CorD Magazine August 2020 issue no. 190

Croatian Ambasador to Serbia

HARIS PAŠOVIĆ

We Require Prudence & Ethics

Balkan Culture The Best Investment

Theatre Director, Professor

Economist

www.cordmagazine.com

No Benefit From Recycling Stereotypes

DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ

AUGUST 2020/ ISSUE NO. 190

H.E. HIDAJET BIŠČEVIĆ

interviews opinions news comments events COMMENT

Who’s That Singing OVER THERE?

FOCUS

WHICH VIRUS ARE WE FIGHTING?

Exclusive

H.E. SEM FABRIZI

783002 771451 9

Constructive Dialogue Needed

ISSN1451-7833

AMBASSADOR AND HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TO SERBIA

CONTENTS

06 WHO’S THAT SINGING OVER THERE?

ZORAN PANOVIĆ Comment

08 CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE NEEDED

18 WE REQUIRE PRUDENCE & ETHICS

DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ Economist

22 WHICH VIRUS ARE WE FIGHTING?

44 WHO WINS IN A PANDEMIC?

IGOR BARJAKTAREVIĆ MD, PhD, Specialist in pulmonology and intensive care medicine and Assistant Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA)

48 10 WAYS TO SPEND THE SUMMER, INSPIRED BY ART Art

H.E. SEM FABRIZI Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia

12 NO BENEFIT FROM RECYCLING STEREOTYPES

SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER Focus

52 BALKAN CULTURE THE BEST INVESTMENT

27 BUSINESS DIALOGUE 40 HOW KANYE WEST MADE HIS BILLIONS Enterpreneur

43 BEACON OF CULTURE

HARIS PAŠOVIĆ Theatre Director, Professor

58 CHILL OUT 60 FAVOURITE SUMMER BEACH TOYS

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Fashion

H.E. HIDAJET BIŠČEVIĆ Croatian Ambasador to Serbia MILICA ŠEVARLIĆ Public Relations Manager and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Belgrade Youth Centre

16 GLOBAL DIARY Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Ljubica Gojgić Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić, Miloš Belčević EDITORIAL MANAGER: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen

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Comment

Who’s That

Singing Over There?

BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ

I

f we look at things in the ‘spirit of history’, after the peace of “Versailles” and “Tito”, this is the third period of peace. Will it end in a new downfall, or will the region manage to avoid the fate of the collapse of the two Yugoslavias if disruption comes to the current global constellation of power? Perhaps even because of COVID-19?

There are major dilemmas: how, for example, will Tadić’s policy of “four pillars” (U.S., China, Russia, EU), which was taken over and developed further by Vučić, be implemented in a situation when Serbia is deciding on a vaccine against the Coronavirus. Will we introduce one or four vaccines – for citizens to decide for themselves who they favour? No hypocrisy. Will citizens harmonise their healthcare needs with foreign policy affinities?

If Angela Merkel sabotages Trump’s resilient policy on Kosovo, and when she stands firmly behind Zagreb and Pristina, does that mean that Serbian citizens will reject the line ‘German medicine is the best in the world’ from cult Serbian film Who’s That Singing Over There, which is celebrating its 40th birthday these days. And it is also returning to the Cannes Festival, where it was part of the Un Certain Regard section just as many years ago. This time, with the festival having changed its form and dates due to the pandemic, the film is part of the Cannes Classic programme.

Another line from that film (‘Rules are rules’) is also quoted by Croatian Prime Minister Plenković, when he explained why Vulin’s soldiers weren’t allowed to go to the commemoration at Jasenovac in

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The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, or the first Yugoslavia, lasted from 1918 to 1941. It was survived by, say, the sovereign Croatia and Slovenia, but also by Republika Srpska, for example their uniforms. On the issue of the COVID-19 crisis, Croatian President Milanović also quoted Serbian film ‘Variola Vera’ (1982). In that film, depicting the smallpox epidemic in Tito’s Yugoslavia, you also have a crisis staff that was formed by the state, and they call for expert help from an old professor who is the only one in the profession to have seen smallpox in his career. He tells them what to do, and they respond to him: “Professor, we invited you because we appreciate you, but the decision will be taken by politics”. And so it was, said Milanović, adds that Croatia is in a similar situation now.

During this Covid summer in Serbia there

If Angela Merkel sabotages Trump’s resilient policy on Kosovo, and when she stands firmly behind Zagreb and Pristina, does that mean that Serbian citizens will reject the line ‘German medicine is the best in the world’ from cult Serbian film Who’s That Singing Over There, which is celebrating its 40th birthday these days. That, it seems, is the only route to hope

are no festivals, like Exit, the Beer Fest, Arsenal, Nishville, Guča. We are scared that we’re losing our lifestyle and habits – tourism and festivals. The Coronavirus contributes to identity claustrophobia and the morbidity of our culture of remembrance.

A quarter of a century has passed since the summer anniversaries - Srebrenica and Operation Storm, and the state of “Balkan Ghosts” (Robert Kaplan) is such that there is no real empathy and catharsis.

Back then in 1995, but even before Dayton, civilian activists from Serbia crossed the pontoon bridge on the Neretva, to reach the southern slopes of Igman, and then head through the famous tunnel under the runway of Sarajevo airport, 900 metres long, to enter war-torn Sarajevo.

That is almost a film overture to ‘The March Two Decades Long’ (Dan Graf, 2020), a monograph on the ‘Igman Initiative’, which was written and edited, to mark the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of this regional organisation, by Aleksandar Popov, one of the founders and participants in that march.

I reminded myself of the stories of that march by reading the recent memoirs of Bruce Dickinson, the legendary frontman of Iron Maiden, entitled ‘What Does This Button Do?’ . Similarly to Popov, Dickinson describes his journey via Split to the war-torn Sarajevo, where he held a concert in 1994.

In attempting to normalise bilateral relations through alternative diplomacy in the “Dayton Quadrangle” (Serbia, Croatia, B-H, Montenegro), emerging from the Igman Initiative was the articulation of the “Nordic model for the Balkan mentality”.

Interview Exclusive H.E. SEM FABRIZI

AMBASSADOR AND HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION TO SERBIA The EU continues to assist Serbia in the fight against the Coronavirus, which is why the EU will finance the engagement of an additional 200 doctors and medical staff in hospitals across the country over the next six months, announces EU Delegation Head Sem Fabrizi. Addressing the multiple requests, both from Serbia and from EU member states, that Brussels provide a more direct declaration regarding the state of democracy in Serbia, Ambassador Fabrizi tells CorD that Serbia is already subject to an enhanced process of monitoring and reporting on the rule of law.

Progress in this area, or the lack thereof, will be a subject of the European Commission’s annual report, which is being prepared for the autumn, adds Fabrizi. Your Excellency, the EU has adopted its budget for the next seven years. How do you see the outcome of that EU debate, which lasted five days and was dramatic in some segments?

Constructive

Dialogue Needed The current polarisation is not healthy, particularly in a delicate phase when the fight against COVID-19 requires unity. This is the reason why the EU has encouraged the ruling coalition to reach out to the whole of society and put European agenda reforms, particularly in the area of the Rule of Law, at the centre of its programme - Sem Fabrizi 8

August

By Ljubica Gojgić

EU BUDGET

It is an unprecedented reaction to an unprecedented challenge.

