiser to use those resources to Ministers Vjekoslav Bevanda, Minister of help the economy, especially during the Foreign Affairs Zlatko Lagumdžija, and crisis”. For once, the argument does not Minister of Defence Zekerijah Osmić. As seem to be non-sensical, but still… has generally been the custom over the Military affairs and, as we shall see, recent years, the message was positive: military property, came into the limelight “Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Rasmusonce again following February 5th, when sen on the occasion,“is an important partnato Secretary-General Anders Fogh ner for nato. We thank you for the conRasmussen alighted in Sarajevo to meet tribution to our mission in Afghanistan. In with Chairman of the Presidency Nebojša particular, I welcome your recent decision 38
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Dodik has never dismissed NATO membership outright, which means that he is at least willing to entertain the notion...
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
to deploy a unit of the Military Police to Afghanistan. This shows that you are committed to becoming a security provider, and to contributing to international stability. We're ready to activate that Membership Action Plan as soon as Bosnia and Herzegovina solves the question of immovable defence properties. That is, to ensure that those defence properties are registered as State property. They include military barracks, training and shooting ranges, radar facilities and airfields. And a resolution on their registration would benefit everyone. The state would get the property it needs. The rest would go to the entities and municipalities, which could either use them or sell them, to help their citizens. Nearly one year ago, the main political parties in this country reached an agreement on the question of immovable defence properties. Implementing this agreement is a condition to activate your Membership Action Plan.” The Commander of nato Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Walter Lord, poured more oil onto the fire by reminding all that there are a number of other pressing issues as well, namely those of accumulated munitions, armaments, and explosive devices. “My message to the leaders,” Lord said,” is that I have been in places where un-exploded munitions are kept in terrible conditions. Procedures carried out in those storage facilities are not only far below nato standards, but also below any logical security standards. In some cases, populated areas are practically resting on the fences of these facilities, which could result in a catastrophe, if an explosion or fire erupted in them, with both human and political casualties”.
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NATO Presence & BiH Armed Forces
After the war, 60,000 NATO soldiers were stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the number has meanwhile been reduced to today’s 1,200, accounting for soldiers from both NATO and EUFOR. Bosnia and Herzegovina founded a unified military force in 2006, which counts about 10,000 soldiers today, with an annuals budget of around 150 million Euros, while the annual budget for the entire country (on the State level, excluding the budgets of the Entities, which are considerably larger) is 500 million Euros.
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uite to the point; unfortunately, since the end of the war, there have been never-ending polemics on how to divide and manage the aforementioned properties between the two entities and the State. True, on March 9th, 2012, the leaders of the six dominant political parties agreed on signing off the relevant military assets to the competent defence authorities of b&h, but no concrete action has been taken as yet, mainly due to never-ending political disagreements within the country. The Serbs, or rather Dodik’s Serbs, have a particular problem with ‘giving up’ the military complex in Manjač, in the vicinity of Banja Luka, as they believe this would violate the territorial integrity of Republika Srpska. As for where they stand when it comes to nato membership, Dodik has assiduously been announcing a referendum in Republika Srpska, further insisting that b&h, if it
should indeed join nato, should do so as a demilitarised country, which is a bit of a contradiction in terms, as what reason would nato have for admitting into membership a country which can in no way aid it in its military exploits? On the other hand – and this comes as a bit of a surprise – at least Dodik has never dismissed nato membership outright, which means that he is at least willing to entertain the notion, or at the very least not so opposed to the idea as to forsake it as a bargaining chip at the everlasting Bosnian negotiating table. In more recent statements, Safet Halilović, though an Opposition mp in the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated pretty much the position of most parties: “I don’t think that Dodik’s initiative will receive much support… All the countries in the region have a standing army, therefore Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot afford not to have one. Also, the
Perhaps of all ethnic hues, they, but finally under a single banner...
reform of the military is one of the best things that happened in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Admittedly, there is room for financial cuts, but the military is necessary. Just think of terrorism, hooliganism, wildfires, floods… The military is the final line of defence in such situations.” Denis Hadžovi, the Co-ordinator of the Centre for Security Studies, a Sarajevo ngo which deals with military issues, stated that the proposal is more of a political agenda than a legitimate, logical idea – “The military is one of the crucial characteristics of a country’s independence and sovereignty. The armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina have largely contributed in peace keeping missions around the world. Also, you cannot simply fire 10,000 people. You must find new jobs for them before any kind of initiative or proposal is taken into consideration”. Although rarely numbering more than 30 soldiers, Bosnian troops have been active in nato missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are often asked if the diversity of ethnic and religious backgrounds within the unit presents a problem. A private promptly replied: “No, no, not at all... We are professionals. There is no room for such division between us; we are colleagues and soldiers, and that’s all that matters”. May one posit an opinion and say that, even in highly divided countries, people who are employed and happy about their employment do not tend to stir much trouble, even in areas as sensitive and delicate as that of defence. The last observation is probably the most relevant one – just as it is the most relevant argument in favour of keeping the military intact. True, nato inviting Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the Membership Action Plan is by now old news, dating back as it does to May of 2010. True, the issue of assets and property remains unresolved, but, then again, many – or most – issues in b&h remain unresolved: at least there seems to be consensus that it should be resolved – quite a distinction in the arcane world of b&h politics. So, should b&h join nato, or at least do everything within its power to achieve this goal? Well, is there a better alternative? www.see-magazine.eu |
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event horizon |
by Igor Dakić
War on Corruption: Or of Serbia’s Autoimmune Systemic Diseases Although the present Serbian Government has taken hitherto unprecedented steps in fighting corruption and organised crime, it has yet to prove that this is the beginning of bona fide systemic change, rather than just a political witch-hunt. Someone must have written this sentence before… anyone?
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iroslav Mišković being in custody is already old news. Charged for abuse of office together with his son Marko, he has already seen more than two months behind bars, with the investigation on going, and new witnesses and suspects being added to the list on a weekly basis. We prefer not to participate in the campaign of vile, violent, and vociferous vivisections of his life and works, calling him nicknames or listing his portfolio of companies and counting his personal wealth - as already performed by the mainstream media in Serbia and welcomed by the public, which happens to be continually thirsty for justice – or drama. Such ‘Eastern Approaches’ are no longer funny, and they certainly bring us no closer to the point. Quite the opposite in fact; the situation is rather serious and has many implications, from defending the very foundations of the State to preserving almost 8,000 jobs at Delta Holding - a top five company in Serbia. The whole matter is too serious, if not dangerous, to be used merely as part of an election campaign.
Public opinion polls, most of which have gone unnamed, have recorded a constant growth in popularity for Aleksandar Vučić, and the party of which he is a member, the Serbian Progressive Party: a 48% support suggests that they would achieve an absolute majority if an election were to be called at this moment. At the same time, however, we are witnessing the continuing disintegration – and possible fragmentation – of the Democratic Party, which has hit historical lows in terms of approval ratings. An election now would decimate their numbers, though even without an election their future is looking bleak – that this once dominant party is set to vanish quietly into the night speaks of an inherent weakness within the system which is trying, at least seemingly, to fight against its own malignity. Of the 24 disputed privatisations in Serbia, all of which sit on a Governmental hotlist as requested by the European Parliament, less than half are being investigated, principally due to the admitted obstacles involved. Vincent Degert, Head
of the eu Mission in Serbia, has expressed formidable understanding of the issue at hand: “It is true that past privatisations in Serbia were concluded with lots of difficulty. We are aware that 25% of privatisations have been revoked by the Agency for Privatisation, which is a high rate for the types of deals which should have been handled with the greatest care in the first place”. All of them, of course, have had many things in common: they took an overly long time to conclude, involved multiple Government institutions and interest groups, and were followed by ambiguous legal provisions. The privatisation process in Serbia began at a time when the legal framework regulating capital trade and the stock exchange was still nonexistent or in its incipient stage, and this arrangement naturally paved the way for a plethora of manoeuvres. For instance, once the Government decided to privatise ‘c Market’, the company, as any other company, could not appear on the stock exchange without a prospectus being signed by its www.see-magazine.eu |
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Managing Director. Slobodan Radulović, the company’s md (who had already left the country), ‘helped’ himself with this provision in order to stop the company’s listing on the Stock Exchange – which would have shown the company’s real value – facilitating in this manner the purchase, by interested parties he was most likely closely working with, through a direct settlement – for a considerably smaller amount. Another common scenario was the one in which ceos and other members of the Management were using their companies’ – which of course were Stateowned at the time – assets as collateral to secure loans with which they would purchase shares, as private persons, of these same companies. Such instances were innumerable, and suffice it to say that Mišković himself is often mentioned as one of the main profiteers in these types of transactions, which, at the time, were not necessarily illegal. In addition, many successful companies were privatised, pursuant to the old Law on Ownership Transformation, following deficient or deliberately rigged due diligence processes, the idea being to ‘score’ a majority stake by ‘persuading’ other shareholders – i.e., the employees themselves – to sell their shares at extremely low prices. We need mention no more than one case – for the simple reason that it is being investigated as we speak – that of Port of Belgrade, where former shareholders claim that they had been ‘forced’, after the figures had been allegedly ‘massaged’ during the company’s audit, to sell their shares for less than half of their real value. For mere record, Port of Belgrade was sold through a direct settlement to the only interested bidder, the Luxembourg-based Worldfin which, with the seed capital of only 31,000 Euros and a (apparently by no one checked) bank guarantee, managed to buy a company 'worth' 42 million Euros, which in likelihood was a gross undervaluation. And, lo and behold, the investigation revealed that Miroslav Mišković and another prominent businessman, Milan Beko, were – and are – the actual 42
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Under PM Vučić’s leadership, Serbia has diagnosed its own cancerous tissue; the cure, however, does not as yet appear to be anywhere in sight.
Serbia's special police forces - in action?
owners of Worldfin, which is registered at the same address as the aforementioned Novafin… and so on, and so on…
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o let us now ask what is probably the most important question at this moment: is the Government’s determination to fight corruption backed by sufficient evidence, and is it supported by the necessary level of expertise? The example of Oliver Dulić, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning in the former Government and prominent member of the Democratic Party, may be symptomatic of some possible shortcomings and problems in the process: Dulić was charged with abuse of office in several instances, the most important (and lucrative) being the permissions given to Nuba Invest, a company founded by two Slovenian real estate businessmen in Belgrade with capital of just 3,000 Euros and with no previous history in telecommunications, for the planting of optical cables along the Serbian highways and development of fibre-to-the-home (ftth) networks. No tendering procedure was
observed, meaning that other telecommunications companies and providers, such as Telekom Srbije, Telenor, and sbb, either didn’t know what was going on or ‘knew’ better than to get involved. That said, the Anti Corruption Council had also signalled the irregularity of Nuba's operations and related state licenses, and all Dulić could do, under the circumstances, was to state that in the face of imminent prosecution he would reveal on whose order he had granted the licenses to Nuba Invest and to whom in the Democratic Party the money had been given. Still, he was released immediately after the interrogation, which caused a nearriot among the members of the Special Police Squad, who had been responsible for his initial arrest. Indeed, they went so far as to inform none other than Milorad Veljović, General Director of the Police, that they would no longer cooperate with the Prosecutor, their judgment being that the Prosecutor’s stance was too mild and protective of the former Minister. Consequently, in December of last year, the court rejected the indictment and ordered that it be amended. The case, and its protagonists, has pretty much been subdued in the news cycle - and popular memory as well. In other words, Dulić’s case could have been seen as a rehearsal of the war on corruption: it was not only a probe of political effects, but also a test of the expert fitness of the police and the prosecution to facilitate the promised cleanup job to the best of their ability. It appears to have failed, however, setting no particularly useful precedent. For the time has come when the media’s examination of various scandals and affairs is not enough anymore; now we need to see results, preferably in the courts, as Serbia, much like Croatia not so long ago, has to own up to the manner in which it decided, now some twenty-odd years ago, to ‘redistribute’ its wealth. Simply put, it may be true, under pm Vučić’s leadership, that Serbia has finally diagnosed the core of its own cancerous tissue; the cure, however, does not as yet appear to be anywhere in sight.
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Serbia’s own ‘24’
1 sartid > Sold from liquidation to US Steel by direct settlement for 23 million Euros, while the Government took over the estimated 1.7 billion US Dollars in debt. 2 jugoremedija > Sold in 2002 at a privatisation auction to one Jovica StefanovićNini, a controversial businessman who was on Interpol’s ‘Wanted List’ at the time; however, the privatisation was cancelled and the company is today on the brink of liquidation. 3 c market > It is believed that the sale of C Market was agreed not on the Stock Exchange but in the office of the then Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica. Milan Beko confirmed there is written memo on this agreement. 4 atp vojvodina > The company was sold in 2004 to one Ilija Dević, who invested 30 milion Euros in the construction of a new central bus station in Novi Sad. The city did not respect the agreement and did not close the existing bus station. 5 port of belgrade > Criminal charges were filed against 17 people involved in the privatisation process; the dispute between the Port and City of Belgrade on land ownership is still in progress; minority shareholders claim that the price was devalued 6 nacionalna štedionica > There is suspicion that the then Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Radovan Jelašić, allowed this private bank to use his institution’s offices and equipment free of charge, and the ‘perks’ allegedly did not stop there... 7 večernje novosti > Non-transparent ownership structure; seven criminal charges for illegal inscription of ownership stakes in the Register and multiple violations during the 2005-2006 takeover. 8 veterinarski zavod > The consortium of Bankom and Zekstra is suspected of not having existed legally at the moment when applying to the tender; the Supreme Court overturned the decrees issued by the Privatisation Agency.