It is a clear sign that solidarity is part of our DNA

The result is truly remarkable for many reasons, and in many ways historic. It is an unprecedented reaction to an unprecedented challenge. It is a clear sign that solidarity is part of our DNA. It is a clear sign of the EU’s resolve to move forward and emerge from this crisis stronger. It is a response to all the professional doomsday sayers that depict the EU as blocked and unable to take important decisions.

The package adopted is unprecedented in size, comes at the right moment, and addresses the right objectives: to protect our economy and set the trend for future growth. It also introduces, for the first time, an agreement on the common issuance of debt: ‘economic recovery with European solidarity’.

It comprises a seven-year budget worth 1.07 trillion euros, and a 750-billion euro Next Generation EU package against COVID. Of course, the negotiations were complex in these difficult times. It took time to reach unanimity, but it was ultimately a transparent, democratic and future-orientated marathon that ended in a positive outcome for all 27 member states, and especially for the people.

The package aims to support recovery from the crisis by having a vision for our future. The key elements will be centred on the Green Deal and digitalisation, in order to boost jobs and growth and strengthen the resilience of our societies. The European Parliament will also have to approve it.

This is also a good deal for accession countries like Serbia, which will benefit from a stronger EU economy and from substantial funds for assisting the enlargement policy. The IPA fund, designated to help the EU accession process, stands at 12.5 billion euros. It is more than the 11.7 billion euros from the previous period, but less than the 14 billion originally proposed by the European Commission. Considering that, just like EU member states, candidate countries from the Western Balkans face an unprecedented situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, do you think the level of the IPA fund will be sufficient for the next seven years?

DEMONSTRATIONS

We condemned any form of violence and called on the government to ensure the right to peaceful protest and the safety of journalists – as rights that are fundamental

The IPA resources in the EU’s 2021–2027 budget are substantial. The amount represents an increase compared to the previous period.

Accession Countries will also benefit from other EU programmes in areas like education and science, plus other financial instruments that have a global application. The complete financial and policy implications will be clearer once the package has gained final approval. The increase in IPA funds is a clear and concrete signal that the EU enlargement policy continues.

DIALOGUE

The first few rounds of talks in Brussels – dedicated to IDPs and missing persons – were considered positive and constructive

which the funds are designed: modernising public administration, reforming the taxation system, public procurement, state aid and competitiveness.

These reforms will ultimately help boost Serbia’s economic recovery. The EU has pledged 3.3 billion euros to the Western Balkans to help overcome Covid-related economic difficulties. When do you think we will receive more details about that arrangement?

AMBASSADOR FABRIZI WITH PM BRNABIĆ AND MINISTER JOKSIMOVIĆ RECEIVING ONE OF 15 EU-FUNDED TRANSPORT FLIGHTS WITH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT FOR SERBIA TO FIGHT COVID-19

I would also add that the EU is already working hard to support Serbia’s economy during Covid, particularly in helping small and medium-sized enterprises. This May we fast-tracked 70 million euros of the 2020 IPA programme for economic and social recovery in Serbia, while the second tranche – worth 98 million euros – will be agreed later this year.

EU financial support for accession will produce all its intended results once we see the implementing of the accession reforms for

This was indeed the strong commitment made at the Zagreb (video) Summit on 6th May. The EU decided to mobilise 3.3 billion euros for the Western Balkan region for Covid-related responses through a range of financial instruments and policy initiatives, including IPA funds, Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and assistance from the European Investment Bank. An immediate package of 93 million euros was earmarked for Serbia: 15 million for the immediate medical response, which has already been spent; 78 million for ongoing support to the economy.

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Interview Exclusive

The EU has already spent 15 million euros in Serbia on medical assistance. Could you provide more details about the intended engagement of an additional 200 medical workers from EU countries in Serbia, in order to help tackle any new wave of the pandemic?

Once Serbia witnessed a new surge in cases of COVID-19, the Government requested EU support for front-line medical personnel. In response to this request, the EU decided to finance the hiring of 200 Serbian (this is an important element of the support) health workers (medical doctors and technicians, as well as administrative support staff ) for a period of six months, until the end of 2020.

The personnel will support institutes of public health, primary health care centre COVID clinics and key Serbian laboratories.

This should be seen as one element of broader efforts to assist. In fact, since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in March, at the request of the Serbian government, the EU provided 7.9 million euros to fund the transport costs of 15 cargo planes that landed at Nikola Tesla Airport carrying over 721 tonnes of medical equipment procured directly by the Serbian Government from different parts of the world. The first flight landed on 26th March and the last one arrived on 3rd May.

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An immediate package of 93 million euros was earmarked for Serbia: 15 million for the immediate medical response, which has already been spent; 78 million for ongoing support to the economy

There is a need for more constructive political dialogue. The current polarisation is not healthy, particularly in a delicate phase when the fight against COVID-19 requires unity. This is why the EU has encouraged the ruling coalition to reach out to the whole of society and for the next government to put European agenda reforms, particularly in the area of the Rule of Law, at the centre of its programme. You’ve said that the EU was concerned about the use of police force against protesters during anti-government demonstrations in Belgrade?

Moreover, the EU provided 4.9 million euros to fund the purchase of additional material, including 800,000 protective medical face masks, 300 infra-red thermometers, 100 stationary oxygen concentrators; 50 respirators and 100 triage containers distributed in front of major Serbian health facilities.

We also gave additional support to vulnerable communities, including senior citizens, women, Roma communities and migrants.

We condemned any form of violence and called on the government to ensure the right to peaceful protest and the safety of journalists – as rights that are fundamental in every democratic country.

The use of force should always be proportionate, and we have asked for an effective investigation and follow-up. At the same time, it is essential to maintain public order and the inviolability of democratic institutions, in particular the National Assembly, which was stormed by violent protestors.

How would you asses the political situation in Serbia after June’s parliamentary elections?

There have been calls from the European Parliament to organise a special mission to Serbia, in order to address allegations

EU SUPPORT TO FIGHT THE CORONA VIRUS IN SERBIA

93 MILLION EUROS

MEDIUM TERM 78 MILLION EUROS

to support jobs, and small and medium sized enterprises to stabilise the economy.

in immediate support to Serbia SHORT TERM 15 MILLION EUROS

the transport of emergency medical equipment and supplies that Serbia has acquired abroad

purchase of additional emergency medical equipment and supplies such as respirators, masks, gloves etc.) for the use of medical staff and the general population,

support for vulnerable communities in particular risks during the COVID-19 crisis, such as the elderly, population at risk of poverty, the homeless, the Roma communities;

that the recent parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair. How do you see that initiative?

As a negotiating candidate country, Serbia is already subject to an enhanced process of monitoring and reporting on the rule of law. In this context, the Commission in particular issues a report twice a year on the Rule of Law and regularly monitors the situation in Serbia. The EU raises the issue regularly with the authorities and provides support to journalists and media associations. The next annual report of the European Commission – to be released in the autumn – will contain a detailed assessment on the state of the rule of law with a number of recommendations. The European Parliament should also issue its own report before the end of the year. Serbian opposition parties are also asking the EU to get more involved in what they describe as a “political crisis” in the country.