9 zastava elektro > Multiple violations during privatisation of a company which was undergoing the liquidation process; evidence of misuse of ‘revitalisation’ funds granted by the Governmental Development Fund. 10 tehnohemija > The Privatisation Agency terminated the contract with the buyer due to unpaid obligations; the privatisation process did not take into account the changed purpose of the land (amended, or improved, zoning) occupied by Tehnohemija in the Port of Belgrade. 11 srbolek > In 2007 the buyer took over the controlling stake without even submitting a bid; the owner formally presented the offer but retained factual ownership; the company went bankrupt in 2011. 12 šinvoz > The new owner did not fulfil contractual obligations (i.e., did not undertake the agreed investments) and was charged with having deliberately taken the company into liquidation; the Privatisation Agency is accused of "having looked the other way" for three years, before finally terminating the agreement. 13 keramika kanjiža > The dispute between two owners and multiple breaches of the privatisation agreement brought the company to the edge of bankruptcy, resulting in the loss of 15 million Euros. 14 prosveta > The new owners and the Privatisation Agency disregarded the privatisation agreement and sold a large part of the company's property. 15 azotara pančevo > Multiple cases of proven and suspected malfeasance, the latest being the resale of wheat from state reserves for 9 dinars per kilo whereas the original price was 12, thus generating a 17 million Euro loss in a single transaction. 16 trudbenik gradnja > The Privatisation Agency and the Ministry of the Economy did not enforce the execution of the privatisation agreement with the new owner; the Agency even confirmed breaches but still refused to end the privatisation agreement
17 del real land conversion > One of Mišković’s companies attempted for two years to convert a right to use to direct ownership of 16 hectares of land in New Belgrade. 18 nuba invest > Former minister Oliver Dulić was charged with issuing the license for the planting of optical cables without a tender to a company not possessing the necessary credentials to carry out a 5 million Euro investment. 19 highway concession > The concessioner demanded that the government guarantee a minimum of 200 million Euros annual turnover in tolls, to extend construction time to four years, and the duration of the concession from 25 to 30 years. 20 sugar export > MK Komerc is suspected of importing cane sugar, repacking it, and exporting it as Serbian product to the EU; consequently, the EU banned all sugar imports from Serbia in 2003. 21 putnik > Privatised through a public tender in 2003; the Privatisation Agency terminated the contract with the new owner, who then resorted to international arbitration, which was resolved in favour of the new owner. 22 srbija turist > The same owner as that of Putnik bought the company in 2006; the Privatisation Agency terminated the contract although the contract had been entered into two years before the new legal provisions on the transformation of ownership came into force. 23 galenika > In a case against the State of Serbia in the International Court of Arbitration, the American company ICN was granted the right to restore 50 million Dollars of capital by means of liquidating Galenika. 24 mobtel > The first mobile operator in Serbia was established by the Karić brothers, involving multiple breaches of law; later, however, the licenses were revoked and taken over by the Government and resold to Telenor for 1.5 billion Euros.
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destinations |
by Miša Milošević
The Niš Centenary: or Can We Make It More Than a Pilgrimage? In the previous issue we remembered Constantine the Great and the fact that it’s been 1700 years since the Edict of Milan. But is Niš, or Naissus as it would have been known then, the Emperor’s birthplace, ready for a celebration of this magnitude? Or, to rephrase, how much does Serbia – or rather its image – stand to profit, if at all…?
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et us reiterate the gist of it: this year, 2013, the Christian world is celebrating the 17th centenary of the Edict of Milan - the decree on religious toleration which ended centuries long persecution and, as it would turn out, gave Christianity the impetus to become Europe’s primary creed. The Edict was issued by Constantine I, later to become known as Constantine the Great, who was born in the military city of Naissus – today’s Niš. It is his origin, or birthplace, which entitles Serbia to be one of the centres of this year’s centennial, although the main event - the promulgation of the Edict and historical events surrounding it - pretty much bypassed the Balkans and took place in Italy. For a more entrepreneurial mind - or Government - this historical fact would be cause enough to develop a rich and varied tourist, archaeological and sightseeing programme, followed by a, as necessary, long international promotion of Niš, the third largest city in Serbia, and of the entire country. The official programme of the celebration, which is sponsored hand-in-hand by the Serbian Government and the Serbian Orthodox Church, under the 44
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auspices of the head of the State, Tomislav Nikolić, thrives on the re-discovery of Serbia’s own past and its historical connections to the Byzantine Empire, which is to say that it based on a perhaps overly traditional, anachronistic mélange of mostly history- and religioninspired plays, neoclassical operas, and concerts. The programme also includes performances of some the all-time popular favourites, such as Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and two operas by Giuseppe Verdi - Aida and Il Trovatore - which are thrown in for their vague symbolic connection, probably with the aim of establishing a universal relevance to what is otherwise a hermetic celebration, hardly appealing at all to anyone outside Orthodoxy. Moreover, Stanislav Hočevar, the (Romanist) Archbishop of Belgrade, left nothing to doubt: “In spite of the joint organisational commitee, there is no
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intention to make one main event for all [Christians], although only one Christian church existed in the day of Emperor Constantine.” Regardless, the Catholic Church is already preparing a major liturgical celebration on September 21st, which, if we can take the words of fra Niko Josić, the Vicar of Niš, as final, will probably be held at ‘Constantine The Great’ airport. It has already been announced that around 100,000 people from the region will be attending this Roman Catholic Holy Mass, to be served by the Archbishop of Milan and close associate of the soon to be exPope, Angelo Scola, concelebrating with Cardinals and other church dignitaries from Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. Even the Mayor, Zoran Perišić, appears to be ready for such a – perhaps unexpected – large influx of those who
It is evident even now that construction works in Niš are behind schedule… the major problem being accommodation capacities for tourists.
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Saint Sava's Park - is this the place to be at?
are not Orthodox, assuring us that „Niš will surely be prepared to receive so many Catholic believers and other guests". Still, apart from this one rather large mass, what else is on offer for those coming to Serbia?
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or those who are less familiar with Serbian geography, Niš is the third largest city in Serbia, with over 250,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the highway, 235 km from Belgrade, and is also accessible by train from multiple directions; it should also be mentioned that the airport is located less than 4 km from the city centre. Revamped in 2003, it has been the hub of Montenegro Airlines and some low-cost airlines with regular flights to Podgorica and many major European destinations. It is evident even now, however, that construction works in Niš are behind schedule, with one of the major problems being how to solve – if at all possible - the accommodation capacities for tourists. Currently the city features around fifteen hostels and around 20 small hotels and assorted lodgings, while the bigger hotels are in bad condition or are in the midst of being refurbished.
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The entirety of the city’s budget for renovations only amounts to three million Euros – quite meagre given the scope of the necessity.
The problem behind the insufficient hotel capacities has its roots in the dispute between the State and the new owner of the privatised ‘Srbija Turist’, the owner of all major hotels in Niš, which was resolved only last year, and perhaps not in time to welcome this year’s guests. If all existing hotels in Niš are not fully open by September, since it is already too late for new developments, including camps, tourists might stay in Niš less than one day and look for accommodation - private or in hotels - in surrounding towns, or even in Belgrade. Needless to say, with today’s travelling habits, many of them
will simply give up coming to Serbia if they are not able to book accommodation in advance, which has become a turn-off factor for many tourists today. An ideal place for Niš people to ask for advice on how to handle such many tourists would be Guča, which every year hosts tens of thousands of visitors at their Trumpet Festival, almost exclusively in certified homesteaded accommodation. Works which are currently in progress in Niš include traffic infrastructure and some basic refurbishment of historical and cultural sites, financed by both the Government and the City of Niš, but it seems that funds are insufficient. Approximately 1 million Euros has been granted for the reconstruction of Mediana, a medieval archaeological site which has been .mostly neglected for decades, but the years of neglect may well have taken their toll; it is unlikely that even this much money would suffice to make this location in any way suitable or presentable for tourists anytime soon. No major progress has been made on excavations and research of the octagon on Gradsko polje in Niš, which is believed to have been an Imperial palace or similar residence perhaps even of Constantine himself. www.see-magazine.eu |
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Also, the Niš fortress, a mixed ByzantineTurkish monument within which Constantine the Great probably was born, is not sufficiently explored or presentable. Predrag Jelenković, a member of the Opposition ldp party, did yet, though perhaps too harshly, sum up the situation at hand: "What, ere we going to cut down the celebration to, like, going to Mediana site, with bad infrastructure all the way to there, come back, sit in a restaurant and say, 'here, we celebrated the Centennial". Added to this list of incomplete works is the memorial and hotel complex on Vinik Hill; the hill was supposed to be home to the largest cross in Europe, but this project has been postponed indefinitely. The cross is not the only piece which is due for completion; a statue of Constantine the Great, sat upon his throne with cross in hand and sword lain across his knees, has long been expected. A smaller representation of Constantine was completed in 2012 – just his face and various inscriptions – but the feeling is that this was commissioned simply because the larger, more impressive, sculpture was going to take too long to make. In any case, it has already suffered damage as a result of a lack of protective coating, but also because of the New Year pyrotechnics display. The entirety of the city’s budget for such renovations only amounts to three million Euros – a larger than usual sum for such an endeavour, but nevertheless quite meagre given the scope of the necessity.
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...in the intervening century Serbia has shown little progress when it comes to departing from its role of the successor of Byzantine heritage...
iš and its surroundings do offer a recently. The health centre appended wide range of tourist attractions, offers approximately 500 beds in private however, lest it seem we’re disparaging accommodation, and as many as eightthe place: from traditional and modern een warm springs which aid in the relief spas, to its very own jazz festival. Niška of rheumatic, neurological, and gastroinBanja is an ancient spa, well known as far testinal diseases. For more contemporary back as the time of the Roman Empire, clientele seeking stress-relief in modern which is located quite near the city, with wellness-and-spa style outfits there is natural springs which are renowned for ‘Sense’, a centre which brings together their beneficial effects – they’ve been as- natural mineral water benefits with wellsociated with the healing of respiratory ness treatments from around the world. problems, neurological, cardiovascular, And there is also the Sićevo Gorge, a as well as other related diseases and af- fascinating wonder of nature. A 17 kiloflictions. Banja Topilo is also relatively metre long part of the Nišava Canyon, beclose to Niš, although only discovered tween Niš and Sofia, it features several 46
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important Orthodox monasteries, two of the most important being the Church of St. Petka in the village of Ostrovica and the monastery of the Holy Virgin, which dates back to 1644. Thanks to its many natural rarities, Sićevo Gorge was declared a special nature reserve in 2000; sage, a herb which normally only grows in Mediterranean climes, can be found growing here, and here alone, in all of Serbia. Those sports orientated visitors would likely be happy here as well, what with trekking, climbing, paragliding and rafting – the 2009 World Rafting Cup took
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exhibitions, from tourism to food, from literature to science – and through these Niš could have been more thoroughly advertised to those groups coming from abroad, and in turn advertised to customers who might not necessarily realise that they’d like to take a holiday in Serbia. Had organisers been more pro-active, then a cohesive and strategic advertising campaign could have been feasible through these fairs – perhaps next time. In fact, in defence of Niš, one has to admit that centenaries of the Edict of Milan have never been large-scale or involving more than the expected religious services and historical and archaeological exhibitions. Even then they do not lead to any particularly colourful religious fervour, such as pilgrimages to Mariological shrines and apparition sites, as is the example of Our Lady of Međugorje in Herzegovina. This year’s celebrations will also be held in York (Roman Imperial seat in Britain), Trier (Constantine’s capital for a while), and Milan; the truth is, their programmes aren’t much more ambitious than the standard Niš agenda. On the other hand, Given that the city is amidst a period of renewing its image and again trying to assert itself on the international scene, the 17th centennial place in the Gorge, so you can be assured should have been used as the anchor of that the waterways will be to your liking. not only the City’s, but the whole counFurther afield the mountains and forests try's biggest promotional vehicle in 2013; which surround Niš are amongst the best and one cannot escape from the impresfishing and hunting destinations in all of sion that much more could have been Serbia. The hunting zones, which spread done. In fact, looking back at the proacross 40,000 hectares, offer a vast range gramme and activities of previous Centeof game, including wild boar, deer, roe, nary celebrations in Niš, specifically that rabbit, pheasant, and a number of types of 1903, it seems that in the intervening of partridge. Fishing is permissible, once century Serbia has shown little progress you have the right permits, and you’ll when it comes to departing from its osbe spoiled somewhat with the Južna tensible role of the successor of Byzantine Morava and Nišava rivers, as well as with heritage and defender of the Orthodox three lakes - Oblačinsko, Bovansko and faith. Indeed, turning to more universal Zavojsko. – and why not even ecumenical – platPromoting such a wealth of activities forms certainly would have reaped much should not be something which is too more significant benefits, for Serbia, and difficult – firstly social media and other this comes from a Serb, still needs to online outlets are already being used work on its image in a major way. to target the primary audience, namely In sum, it is hard to escape from the tourists and travellers. Secondly, Niš impression that a singular opportunity is home to more than 30 international may just have been irreparably wasted. Niška Banja. Not in for the religious reasons? One can always go for a bath...
A Few Celebration Highlights
March 4th at 18:00 Constantine and his age, exhibition Archaeological site Viminatium, Roman villa May 18th at 20:00 Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, opera performed by the National Theatre Troop from Belgrade Archaeological site Viminatium, Roman arena June 15th at 20:00 9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven Performed by the Belgrade Philharmonic, conducted by Muhai Tang The Niš Fortress June 28th at 20:00 Aida by Giuseppe Verdi, opera performed by the National Theatre Troop from Belgrade The Niš Fortress September 21st Mass of the Holy Eucharist Read by H.E. The Archbishop of Milan, Don Angelo Scola Exact time and venue to be announced October 6th The Holy Liturgy Jointy served by partiarchs of Orthodox churches Exact time and venue to be announced
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February 13th
in memoriam |
by Ben Berković
Krsto Papić: A Giant of Croatian Film On February 7th, 2013, one of the most influential of Croatian film-makers passed away, at the age of 79… Krsto Papić, an artist awarded with Croatia's highest Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in cinema, as well as the Grand Prix Special des Amériques at the Montreal Film Festival, deeply impacted and masterfully shaped Yugoslav and then Croatian cinematography, since the early 60’s onward, and will likely continue to do so even after his passing.