Do you see room for that?

The EU has publicly encouraged the Serbian leadership to engage in a genuine dialogue across the political spectrum, to move forward important reforms on the rule of law. The European Parliament – which led the inter-party dialogue before the elections – has signalled its commitment to

The EU decided to finance the hiring of 200 Serbian (this is an important element of the support) health workers (medical doctors and technicians, as well as administrative support staff ) for a period of six months, until the end of 2020 continue to engage with the new Parliament, in order to forge a broad cross-party consensus on EU-related reforms. EU member states haven’t agreed to open a new negotiating chapter with Serbia, because they were not satisfied with the progress achieved by Serbia in the field of human rights and the rule of law. How do you think this situation could be overcome?

In its last report in June, the European Commission assessed that Serbia had made progress in a

number of areas, while it is facing serious delays in others. The report indicated that Serbia needs to accelerate reforms in the key areas of judicial independence, the fight against corruption, media freedom, the domestic handling of war crimes and the fight against organised crime. At the same time, the report also assessed that progress had been achieved, including, for example, in reducing the backlog of old enforcement cases, border management and asylum procedures, and in the drafting of a new media strategy in a transparent and inclusive manner. Future progress can be achieved by continuing to implement meaningful reforms that are necessary for EU accession. How would you assess the meeting in Brussels that marked the resumption of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina?

Positively. After a break of nearly 20 months, the EU facilitated dialogue has resumed. The first few rounds of talks in Brussels – dedicated to IDPs and missing persons – were considered positive and constructive. Economic cooperation will also be addressed in the next round. We need to sustain this new momentum, with a view to the ultimate objective of achieving the comprehensive normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. The EU is fully committed to facilitating this outcome.

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Interview H.E. HIDAJET BIŠČEVIĆ

CROATIAN AMBASADOR TO SERBIA

Hidajet Biščević, the new Croatian ambassador to Serbia, says that all the jobs he’s ever done – from journalism to diplomacy – he did as a “citizen of the world”, trying to love his own and not hate others.

He arrives in Serbia at a time when bilateral relations are stagnating and numerous issues in mutual relations have been waiting decades to be resolved.

In this interview for CorD he says that he’ll put the issue of missing persons and former detainees high on his list of priorities. When asked about intolerance towards Serbs in Croatia, expressed during the recent election campaign, Ambassador Biščević says that he would like the Serbian public to be “better acquainted with the actual and real position of the Serb national minority in Croatia,” which he claims is better than the position of the Croat minority in Serbia.

No Benefit From

Recycling Stereotypes

Your Excellency, considering the results of parliamentary elections in Croatia, what can be expected from the future parliamentary majority and the new Croatian government?

First and foremost – stability, predictability and responsibility. The election results confirm that the majority of society and the political public in Croatia have come together around the political identity of the country and around the political direction that wants to see Croatia as a stable, secure, democratic country, without sporadic deviations towards various forms of political experimentation, without hasty populist formulas or radicalisms of various ideological tones. Such a stable democratic government will also be able

I’m not naive, of course – I know that it’s easier to collect points and votes on the din of intolerance. But, again: for how long and for whose benefit? How will Serbia complete negotiations with the European Union on full membership if it doesn’t resolve some of its issues in relations with Croatia that concern, for example, the rule of law? - Hidajet Biščević 12

August

By Ljubica Gojgić

TASKS

Overcoming the “gap from the past” is something I could state as my main task… resolving inherited unresolved issues would be the second “main objective”

to respond to the many challenges confronting us, from health and economic challenges, to political and security ones. Europe and the world are not even close to emerging from the tunnel of confronting unpredictability and geopolitical vying, and thus it is all the more necessary to have stability, security and democratic inclusivity on the political scene and in society as a whole. Preliminary data indicate that voter turnout was below 50%, which was also recorded in Serbia. Do you consider the lack of motivation of citizens to participate in this democratic process worrying?

I would say that the reasons for such low percentage turnouts in our two countries are quite different – it is true that in Croatia we have reached a certain saturation with politics, and partly also an aversion to politics due to a kind of cacophony, trivialisation and even theatricising of the political scene. On the other hand, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the fear of mass gatherings resulted in many voters staying at home. However, in Serbia, apart from the identical fear of the virus, there were also other reasons that contributed - for example, long announcements and calls for a boycott, regardless of the extent to which that was politically opportune and how much it really acted to ensure some voters stayed at home. Moreover, although there are divisions and oppositions on the Croatian political scene, the atmosphere of political pluralism prevails and it can’t be said that there is any of the political and social polarisation that, as we’ve witnessed lately, takes violent forms of some kind which, it seems to me, are unarticulated and mutually confronted dissatisfactions and frustrations of all kinds, which it would be useful – for the benefit of Serbia, for its European path, for the resolution of the remaining issues and for stable development – to overcome as soon as possible. A stable, democratic Serbia with clear state policy goals and a clear commitment to its neighbours and the region is certainly in Croatia’s interest. Croatia has no other interests.

ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Living in a common market and living with the same standards will undoubtedly enable the strengthening of economic cooperation

How do you see the future role of Croatia’s Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS); do you think the participation of Serb representatives in the government would be useful, both for Serbs and for Croatia?

Representatives of the Serb community in Croatia have been participating in Croatian governments for decades already… since the mid-1990s. They are guaranteed three seats in parliament. As such, in this respect Croatia is “more progressive” even compared to the recommendations of European

A stable, democratic Serbia with clear state policy goals and a clear commitment to its neighbours and the region is certainly in Croatia’s interest. Croatia has no other interests institutions, such as the Venice Commission, which advocate the principle of integrating minority communities into different political options instead of separate political action as a minority group. Unfortunately, it seems to me that these facts are neither known nor recognised by the Serbian public. The SDSS has been a coalition partner in several governments to date, and as far as I can see it will support the new government of Prime Minister Plenković and will participate in the parliamentary majority, and possibly in the distribution of ministries. Unfortunately, I must add this: despite the Agreement on the Protection of Minorities, which we signed twenty years ago, the Croat minority community in Serbia does not enjoy anywhere near such political rights. I will illustrate that with a “minor” example: for 13 years the

REGION

From the Baltic to the Visegrad Group, all the way to Central Asia, today this open regionalism is the foundation of stability and cooperation. I repeat, along with the same standards

Association of Croats in Belgrade hasn’t succeeded in resolving the problem of an adequate space for its gathering and the organisation of exhibitions or concerts in Belgrade… 13 years!… While the Serb community in Zagreb has all the conditions ensured for its cultural, media and other activities. The pre-election campaign was also marked by new messages of intolerance towards the SDSS, MP Milorad Pupovac and Serbs in general. How would you comment on these phenomena?

In light of what I mentioned a moment ago, speaking of the full political rights and political inclusion of the Serb community in Croatian political life, then any expression of intolerance remains at the level of individual or group radicalism, or, perhaps, even as a result of some other interests and actions.

I don’t rule this out either, as these messages appear almost regularly during election times. What is most important is that the Serb community in Croatia participates in Croatian political life and the Croatian political leadership condemns every individual incident or outburst. I would like to see reciprocity on the Serbian side as well. I would like to see the Serbian public better acquainted with the rights and real position of the Serb national minority in Croatia. I would like to see the Croat minority community in Serbia enjoy the same rights and the same position. Then there would certainly be less room for the constant renewing of stereotypes. Your arrival in Serbia was accompanied by talk that you were practically brought out of retirement as a career diplomat and invited to take the helm at the embassy in Belgrade. What have you set for yourself as your main task?

I don’t claim that any individual can influence changes and the improvement of CroatianSerbian relations on their own. Experience can help, primarily in recognising the circumstances, history and mutual notions etc., in order to be

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Interview

able to act towards overcoming these notions and placing relations in a new context, in order to try to create a new paradigm of relations between our two peoples. Quite frankly, I don’t see any benefit, much less a future, in the recycling of stereotypes… So, I can’t understand what drives a young man in his thirties in Serbia to become some kind of ultra-Chetnik, in the 21st century (!!), just as I don’t understand the urges of his peers in Croatia who parade around wearing a black shirt. The only motive I can fathom, as far as both spiritual states are concerned, is the absence of a modern, new goal; a lack of strength to shape an acceptable new paradigm. A lack of strength to step away from the “historical vortex” in which, since the creation of the first common state, accusations and false alibis have arisen: you didn’t want equality in the Kingdom; you killed Radić and thus created Pavelić, so Pavelić created Jasenovac, which in your consciousness was an excuse for the ‘90s… My question is simple: how long will that continue? And for whose benefit? Thus, overcoming this “gap from the past” is something I could state as my main task - of course, with an awareness of the reality, especially that segment of reality that reflects the centuries-old East-West dichotomy of Serbia’s political fabric and society. However, to put it simply, I believe that the turnaround in Europe and some new reset in relations between the European Union and Russia can overcome the “Obrenović-Karađorđević” dichotomy of Serbia’s social fabric and that, against that background, new Croatian-Serbian relations can begin to take shape, anchored in modernity and grounded in the

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I can’t understand what drives a young man in his thirties in Serbia to become some kind of ultra-Chetnik, in the 21st century (!!), just as I don’t understand the urges of his peers in Croatia who parade around wearing a black shirt same values. I’m not naive, of course – I know that it’s easier to collect points and votes on the din of intolerance. But, again: for how long and for whose benefit? Or, to put it simply, with the best of intentions, how will Serbia complete negotiations with the European Union on full membership if it doesn’t resolve some of its issues in relations with Croatia that concern, for example, the rule of law? Thus, resolving inherited unresolved issues would be the second “main objective”. How do you see Serbia? As the Balkans, the region or the neighbourhood?

I see Serbia today as a country that, to the misfortune of everyone, has spent transition time trying to shape its post-Yugoslav identity through a “territorial approach”, instead of a democratic one, so that now, after everything, it is facing a key choice, just as it has so many times in its history: modernity or “closedness”. I don’t

think the Balkans is necessarily a negative connotation… unless in that definition we mean stubborn, useless, false patriotism that would try to prove to us in the 21st century, for the sake of illustration, that it is better to travel “our people’s” trains with wooden benches than Thalys trains, and still on those decrepit wooden seats to drill into the heroic patriotic chest because… “we will not enslave strangers”. Personally, I don’t think that the so-called ‘region’ has negative connotations, as many think – mostly those who don’t know and don’t recognise that the principle of so-called ‘open regionalism’ is today the predominant paradigm of international relations.

Of course,with the assumption, not to say the precondition, that all participants share the same values and standards… from the Baltic to the Visegrad Group, all the way to Central Asia, today this open regionalism is the foundation of stability and cooperation. I repeat, along with the same standards. Do you have an explanation for the low level of bilateral relations and calls harking back to the governments of Vojislav Koštunica and Ivo Sanader as a golden period in relations between Serbia and Croatia?

It’s true that our relations have been stagnating for a long time. During the time you mention, there were specific longer-term strategic goals, on both sides, and that enabled the improving of relations, constant contacts, dialogue… Croatia aspired to launch negotiations with the EU and it was natural to strive to show how it wants to develop good neighbourly relations with Serbia, because it thus contributed to what was most important to Europe, i.e. the stability of this part of Europe, which is a very prominent interest of Croatia itself. Serbia, for its part, at the time, with the aftermath of the assassination of Zoran Đinđić in the background, sought to resolve the undertones of the past - in a way that sought to avoid confrontation, revanchism and radical upheaval in society and on the political scene – so it also showed greater readiness to thaw relations with Croatia. Considering that we know the direction in which both processes went, stagnation emerged. In your opinion, which unresolved issues between Serbia and Croatia require urgent resolution, and what can be resolved in the long run?

It is difficult to “classify” unresolved issues and put them in order: if you ask the relatives of the missing, that is the most important issue for them, while a villager living along the border can hardly wait for the border line to be resolved. But, since you are already asking, I think we need to focus in particular on the issues of all the missing citizens, former detainees and that humanitarian complex. With that we would show our humanity and the acceptance of European values. How satisfied are you with bilateral economic relations, which seem to suffer less from the influence of daily politics. Do you see the possibility of strengthening economic cooperation?

Our economic cooperation is stable, with even these months of the viral crisis not impacting dramatically on trade and goods exchanges. However, of course, there is room for progress - among other things, that is also one of the reasons why we are so strongly ad-

I think we need to focus in particular on the issues of all the missing citizens, former detainees and that humanitarian complex. With that we would show our humanity and the acceptance of European values vocating for and encouraging Serbia’s European path and the concluding of negotiations with the Union.

Living in a common market and living with the same standards will undoubtedly enable the strengthening of economic cooperation. To that end, viewed from a broader perspective, this “little piece of Europe” that is shared by Croatia and Serbia has one immeasurably important potential: its geo-economic position.

Transport, infrastructure, energy lines and corridors could be laid across our territories, connecting various parts of the continent, from west to east and from north to south. Placing the route from Belgrade to Zagreb on the map of the Union’s connection with China, and then for Croatia Vukovar will no longer be the last point on its eastern borders, nor will Serbia’s view to the west in Sremska Mitrovica, but rather both sides will be part of global processes.

You were born in Sarajevo, while you forged your career in Croatia and were also an EU official, heading the EU Delegation in Tajikistan.

With all that in mind, how do you see the Western Balkans?

It is true that I’ve worked in both national and international diplomacy - but I’ve always tried to be a “citizen of the world” in every position I’ve held; to love my own people and not hate others; to recognize narrow-mindedness at home, but also equally to recognise backwardness in others; to avoid any kind of radicalism; to see politics as a means of establishing bridges… That’s how I imagine the Western Balkans. I’m of course aware that in real social and political life there are still too many who work in the other direction, who simply “live off Balkanism”, who have been bubbled to the surface of post-Yugoslav, transitional and wartime waters, while greatly suppressing prudence, education and tolerance… not to mention intelligence. Ambassador Biščević, as a former editor-inchief of “Vjesnik”, what could you say about the state of the media, both in Croatia and in Serbia, if you came here to get acquainted with the situation?