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rsto Papić was born in Vuči Do, Montenegro, on December 7th, 1933. As is often the case in these parts, people tend to quarrel over what nationality certain famous personas were, appropriating all that such an individual has accomplished on the sole basis of ancestry or parentage. However, although Papić was born of Montenegrin ancestry, he is very much associated with Croatia and its people, even in the face of scowling nationalists, who would grab him by the lapel and sternly ask, more often than not in front of an ‘audience’ than in private, “where’s your father from, or your grandfather? What are you doing here, foreigner?” Despite it all, Krsto Papić gave his utmost to Croatian cinematography, his work often regarded as the Croatian echo of the so called Serbian Black Wave. In fact, Papić himself was associated with the Croatian Spring – the 1971 initiative and revolt mainly undertaken by Croatian intellectuals and students against centralisation and in favour of a more ‘lenient’ communist regime which would also allow for a higher degree of
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rsto Papić graduated from the national and cultural determination – University of Zagreb’s Faculty of and he did so as a forward thinking master of his craft, not as a Montenegrin or Philosophy and began his career in the a Croat. He was a member of the Zagreb film industry as an assistant director for Filmophiles’ Circle, a group influenced several established film-makers, includby the French New Wave – or of the so- ing Veljko Bulajić, the famed director of called ‘Hitchcockians’ – which, centred ‘The Neretva’, who was also his cousin. around film critics Vladimir Vuković and The two collaborated on ‘Special Trains’ Hrvoje Lisinski, also enlisted the active (1959), and ‘The Boiling City’ (1961), and support of such film-makers and crit- then Papić struck out on his own, first ics as Ante Peterlić, Zoran Tadić, Branko directing an episode in the omnibus ‘The Key’ (1965), before going on, in 1967, to Ivanda and Petar Krelja. direct his first feature-length film, ‘The Illusion’. Papić was one of the leading personas of the Croatian Feature Film, and part of the Babaja, Berković, Vrdoljak, Radić generation, which, between the second half of the 1960s and the early 70s, began separating domestic films from the firmly established canon of the former socialist cinematography; through related topics and themes, this generation sculpted a new, mature artistic direction. It was also during this period that Papić’s most significant works were produced, including the films ‘Handcuffs’ (1969), ‘Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja’
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Is it better for artistic hygiene to criticise society through allusions and metaphors, or should more subtle ways be used to get the point across?
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Jagoda Kaloper in ‘Handcuffs’ (1969)
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Papić's two bestknown early feature films, ‘The Handcuffs’ and ‘Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja’, were often attacked by Government sources.
(1973), as well as numerous anthological documentaries in which he applied the Truth Method, such as in his extremely forthright documentaries ‘Kad te Moja Čakija Ubode’ (1969), ‘The Knot’ (1969), ‘Let Our Voices Be Heard’ (1971), and ‘A Small Village Performance’ (1972), in which he exposed the less than glamorous aspects of life in the former political system. These works were among the feature films of the late 60s and 70s which introduced a dark and raw sensibility into Croatian cinematography, and Papić’s open criticism of Yugoslav historiography and politics brought him numerous problems with the Government. His two best-known early feature films, ‘The Handcuffs’ and ‘Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja’ were often attacked by Government sources, resulting in ‘The Handcuffs’ being denied permission to represent Yugoslavia at the Cannes Film Festival, and his ‘The Redeemer’ (1976) receiving heavy criticism from Stipe Šuvar, a leading Croatian and Yugoslav politician and sociologist, who alluded that the film’s allegory about Fascism was actually an attack on Communism. In many respects one may draw a loose parallel with Andrei Tarkovsky, not only because both authors shared an interest in science fiction. In the second half of the seventies and the eighties Papić would take a step towards more genre-oriented films (i.e. 50
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the first Croatian horror film – ‘The Redeemer’), and some of the more popular themes of the day, such as his ‘The Secret of Nikola Tesla’ (1980). The latter film, which, from a critic’s point of view, did not do all that well, included several minutes of a fantastic documentary introduction, which was quite enough to point out the talent of the “old artisan”, who, for some reason, decided to treat that aspect of his authorial character merely as a footnote. The role of Krsto Papić soon came back into the limelight, however, during Croatia’s transition toward independence. Papić's subsequent feature films were more classical in their narrative approach, but again politically controversial, particularly “My Uncle's
A scene from the movie ‘Let Our Voices Be Heard’ (1971)
Legacy”, which portrayed a critical picture of Yugoslavia's political situation under Tito during the so called Informbiro period. This film, which was nominated for the Golden Globe Award (Best Foreign Language Film) in 1988, was practically (alongside Schmidt’s ‘Sokol ga nije volio’) the work which released Croatian film from the grip of former Yugoslav cinematography and, along with “A Story from Croatia”, helped pave the way for the introduction of a new era. “A Story From Croatia” was one of the first films which raised the following question: “Is it better for artistic hygiene to criticise society through allusions and metaphors, or should more subtle ways be used with the newly gained freedom of speech allowed by the new country?”
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After this, Papić made another three films: the comedy ‘When the Dead Start Singing’ (1999), the fantasy film ‘The Infection’ (2003 – a remake of ‘The Redeemer’), and his most recent ‘The Flower Square’ (2012), a mobster drama. The latter was first shown in Pula during the summer, but the creator would not get to see the Zagreb theatrical premiere or subsequent distribution.
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Zoja Odak and Ivo Gregurević in ‘A Story from Croatia’
Papić’s Masterpieces
Lisice, Handcuffs (1969) > The film deals with the consequences of the discord between Tito and Stalin in 1948, through the lives of villagers of Zagora. The villagers, who up until then had to love Stalin, soon found themselves in jail if they expressed any kind of sympathies for him or the USSR. Andrija, the main character, is arrested under the charge of being a Stalinist, and so the local hero becomes a hated enemy, and his friends meet gruelling fates at the hands of other villagers. The film won the “Velika Zlatna Arena” award in Pula. Predstava Hamleta u Mrduši Donjoj, Acting Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša Donja (1973) > A grotesque comedy, filmed as an adaptation of the renowned drama by Ivo Brešan and considered to be one of the most important works of modern Croatian literature. In the village of Mrduša Donja, a celebration is under way, commemorating the anniversary of the President of the Village Labour Cooperative, who orders the village teacher to arrange the acting of “Hamlet”, “something they heard about somewhere”. While the teacher prepares the play, a real life imitation of it takes place in the village. Izbavitelj, The Redeemer/The Rat Saviour (1976) > A film which, through a strong suggestive atmosphere, presents itself as a metaphor for repressive systems. A poor writer discovers that a species of rats has banded together to impersonate humans and supplant them unnoticed, in a manner reminiscent of the transformations in Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, or the covert conspiracy of pod-people in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This film's story is based on a book by the Soviet writer Alexander Greene.
apić’s films also garnered critical acclaim abroad: ‘Handcuffs’ was shown at the Quinzaine des Realizateurs programme, a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival; ‘Acting Hamlet in the Village Mrduša Donja’ was shown at the Berlinale; ‘The Redeemer’ won first prize at the 1982 Fantasport; while ‘My Uncle’s Legacy’ was nominated, as stated before, for the Golden Globe. His latest film, ‘The Flower Square’, won the Freedom of Speech Award in Montreal. Through his many years behind the camera Krsto Papić won the hearts and friendships of many notable figures and colleagues, but it was probably Hrvoje Hribar, the director of the Croatian Audio-Visual Centre (hacs), who came closest to the point in assessing the great director’s oeuvre: “Not more than a month ago did we whole-heartedly enjoy the premiere of ‘The Priest’s Children’. Sadly, he did live to see his last premiere. I feel anger towards death, and I cannot find wise words at the moment. He was strong and young, with his invisible 80 years. Great authors die young, and it has nothing to do with their age.” The only thing that remains is to record what Papić’s wife, Jadranka, said of her late husband, for it has a particularly sincere ring, as it only should be: “He was unusually capable of turning his thoughts into eloquent sentences – I stood no chance in verbal debates, so we almost never argued. He was a cavalier, an excellent chef and chauffeur, and he also had a knack for sports. In the 30 years that we spent together, he often said, wrote, or through actions, showed me how much he loved me. It seems to me now that I should have loved him even more…” www.see-magazine.eu |
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did you know? |
by Michael Devaney
Four Popes for the Ages: Not in the Best Sense As we’ve already said, it’s not every day that you see a Pope choose to relinquish the Holy See, and it’s been many centuries since anyone saw such a thing before. A rare occurrence? In a manner of speaking. Here are four Popes which will likely be the subject of conversation at Pope-themed parties over the coming weeks…at the very least…
Gregory XII: A Voluntary Retreat We would be remiss not to mention the last Pope to resign the Cathedra Romana and, as fate would have it, he too was German. Gregory XII reigned during the time known as the Schism, when the Church was split, with one Pope in Rome, and another in Avignon in the south of France. The German had been elected Pope under the assumption that he would step down from office should the Church be made whole once more, with the Pope in Avignon, Benedict XIII, expected to renounce all claim upon the Papacy. But Gregory, a hermit who was elected not only because of his great piety and desire to see the Schism come to an end, but also because the Cardinals in the ‘kosher’ Conclave couldn’t decide who among them was worthy enough – or acceptable to all – didn’t like the ways (and schemes) of the palace, and so he decided to step down voluntarily. In the meantime, one Alexander V was elected Pope by the rebellious Conclave, thus beginning the time of Three Popes. The Council of Constance (1414 – 1418) would resolve the Schism and Gregory, as agreed, undertook a welcome and secluded life in Ancona. Benedict XIII, the chap in Avignon, remained adamant, even in forced exile, that he held the best claim upon the Papacy, but it was all for naught. In other words, it would not be until John XXIII, yet another Antipope, was elected that full control again reverted to Rome and Rome alone. Gregory would die before his successor could be elected, leaving the Papal seat formally empty for a short period of time.