Unfortunately, the media has taken on almost all the negative aspects of globalisation: accessibility has opened up space for ignorance, speed has killed grammar, the market has brought to the surface only those brain cells that enjoy violence, pornography and blood, reason has given way to malice and cynicism, knowledge and education have stumbled into carelessness and divisiveness, political objectivity and professionalism have been harnessed to party or corporate reins… All this, of course, isn’t only the case in the media, as banality and indifference have prevailed on the international stage in many other areas of human action. Can you imagine a city square today where five thousand people read the first issue of a newspaper at the same time because they are terribly interested...in, say, the crisis in Yemen or the Korean announcement of a nuclear bomb being launched - and once upon a time that picture could be seen on squares, people were once worried about the Cuban missile crisis, about the Vietnam War breaking the souls of nations. That can’t be imagined today, of course. Few people even follow that on the internet nowadays. The media began to feed heartlessness and indifference. Who cares about Yemen, if Kyrgios has said something against Đoković again and if Kanye West will really become the new American president?

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GLOBAL DIARY

“It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest - possibly in time for Christmas.” – BORIS JOHNSON, UK PRIME MINISTER

CHURCH VOLUNTEER CONFESSES TO STARTING NANTES CATHEDRAL FIRE A volunteer church assistant has confessed to starting a fire that severely damaged a gothic cathedral in Nantes.

The 39-year-old, an asylum seeker from Rwanda who has lived in France for several years, was arrested after laboratory analysis determined that arson was the likely cause of the blaze, the local prosecutor’s office said.

The blaze came 15 months after a devastating fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which raised questions about the security risks for other historic churches across France. While firefighters were able to contain the Nantes fire after just two hours and save its central structure, the organ, which dated from 1621 and had survived the French revolution and second world war, was destroyed.

MACRON APPOINTS JEAN CASTEX AS NEW PRIME MINISTER OF FRANCE French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Jean Castex to replace Edouard Philippe as prime minister.

French government resigned, just before a French court said it would investigate ministers over their coronavirus response. Top civil servant Jean Castex is France’s new prime minister.

UAE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ITS FIRST SPACECRAFT BOUND FOR MARS The United Arab Emirates’ first interplanetary mission successfully took off from the southern tip of Japan, sending up a car-sized probe bound for the planet Mars. The launch marks the beginning of the country’s most ambitious space project yet, aimed at studying the weather on Mars as it evolves throughout the planet’s year. The spacecraft, called Hope, took off on top of a Japanese H-IIA rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 6:58 AM at the launch site (or 5:58 PM ET this afternoon on the East Coast of the US).

The probe will now spend the next seven months travelling through deep space, periodically correcting its course with a series of engine burns.

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Castex is a senior civil servant who has held several posts in local, regional and national governments. In April, he was charged with managing the easing of France’s lockdown during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Philippe resigned along with the rest of the French government. The move paves the way for a government reshuffle, which was widely expected as French President Emmanuel Macron seeks to boost his credentials with disillusioned voters. Macron aims to reorient his final two years in office.

“Agreement on a recovery package is a historic demonstration of European solidarity.” – JOSEP BORRELL, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE EU FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND SECURITY POLICY

TRUMP SUGGESTS DELAY TO 2020 US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Donald Trump has suggested November’s presidential election be postponed, saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.

He floated a delay until people could “properly, securely and safely” vote. There is little evidence to support Mr Trump’s claims but he has long railed against mail-in voting which he has said would be susceptible to fraud. US states want to make postal voting easier due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the US constitution, Mr Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election himself. Any delay would have to be approved

by Congress. The president does not have direct power over the two houses of Congress.

INVESTIGATION INTO FINANCES OF SEVERAL GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS IN SERBIA

democratic policies. The investigation seeks to access private bank data from several groups and individuals. The ministry denies that it is a targeted attack on critics, saying these are regular proceedings.

The civic groups have demanded that the Serbian government immediately ceases what they say is an abuse of the mechanism against money laundering and financing terrorism to intimidate organizations which act as checks and balances for the executive.

Serbia’s finance ministry has launched a probe into possible money laundering and financing of terrorism against dozens of rights groups, independent journalists and opposition politicians who have criticized alleged government corruption and anti-

PARLIAMENT VOTES IN NEW GOVERNMENT IN CROATIA A MONTH AFTER ELECTION Croatia’s parliament has approved a new government led by a conservative party that won a parliamentary election in early July.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s government won support in the 151-member assembly in a 76-59 vote. The remaining lawmakers either weren’t there or didn’t vote.

Plenković was the prime minister of the previous government which was also led by his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

The government now also has the support in parliament of two small liberal groups and national minorities. HDZ won 66 seats in the parliament in the July 5 vote while the main opposition party gained 41.

GERMANY RATED TOP GLOBAL LEADER FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW Germany is the top-rated global power for the third consecutive year, according to a new survey of adults in more than 100 countries. The nation’s approval rating amongst residents of 135 countries was at 44 per cent in 2019, up from the previous year when it slipped under 40 per cent.

Approval was much higher for the European country than for the US, China and Russia, which were in second, third and fourth place respectively with 33 per cent, 32 per cent, and 30 per cent approval ratings. The survey results were based on interviews with 1,000 adults in each country polled by US analytics company Gallup from March 2019 to February 2020. Residents were asked whether or not they approved of US, German and Russian leadership in 135 countries, and Chinese leadership in 136 countries.

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Interview DEJAN ŠOŠKIĆ ECONOMIST

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva stated recently that, due to COVID-19, the economy has changed so much in just a few months that we can hardly recognise it. In light of this, we spoke with economist and former National Bank of Serbia governor Dejan Šoškić about the options available to Serbia as responses to a crisis that doesn’t resemble any of those we’ve previously faced. What does it make sense to do in the situation that we have today, and with the economic structure that we have?

Due to Serbia’s economic shortcomings, the structure of its economy, and the very low level of GDP per capita, it is, as a rule, somewhat “more resilient” to economic crises, i.e. it will probably have a smaller decline in economic activity than some other countries due to the pandemic. In simplified terms, this means that if you don’t produce sophisticated and expensive products, but rather the largest part of your GDP comprises basic necessities of life that people can barely relinquish, such as unprocessed and processed foods, electricity and simple services and products intended for the domestic market - in such poor economies a crisis, , as a rule, has a reduced negative impact. In more

We Require

Prudence & Ethics The decline in GDP this year will not cause the country to lose its ability to regularly service its obligations, but next year it will be necessary to halt the growth in debt, reduce the fiscal deficit significantly and ensure at least modest economic growth and return the country to the path of strengthening its fiscal position 18

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developed economies, which produce more expensive and complex products that depend much more on uninterrupted lines of international trade and whose consumption is more easily relinquished (durable consumer goods such as cars and other vehicles, televisions, electronics, home appliances etc.), or which have highly developed tourism, hospitality, transport and production branches related to these most vulnerable sectors, the decline in economic activity as a result of the pandemic will, as a rule, be greater. Serbia must preserve and perhaps increase its public investments, and must do so in domains that will have an enduring positive impact on future economic activity and the quality of life of citizens. That doesn’t only mean roads, but also the renovation of railways, regulation of watercourses, investments in environmental projects, in health, education, science. In addition to that, the state should strengthen the social function of helping the most vulnerable citizens and should support individual companies very discerningly, i.e. selectively and only where that is justified in the long term on the basis of solid analyses.

which we in our country have historically had, I would say, mostly positive experiences. Only after that would it make sense and be morally justified to take measures that move towards reducing the income of citizens. What is the point in reducing

What sorts of borrowing options are available to Serbia if it opts to intervene in the economy again?

Serbia can receive some funds under relatively favourable terms from international financial institutions, the EU and some other sources, and it should utilise that. But the conditions of normal market borrowing are obviously changing rapidly and we see that the conditions of borrowing for Serbia now in May (3.375%) were significantly less favourable than those that Serbia could have achieved at the end of last year (1.25%). Trends in the movement of debt and GDP in Serbia are extremely unfavourable, because debt is rising and GDP is falling, and we will probably welcome the end of the year with a level of debt to GDP that exceeds 60 per cent. This clearly indicates that Serbia is very close to the limits of additional borrowing.

As such, it is important to continue and deepen incomplete structural reforms in the public sector without delay, and to significantly strengthen the rule of law, because irrationality and corruption within the public sector represent a significant reservoir of unacceptably wasting taxpayers’ money, which should be preserved and redirected towards public investments and the social protection of citizens.

Revenues in the public sector should also be regulated, perhaps according to the model of pay grades, with

I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that regulating the public sector alone (by eliminating irrational expenditures and corruption) would be quite sufficient and that salaries and pensions shouldn’t even be touched incomes for citizens (salaries and pensions) without first regulating the system and halting corruption?

I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that regulating the public sector alone (by eliminating irrational expenditures and corruption) would be quite sufficient and that salaries and pensions shouldn’t even be touched. What should be the aim of supporting the economy - extending the chances for companies to survive until the situation

normalises, or an incentive for the transformation of the economy, and if so in which direction?

When it comes to further support for the economy, we should be aware that state funds are now limited

and that it only makes sense to give support to individual companies quite selectively and once, and only in exceptional cases and on the basis of thorough expert analyses. We must take into consideration that the normalisation of the situation will probably require at least another 18 to 24 months, and that continuous and non-selective assistance from the budget is not possible. The aim of the support should primarily be to extend the chances for the survival of businesses vital to the economy. Incentives for transformation should be sought in the domain of private and market sources of financing, while the state’s role in that should be limited to the level of the possible issuance of partial individual guarantees of receivables from these businesses. But even there we should be conscious of the fact that every state guarantee is included in calculations of public debt and that possibilities are limited in that domain. Given the course of the crisis so far, how certain does it seems to you that some new blockages of illiquidity will be created in the economy?

I expect some new and previously unforeseen negative impacts of the pandemic to occur in the autumn,

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Interview as a consequence of job losses, disrupted supply lines and falling demand. That’s why it’s important to advance available resources and simplify access to social assistance. It’s important for the state to show that it’s in a position to effectively take care of the most vulnerable citizens for humanitarian reasons, but also for the purpose of preserving social peace in the country. With regard to “illiquidity blockages”, it could perhaps be important to ensure that

spending and economic activity, and, consequently, budget revenues. The fall in GDP this year will not cause the country to lose its ability to service its obligations regularly, but next year it will be necessary to stop any growth in debt, reduce the fiscal deficit significantly and ensure at least modest economic growth, and thus return the country to the path of strengthening its fiscal position. It is highly likely that the positive shifts in the coun-

You’ve stated repeatedly that it’s important for the state to strengthen its social function and make social assistance more quickly available. What would that mean in practical terms?

I think it’s important for social assistance to be received more easily; for the social administration to be capable and accommodating when it comes to identifying every socially endangered household in the country; for socially endangered citizens – via soup kitchens, social care centres and other types of direct assistance – to more easily overcome the coming winter, during which we can expect emphasised health and social challenges. Where is the limit of healthy budget spending in the newly emerged situation and how can that be controlled in an (almost) oneparty parliament?

all recipients of state aid have to regularly pay their obligations to suppliers, employees and the state, in order to prevent the unjustified spreading of the illiquidity crisis through the economy. What do current statistics on economic activity, collections of taxes and contributions, and similar indicators tell us about the possibility of Serbia to regularly service its public debt obligations?

The economy had a relatively high growth rate in the first quarter of this year (though partly due to the low growth rate in the first quarter of last year), but a decline came after that, and that decline will continue and probably deepen by the end of the year. The first effects in the collection of VAT after the introduction of the state of emergency were relatively positive, with the population increasing its consumption in the initial period of the pandemic due to uncertainty and stockpiling. Now, however, consumption is falling and it should be expected for this trend to continue, i.e. in the coming months we should expect a further decline in consumer

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A strong and independent Fiscal Council and, if possible, an active programme with the IMF are two channels of influence that should help the government advocate for and implement a sustainable fiscal policy try’s fiscal position, achieved in recent years, will be largely annulled by the end of this year. It is therefore important to seriously address structural reforms in the public sector, with an emphasis on strengthening health and education, but also a significant increase in the country’s capacity in the domain of the rule of law, i.e. the efficiency of the legal system.

The dismantling and weakening of the institutions of the system, the absence of social dialogue, public debates, freedom of the media and the fading of effective parliamentarianism are bad and unacceptable trends in our society, which create social tension and inclinations towards non-institutional processes, and that’s not good. Many social processes currently underway, but also public finances, should be subjected to active and constructive debates in parliament, in the media and in other institutions.

Because of this it’s extremely important in Serbia to preserve and strengthen the independence and capacity of the Fiscal Council, but also communication and, if possible, an active programme with the IMF. These two channels of influence should help the government advocate for and implement sustainable fiscal moves and a policy of stabilising and strengthening Serbia’s fiscal position. It is plainly obvious that many citizens and companies will be in trouble when it comes to repaying the loans they’ve taken out. In that context, how would you comment on the latest measures of the NBS? How much will they help debtors and banks themselves?

Some of the measures adopted by the NBS in recent months make sense and help under these pandemic conditions. Here I’m referring primarily to lowering the reference interest rate and other interest rates that are influenced by our central bank, but also to the active role of the NBS in encouraging a moratorium on loan repayments.

Truth be told, interest rates could have been

lowered earlier, and the moratorium might have needed to unburden borrowers more, but the basic direction of these measures is good. Some other measures, however, such as reducing the down payment for mortgages, I don’t think will help citizens, because in practise they boil down to easier over-indebtedness of banks’ clients under the conditions of an impending reduction in economic activity and employment. This, of course, is not in the interest of either the borrowers or the banks. and I hope banks will not utilise this opportunity when approving loans to citizens. This may benefit those who build and sell apartments, because it can raise demand on the market artificially, but the NBS should not give priority to such interests with its measures. On the other hand, a not entirely good measure is the one by which the NBS itself is now allowed, within so-called open market operations (apart from the pre-existing possible purchase of government securities), to buy illiquid long-term corporate bonds from banks secondarily. Specifically, under our conditions of an absence of a liquid bond market, this can turn into a mechanism for abuse and the creation of non-transparent losses on the part of the NBS, i.e. taxpayers, in the final instance. Such opportunities on the part of central banks, allowing central banks to buy corporate bonds, are very rare around the world. And when they are allowed, that is done under the conditions of the implementation of so-called quantitative easing and on condition of the existence of full liquidity of such corporate bonds. Such conditions do not exist in Serbia.