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Honorius I: No Less Than a Heretic Honorius served as Pope during the early 7th century, but cemented his place in history having found himself, some four decades after his death, excommunicated and condemned as a heretic by the Third Council of Constantinople. Honorius was reputed to have actively supported heretical teachings in official letters, but the odd thing was not that he was proclaiming the rise of Satan, Beelzebub, or the Father of Lies, but instead that he followed the teachings of the Monothelites, who taught that there is only one will in Christ; the orthodox doctrine is that Christ has separate wills in his human and divine natures. As a result of this ‘anathematisation’ of Honorius, each Pope since the 8th century has been required to swear in their Papal Oath that the Council of Constantinople had arrived at a correct and just ruling. Honorius’s fate is oft touted as the main argument against Papal Infallibility, though Church officials point to his being a heretic in defence. We’re not sure how this argument strengthens the notion that a Pope cannot err, but oh well...
February 13th
John VI or John VIII: a Woman, Perhaps? If you thought the Papacy was a boys-only club, then you might be somewhat surprised to learn that one woman – passing herself off as man, of course – just might have managed to occupy the holiest of offices. We can argue as to whether she ever existed, and certainly the Catholic Church denies pretty much everything written about her, but her tale is still the one which has fascinated authors and historians alike for many years. The legend, which only surfaced in the 13th century, tells us that she rose to the office, first as a curial secretary, then as a Cardinal, but was ‘outed’ when she suddenly gave birth whilst riding a horse through the streets of Rome. Quite something... Joan, or Johanna, was reputedly a German woman who went by the name of John of Mainz. If she was indeed a Pope, then she might well have been Pope John VI, who succeeded Pope, and later Saint, Sergius I in 701. Conflicting accounts suggest that she lived many decades later, and was instead perhaps Pope John VIII, a full 171 years after John VI. In any event, it is unlikely that any definitive history will ever be agreed upon. Still, according to legend, once Johanna’s identity was uncovered she was dragged from the city by the outraged masses and stoned to death. Future Popes would reputedly be required to have their malehood confirmed by means of sitting on the Sedes Stercoraria, a ceremonial chair with the seat cut away, whereupon a Cardinal – positioned underneath – would reach up and inspect the goods from below. We shudder at the thought...
Benedict IX: In & Out, Again & Again In Grover Cleveland-like fashion, Benedict IX was Pope on three non-consecutive occasions. Theophylactus of Tusculum, as he was born, was nephew to both Pope Benedict VIII and Pope John XIX. Accepted to be a very un-devout character, all that readied him for his life in the Vatican were his familial connections. His first stint as Pope came in 1032, when his father used his influence to secure the throne for his young son (accounts put Benedict’s age at anywhere from 11 to 18). He served as Pope until 1044, when he was forced from the city and replaced by Sylvester III (considered to be an Antipope) the following year. Benedict’s ‘exile’ was short lived, however, and he would retake Rome with an army and became Pope once again a mere three years later. Still, later that very year, he would relinquish his position in return for a sum of money, allowing Gregory VI (the other party in the transaction) to be elected. Benedict soon regretted his decision and returned to Rome with his forces, although Gregory was recognised as the true Pope. Instead Clement II was elected, under the auspices of the German King Henry III, but Benedict would seize the Lateran Palace for one last hurrah in 1047 and remain as Pope until 1048, upon the election of Damasus. Benedict was subsequently ex-communicated, seemingly the fate of all Papal claimants who fail in their ambition. www.see-magazine.eu |
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SEE - A Fortnight in Review
around the world |
by Dylan Alexander
Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day… To All Russians The Russians do not trifle when it comes to military matters, so it is only natural that, marking the Defender of the Fatherland Day, celebrated on the 23rd of February, we should dedicate a few lines to the men and women who have fought, as the name of the holiday suggests, in the defence of their country – which in Russia’s case is not a notion as simple as one might expect… An army, as important as it is, needs a General, and here are three of Russia's more famous (or infamous) men at, or near, the top.
Anton Denikin – White Russian Anton Ivanovich Denikin was a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Russian army during World War I, and later he would become one of the leaders of the White Army during the Russian Civil War. He was actually born in modern day Poland, near Włocławek, but in 1872 that was very much part of the Russian Empire. His father was a Major in the Russian army, and so it was not much of a surprise when Anton also decided to enlist. His rise, although slow to begin with, was fairly rapid. In 1905, ten years after his entry to the General Staff Academy, he was promoted to Colonel whilst on duty during the Russo-Japanese War; by the time World War I broke out he had gained the rank of Major General. Beginning the actual war as Quartermaster to the 8th Army, he soon realised that he needed to be at the front, where the action was. By 1916 he was in charge of the 4th Rifle Brigade, and it was this group which he would lead to victory during the Brusilov Offensive, on Romanian soil. In August 1917, after the cessation of hostilities, Denikin took part in the Kornilov Affair, in which his immediate superior, General Lavr Kornilov, attempted to overthrow the Russian Provisional Government, led by Alexander Kerensky. After the 54
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October Revolution Denikin escaped and, along with other Tsarist officers, formed the anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army. Denikin would take command of the army in 1918; although at first quite successful, his march on Moscow was eventually stalled by the Reds and Denikin was forced to withdraw. His army was soundly defeated at Orel in 1919, at which point the troops retreated to the Crimea by March 1920. There the army did little to endear itself with the International Community, engaging in genocide against the Jewish population, who it was felt had helped engineer Russian’s withdrawal from the Great War and subsequent revolutionary activity. Denikin, in the face of concern from abroad, stepped down and went into exile in England, and later France. While in the latter country he would be the subject of two attempted abduction attempts, as the Communist Government in Russia sought to silence him. He was captured by Nazi forces in WW II, but refused to cooperate with them (unlike some of the Cossack troops formerly under his command) against their Stalinist enemy. He died in America in 1947, but his body was repatriated to Donskoy Monastery in Moscow, in 2005.
February 13th
Yakov Petrovich Kulnev – Napoleon’s Bane Hitler wasn’t the only European conqueror intent on taking Moscow – Napoleon was there first, but while Hitler had to deal with Zhukov, the French Emperor came up against Kulnev. Kulnev was born in 1763, in what we now know as Latvia; his father, an officer of some noble heritage, was able to secure for his son entry into the Infantry School for Nobility. Upon graduating Kulnev joined a hussar regiment and found himself taking orders from the noted Alexander Suvorov (a man who was reputed to have never lost a battle). Kulnev fought in both the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792, and the Polish Campaign of 17941795. History, unfortunately, neglected to document his careers over the following years, but he resurfaced in some glory as his hussars were able to engineer some unexpected victories against Napoleon’s forces during 1807. With Napoleon removed from the vicinity of Russia, temporarily, Kulnev turned his
attentions to the Finnish War, in which the Russians and Swedes clashed. Channelling Hannibal perhaps, Major General Kulnev essentially won the war by leading the vanguard of Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration across the frozen Gulf of Finland, thus placing Russian forces within striking distance of Stockholm – the Swedes had no choice but to sue for peace and so the Duchy of Finland was created, under the influence of the Russian Empire. Having distinguished himself in several battles during the Turkish Campaign of 1810, where he led decisive attacks in over half a dozen battles, he was entrusted with the outlying defences of the Russian capital of the time, Saint Petersburg: Napoleon was again on the march and had crossed the Niemen River in June of 1812. In July, Kulnev defeated a French cavalry unit, taking a French General prisoner, and again in the same month he led 5000 horsemen
into battle at Klyastitsy, taking close to 1000 prisoners. During that same battle he was struck by a cannonball and lost both legs. He died shortly after, never having seen the French depart for good. Kulnev once famously said that “Mother Russia is good because somebody is always fighting in one of its corners.” Given that Russia seemed to be at war for the entirety of his life, it is hardly surprising that he felt that way.
Georgy Zhukov – Red Russian The Russian army was a common destination for the younger, and sometimes all, children of poor families. Georgy Zhukov was no exception. His family hailed from an area now known as Zhukovsky District in Kaluga Oblast. His first experience with the army life was not a voluntary one, as he was conscripted in 1915 to fight for the Russian Empire. He acquitted himself admirably, twice being awarded the Cross of St. George, and he found himself promoted to the rank of Non Commissioned Officer. After the war his poverty-stricken background was to be of benefit. He fought in the Bolshevik Army during the Russian Civil War, picking up further decorations and commendations. Zhukov spent the years between both major wars commanding various cavalry units in the Russian army, something which he clearly knew about given his first return to combat. In 1938 he led the First Soviet Mongolian Army Group to a decisive victory over a major Japanese force, at the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, by utilising his armoured divi-
sions in what at the time appeared an unconventional flanking manoeuvre. His training with the Soviet’s armoured units had given him a strong awareness of the flexibility of such a force, and he continued to engage in unconventional tactics throughout this short eastern conflict. In the west the Germans were stirring, and when they finally launched Operation Barbarossa, in 1940, they would face Zhukov, now Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army. Zhukov suffered early setbacks during World War II on account of Stalin’s interferences – while Zhukov knew that Stalin
had no real military expertise, he was nonetheless a loyal Party member and obeyed whatever directive was issued from Moscow. Zhukov finally did stand up to Stalin and found himself demoted to Commander of the Reserve Front; from there, however, he continued to offer sound advice and strategic insights – all of which were ignored, in part or in full. It would not be until Leningrad became threatened that Zhukov would finally be given the free reign he so desired, which, as we all know, led the Russian Army all the way to Berlin. Zhukov would become the Commander of the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany, and he made sure that his men all knew his intent and made it clear that they were to “hate Nazism but respect the German people.” A popular man and an undeniable war hero, Zhukov drew the ire of the ever jealous Stalin, who soon removed the General from any position of note. It would not be until Stalin’s death that Zhukov would again regain any semblance of major responsibility. www.see-magazine.eu |
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good stuff |
by Lee Murphy
Unique Boating Pleasures: The Early Bird Catches the Worm The summer months might be some distance in the future, but before you know it you’ll be decked out in shorts and sandals and likely sitting on a beach somewhere. Now we’re not saying that you need to buy a boat, or that you must buy a boat… but if you were to buy a boat then perhaps these models might interest you? Start saving today!
Maestral 490 Anyone who spends considerable time on any of the islands in the Adriatic will know the difficulties and hassle in trying to get back to the mainland. Of course ferries sail at regular intervals, but it takes so long to board and disembark, and at the end of the day you only really wanted to go and get something at a store on the mainland. Or maybe you want to go see some festival event and you won’t be finished until late in the night and there’s no ferry running? It’s at times like these that you want to have your own boat, capable of carrying up to eight people and whatever it is you needed in the shops. The Maestral 490 is ideal for all of the above, as well as for more 56
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casual use during those lazy summer days. The bow resting area is long enough to easily stretch out and can be fitted with cushions for that bit of added enjoyment while catching the sun on the waves. If you’re not a fan of lying around, then the circular shape of the front is ideal for you, as well as the safety ropes set along the sides of the tube. Safety first, people! The stern seat can easily accommodate two persons, with sufficient storage area underneath, which is secured by a lock. The Maestral 490 is much like other boats in its class – inflated with a plastic bottom, and easily manoeuvred. The 490, however, has
an additional ten centimetres to its plastic base, allowing the front of the vessel to rise above the water at higher speeds, ensuring lateral stability while preventing excessive tilting at lower speeds. The economy speed is around 20 knots, while the maximum speed reaches about 30 knots. A family boat, the Maestral 490 will satisfy the needs of all family excursions and those of underwater fishers, at the same time pleasing those who have the desire to be noticed. Maestral, if you didn’t already know, has been around for a long time and has a reputation to be envious of. Starting price: 8,000 Euros.
February 13th
Ego - Semi Submarine The Beatles once lived on a Yellow Submarine, and while it’s true that our choice pick can come in the colour yellow it can also be a number of other rich colours. The EGO semi submarine is not something with which you can explore the depths of the Mariana Trench, in fact it’s not actually meant for exploring the depths of any body of water. This vehicle, developed by the Korean based company Raonhaje and sold by their partners, Croatian firm Gefest, is an electric powered craft which is a little bit submarine and a little bit boat. It can comfortably accommodate four people, two in the cabin and two above deck. It could be amply described as being an upside down boat, though that might be somewhat unfair on the engineers who designed it; instead of a cabin above the waterline it features a cabin located between two floating hulls. This cabin (though SEE is sure that most men will want to call it a cockpit and pretend to be hunting Red October) is accessible via trapdoor and ladder on the topside of the EGO but is surprisingly spacious and can fit two large persons with some ease. You sit below and marvel at the wonders of the sea, or simply lounge above deck and either sunbathe or fish – or both. Indeed, fishing on the EGO gives you
the benefit of seeing whether there are any fish swimming in the waters just a few feet below your line. You need not be a master mariner in order to pilot this vessel. The EGO doesn’t use a throttle lever, like a yacht might, but instead has a pedal and joystick operating system and can also be operated from the deck by means of remote control. The EGO doesn’t turn in an arc but rotates in place and so travels ostensibly in straight lines. The cabin is not airtight, so there’s no risk of running out of oxygen, and there are alarms in place to ensure that you’re made aware of the battery power levels. It has a top speed of five knots (5.7 mph / 9.2 km/h), and can operate at this speed for approximately four hours. If you’re inclined to idly cruise around, then you can do so for roughly eight hours. Once you’ve parked for the night, however, you will need anywhere from six to nine hours to fully recharge the batteries. The EGO comes complete with VHF marine radio, a sonar system to avoid groundings, and an LCD monitor and camera so that a watchful eye can be kept on the waters above you should you be sealed away in the cabin. While a discount will be offered for the purchase of multiple units, a single unit will set you back in the region of 75,000 Euros.