Quantitative easing isn’t being implemented and no secondary liquid bond market exists. We’ve heard various economists say on numerous occasions that it is important to have one bank that’s owned nationally precisely due to the possibility of situations such as this arising, and we have just sold Komercijalna Bank. Was that the wrong move from this perspective?

In my opinion, that wasn’t the wrong move at this juncture. The alternative to that move was to keep that bank under dominant state ownership. However, Serbia has shown very clearly over the years that it is incapable of effectively protecting state property, i.e. taxpayer property. That’s precisely why it is very important to elevate the rule of law, strengthen institutions and free them from the influences of interest groups and political parties. Because

only under such altered conditions would it be possible to carry out the effective corporatisation of companies in the public sector, and only then would those companies be able to be more resistant to corruption and the placement of incompetent people in decision-making positions. Under those sorts of more favourable conditions it would make sense for a dominant state-owned bank to exist in the banking system. As things stand, I think

would, in my opinion, have led to a further loss in the bank’s value and a possible situation that would see this bank worth much less in a couple of years. Let’s return to the IMF, with which we started this interview. The current “housekeeper” programme that we have with the IMF will officially expire in January 2021.

How effective has this programme been and

what should Serbia strive for if it enters into a new arrangement with the IMF?

The measure by which the NBS itself is now allowed to buy illiquid long-term corporate bonds from banks secondarily could turn into a mechanism for creating non-transparent losses on the part of the NBS it’s good that this state bank has been privatised.

I believe that had this not been done and had the bank remained under dominant state ownership, it could have - after the withdrawal of international financial institutions from its ownership structure - easily got into a position to be the subject of abuse from interest groups in conjunction with some political parties. With such a risk existing, any further delay in the privatisation of this bank

It’s good to have a competent advisor with authority regarding the sustainability of the economic policies that are pursued in the country. In that sense, I think it’s useful for a country like Serbia to have good and active relations with the IMF, and I think that entering into a new programme next year that’s similar or the same would be useful. However, we should be aware that the reforms that need to be carried out in our country extend beyond the nature of the IMF’s mandate and that they must be broader and more comprehensive than that which is at the centre of the IMF’s interest, which – let’s remind ourselves – is the long-term maintaining of international liquidity. i.e. the country’s ability to settle the obligations it has abroad. We must hence understand that the measures advised by the IMF do not encompass all the reform measures that our country needs to take. We must define and implement comprehensive reforms ourselves, and well-defined reforms will certainly have the support of both the IMF and the EU.

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Focus

Summer Like No Other

Which Virus Are We Fighting?

In the lives of many people, this will be the summer in which there was no sea, no holiday, no socialising with friends, and the summer in which some lost their loved ones and others lost their jobs. Perhaps we’ll also remember it as the moment of birth of a new world in which a government based on fear suppresses democracy

I

n this area we’ve remembered summers in which we faced scarcity, the collapse of the country and war, but we’ve never before had a summer in which we had the same, uniform and invisible enemy that is both global and local, both in us and among us. It

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has already resulted in multiple consequences that we are yet to face in terms of health, the economy and society. We spoke with our interlocutors about the unusual times in which we live and the personal and social responses to the threat confronting us.

BRANKA DRAŠKOVIĆ PH.D. FEFA FACULTY

WE EXPECT RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPASSION FROM LEADERS DURING SERIOUS CRISES ALL EYES ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS LEADERS AND THEY ARE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE GUIDELINES, TO EXPRESS WHAT EVERYONE FEELS, TO ARTICULATE FURTHER DIRECTIONS AND FIND EFFECTIVE WAYS OF OVERCOMING FEAR AND GENERAL UNCERTAINTY AS PAINLESSLY AS POSSIBLE

The world today stands face-to-face with another unknown, which can only be resisted through science and knowledge. Many of us feel additional pressure – brought on by a sense of helplessness and many new worries about the COVID-19 virus pandemic: financial fears, concern for elderly parents, care for children, disappointment due to canceled travels etc.

Not everyone reacts the same way to the challenges that have been brought by the Coronavirus, some are more resistant and some less so, some will have a big problem accepting security measures, becoming aggressive, while some will be anxious. The majority of people will adapt easily, and a percentage will feel a need to react by negating the current situation.

It is important to keep in mind the bigger picture.

“All of this is temporary. This will pass. It is perhaps difficult – there are many frightening things along the way between point A and point B, but point B exists and we get closer to that moment every day.”

Life will obviously change significantly in the future, but the happy circumstance is that people are very flexible and will forget a lot of things when all this passes. It is important to apply behavioural immunity: to reduce the number of people with whom we communicate, to spend time in safe places, to take care of physical distancing... This is difficult because it contradicts our national culture.

The time of the pandemic has seen the start of the slight forgetting of values: humanity and solidarity; helping those who are weaker than you. Prosocial activities are good for society, but also for the individual.

It is also important to structure one’s day, to come up with activities, because summer is ahead of us.

Experience indicates that most depression disorders arise during the time holidays and summer breaks, when people don’t have structured time.

We should limit the amount of information we adopt through social media, while messages from leaders must be accurate, timely, consistent, and empathetic. Citizens must not be blamed for the newly emerged circumstances. During serious crises all eyes are directed LIFE WILL towards leaders and OBVIOUSLY CHANGE they are expected to provide guidelines, to SIGNIFICANTLY IN express what everyone THE FUTURE, BUT THE feels, to articulate HAPPY CIRCUMSTANCE further directions and IS THAT PEOPLE ARE find effective ways of VERY FLEXIBLE AND overcoming fear and general uncertainty as WILL FORGET A LOT OF painlessly as possible.

THINGS WHEN ALL In an unclear situation, THIS PASSES in a situation of emotional and financial breakdowns, people first observe the reactions of leaders, as the most significant response, and then form their own emotional and psychological standards in accordance with that.

When it comes to considering risky situations, sober thinking can help immensely - catastrophic thinking leads to panic and helplessness, while unrealistic optimism can lead to ignoring dangers.

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Focus

Summer Like No Other

GOJKO BOŽOVIĆ WRITER AND PUBLISHER

CHANGE TO THE SOCIAL CONTRACT GOVERNMENTS WORLDWIDE HAVE USED THE FEAR OF THE VIRUS TO LEGITIMISE FEAR AS A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL RESOURCE. IT CAN HENCE BE SAID THAT THE PANDEMIC HAS IMPOSED A NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT BASED ON FEAR The depth of change in our world, and us in it, will depend on the length of the pandemic’s duration. The longer the pandemic lasts, the greater the change will be and the more enduring its consequences. The course of the pandemic to date has also rendered some changes visible. First and foremost, the pandemic has exposed and deepened existing social, political and economic problems in various societies. Then the pandemic globalised the entire world, reaching its furthest points and connecting all people, no longer only in dissatisfaction, as was the case before the Coronavirus appeared, but now also in fear.