Kuster 550 The Kuster 550 is built by the Kuštera family at their shipyard in Tkon on the island of Ugljan. It defies description, at least at first glance; from some angles it reminds one of a skimmer, while others see it more as a fishing boat, or perhaps for long excursions. In truth the Kuster 550, named for its length, is all of the above. It has a V-shaped hull, a flatter stern, and a slightly accentuated keel, and clearly has the predisposition of a high-speed boat. With a maximum allowed 100 horsepower engine it can easily reach speeds of 30 knots. The cockpit, which is located at the stern, is spacious and readily allows for fishing or other activities. The cabin at the bow will ensure a good night’s sleep for two people – although the boat itself can accommodate up to five people comfortably. The skippers’ position is situated to the starboard side of the vessel, which provides a height adjustable swivel armchair, a standard accelerator handle, a simple engine instruments board, a few switches, and the helm. The seating is comfortable, with all the commands within reach, and with an excellent view of all the surroundings. The cabin is simple, but very comfortable. It contains a V shaped bed, with ample storage space below it, and two small windows for better air-circulation, which greatly reduce any claustrophobic effect (often the case on similar vessels). If necessary, a stove and fridge can also be installed. Fuel consumption is not high, ranging from 15 to 25 litres, depending on the maritime conditions and speed of the boat. It is a vessel that easily serves multiple purposes, and can be used for fishing, renting out, travelling to distant beaches, or even prolonged cruises. Good as new: 20,000 Euros. www.see-magazine.eu |
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blast from the past
› Death of Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš
1921
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš held the title of Prince from 1860 until 1910, after which he ascended the throne to become the first, and only, King of Montenegro. He was known as a poet – Nikola notably penned the popular song “Onamo, ‘namo!” – but his reign also saw a considerable extension of the Montenegrin frontier, namely the acquisition of a seaboard on the Adriatic. In 1900 Nikola took the style of His Royal Highness, and then, in 1905, gave Montenegro its first constitution. Five of his daughters were married, each to either a Prince or King, giving Nikola the nickname “the father-in-law of Europe”. He lost the throne in the aftermath of The Great War, and died in exile in France on March 1st, 1921.
› Birth of Matija Vlačić Ilirik
1520
Matthias Flacius Illyricus (Matija Vlačić Ilirik), March 3rd, 1520 – March 11th, 1575, was a Lutheran reformer from Istria. Flacius studied in Basel in and Tübingen, ultimately ending up in Wittenberg, where he became Professor of Hebrew in 1544. He became prominent in the theological discussions of the time (Melanchthon wrote of him with venom: “we have nourished a snake in our bosom”). Insisting on the inherent fallibility of man, he considered sin not as an accident of human nature, but a result of its very substance, since the Fall. Holding to his view, which Calvinists later called ‘total depravity’, Flacius insisted that human nature was transformed by original sin, in the sense that human beings would henceforth almost wholly be corrupted by evil.
› Serbian Kingdom Refounded
1882
Previously known as the Principality of Serbia, the Kingdom of Serbia came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution (1804 – 1817). Despite suffering brutal retaliation by the Ottoman authorities, the revolutionary leaders, first Karađorđe Petrović and then Miloš Obrenović I, succeeded in liberating Serbia after centuries of Ottoman rule. At first the Principality included only the territory of the former Pashaluk of Belgrade, but in 1831–1833 it expanded to the east, south, and west. Serbia further expanded to the south-east in 1878, when it won full recognition at the Treaty of Berlin. The Principality was raised to the status of a Kingdom on March 6th, 1882, when Milan IV Obrenović of Serbia was crowned king.
› Coronation of Trpimir II – King of Croatia
928
Trpimir II was a King of Croatia from March 11th, 928, until 935, when he died. He was probably the son of Duke Muncimir and younger brother of Tomislav. Despite the achievements of King Tomislav, Trpimir’s predecessor, in halting Bulgarian expansion under Tsar Simeon I, Byzantium reversed Croatian supremacy over the Dalmatian Theme, which fell once again under its administration. In addition, Pope Leo VI abolished the Diocese of Nin in 928 and transferred Bishop Grgur to Skradin, in what was seen as a humiliating defeat of the pro-Slavic faction in the long running dispute between the Split and Nin Bishoprics. Still, as mentioned in De Administrando Imperio, at that time Croatia had a significant merchant fleet that traded across the entire Adriatic Sea.
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February 13th
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SEE - A Fortnight in Review
to do list |
February 27th - March 12th
tomorrow is (not) a new day Do not miss the highly anticipated premiere of the new Exit play
bojana stamenov & jam innovation Concert of Serbia’s rising jazz and soul artist
the ten tenors World tenor sensation singing in Zagreb
15th ljubljana international documentary film festival Ljubljana becomes home to documentaries from around the world
foodrex, 2nd international food & drinks fair Biggest Serbian and international food and drinks brands exhibit their products
arturo sandoval World famous Cuban jazz musician comes back to Zagreb after 25 years
symphony orchestra mostar: speak softly love Mostar symphony orchestra visits the Sarajevo Winter Festival
sarajevo vino fest 2013 6th international festival of wine and gastronomy
35th international nautical fair Explore the latest innovations in nautics
zoran predin quartett Famous Slovenian musician brings you the mix of jazzy gypsy swing
dragoljub zamurović: landscapes Landscapes and nature through the eye of a renowned Serbian photographer
think space: the competitive hypothesis The exhibition examines the phenomenon of architectural competitions
graphics: exhibition A look inside the world of graphics by Andy Warhol, Edo Murtiċ, Fatmir Krypa and many more
14th international guitar art festival Concerts by Edin Karamazov, Concha Buika, Alvaro Pierri and other musicians
cut-ups, cut-ins, cut-outs: william s. burroughs Check out the works of the cult American writer and artist, rarely exhibited in public
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March 1st | 20h Zagreb, Teatar Exit (20h) March 1st | 21h Beograd, UK Vuk Karadžić March 1st | 20h Zagreb, K.C. Dražen Petrović March 1st–8th Ljubljana, various locations March 4th–6th Beograd, Beogradski sajam March 5th | 20h Zagreb, K.D. Vatroslava Lisinskog March 6th | 19h Sarajevo, Bosniak Institute March 6th–7th | 16-22h Sarajevo, Hotel Holiday Mar 7th–10th | 20:30h Beograd, Beogradski sajam March 8th | 20:30h Zagreb, Vip Club Until March 8th Ljubljana, Krakovski Embankment Until March 12th Zagreb, Lauba Until March 15th Pristina, National Gallery of Kosovo March 12th–17th Beograd, various locations Until Apr 7th Ljubljana, International Centre of Graphic Arts
February 13th
Sweet saga dating back more than 100 years www.see-magazine.eu   | 
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