But if it has globalised the entire world, the pandemic has simultaneously also undermined some of the key flows of globalisation, thwarting the possibility of mass travel, whether for tourism, self-serving or for world business research, limiting or in some cases completely halting traffic.

The pandemic has complicated or completely disabled movements, without which there can no globalisation, tightened visa regimes, and made virus testing confirmations an even more important document than passports and personal ID cards. Counties have raised their borders and restored factory settings in many areas, deciding to eliminate problems under their own control of their territory and using their forces. The problems are globalised, but solidarity isn’t at all. It was difficult to imagine that European humanity, for example, would voluntarily lock itself in houses and apartments, seeking the only remaining salvation in that withdrawal and quarantine. Although new technologies and new media retain the dimension of virtual connectivity, the Coronavirus pandemic has only uncovered an already existing pandemic of solitude. Others are no longer only hell, as is said in modern existential-

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ist anxieties, but rather others have become a contagion, a danger, a virus in themselves. With this our social and cultural dimension is undermined in a crucial way. The oft repeated message about social distancing conflicts with the anthropological need for others, and the social need for a person in community with others to resolve issues that concern everyone. The pandemic has proved as conducive to strengthening THE CORONAVIRUS the cult of the state and its PANDEMIC HAS ONLY power, which is particuUNCOVERED AN larly evident in authoritarian and populist regimes.

ALREADY EXISTING Governments worldwide PANDEMIC OF have used the fear of the SOLITUDE. OTHERS ARE virus to legitimise fear NO LONGER ONLY HELL, as a social and political BUT RATHER THEY resource. It can hence be said that the pandemic HAVE BECOME A has imposed a new social CONTAGION, A DANGER, contract based on fear.

A VIRUS IN Some changes quickly THEMSELVES became obvious: no travel, no conferences, no cultural and social life, no meetings.

Offices have lost their importance, while working from home has become an important option, just as online conferences have largely replaced face-to-face meetings.

An ever increasing part of private and business activities are being relocated to online spaces, which is practical for some things, but not sufficient or even possible for some. Circumstances have changed, while people have stayed the same. The pandemic is certainly a traumatic and epochal event, whenever it ends. We will live with its consequences long after it has ended.

IVAN MEDENICA

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND SELECTOR OF BITEF, THEATRE CRITIC AND PROFESSOR AT THE FACULTY OF DRAMATIC ARTS

IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSERVE ENERGY THE STATE IS OBLIGED NOT TO BURY ITS HEAD IN THE SAND, BUT RATHER TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEVELOP SEVERAL SCENARIOS FOR THE TIME TO COME, AND BE READY FOR DIFFERENT TRADE-OFFS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE SEEM TO HAVE BEEN LEFT TO THE ELEMENTS Summer passes quickly, so we shouldn’t talk about it in the future tense, but rather in the present, and maybe even in the past. This merging of perspectives of time is the best indicator of the situation in which we’ve lived since the beginning of the pandemic, in which we are still living, and will probably live in for the coming months. As a result of the complete uncertainty that accompanies the pandemic of this unknown virus, everything that we are planning today could seem absurd, unnecessary or impossible tomorrow, while it seems as though we’re reliving the same day over and over again. As in the epic poem The Building of Skadar: “what the maestros build in a day / the fairy destroys it all in a night”.

The state is obliged not to bury its head in the sand, but rather to simultaneously develop several scenarios for the time to come, and be ready for different trade-offs.

One doesn’t get the impression that this is happening, but rather that we have been left to the elements, which actually suits our society anyway, with our unwillingness to plan anything strategically and over the long term... Unlike the state, we as individuals have the right to build towers every day on that same sand that will be carried away on the tide of a new morning. We thus have the right to deceive ourselves with some impossible projects, for objective reasons related to the pandemic, but I don’t think that’s good psychologically. That constant effect of betrayed expectations is terribly exhausting. The most important thing in times like these is to assess which activities we can personally control to a greater or lesser extent, from the professional to the private, and then to invest the most attention and energy in them, because in that way we will get at least some satisfaction, albeit perhaps only psychological satisfaction, but that is also the most important kind.

I don’t think things will return to normal for a long time, but nor do I believe that this situation will change us permanently: I simply think that the recovery will be slow.

Paradoxically, I think that first of all, in one way or another, we will raise our immunity, protect ourselves from viruses and restore our health, and that recovery in other areas, primarily economic and social, will progress much slower...

I’m afraid that theatre will be one of the human activities that will recover the slowest, because - paradoxically and unfairly – theatre operations will remain I DON’T THINK THINGS suspended completely WILL RETURN TO until the conditions for NORMAL FOR A LONG more or less normal TIME, BUT NOR DO physical contact are I BELIEVE THAT THIS created. Recovery will be SITUATION WILL CHANGE slow because it will very possibly be necessary to US PERMANENTLY: overcome the audience’s I SIMPLY THINK THAT fears of returning to these THE RECOVERY WILL BE closed spaces, which now SLOW... I FEAR THAT IT – unlike shopping centres, WILL BE PARTICULARLY restaurants, vehicles and gyms – have been DIFFICULT FOR THEATRES unreasonably marked as AND ARTISTS high risk. The question is whether and how performers, musicians, dancers and actors will maintain their creative condition in this interim period, and the level it will be at when things normalise.

Still, my greatest fear is about the kind of financial consequences the theatre will suffer, whether it will be marked as a luxury and surplus to social requirements, because, obviously, we’ve been able to go without it for months.

Focus

Summer Like No Other

VESNA BRZEV-ĆURČIĆ PSYCHOANALYST

CONFRONTING THE UNKNOWN WE PREVIOUSLY HAD AN ENEMY THAT WAS EXTERNAL AND WAS THE CAUSE OF OUR SUFFERING, AND WE HAD SOMEONE TO BE ANGRY WITH. AT THIS MOMENT THE ENTIRE GLOBE HAS AN EXTERNAL ENEMY THAT’S NOT EXCLUSIVELY LINKED TO ANYONE. IT IS A COMMON INVISIBLE ENEMY THAT IMPACTS ON EVERYONE’S QUALITY OF LIFE

Everyone is talking about the “new reality” and that we have to adapt to it. It is really difficult to accept that there is another reality besides our subjective one, as well as the one in which we have lived for as many years as each of us has seen. Of course, everything containing the adjective “new” is a little scary. Nobody actually knows what that really means in this case.

What we know is how things are now and here, within us and around us.

In that sense, this summer is something we’ve never had before. We had summers that we spent in poverty, when we devised ways to entertain our children and ourselves, sometimes we just ate, but we had something that was external, some enemy who got us into that situation. We had someone to be angry with. At this moment the entire globe has an external enemy that’s not exclusively linked to anyone. It is a common invisible enemy that impacts on everyone’s quality of life.

Well, this year we won’t be going to any seaside, overseas, on travels that we were promised, or which we promised ourselves. We will be tied to one place, with minimal movements, in line with the amount of fear we fell and recommendations we receive. We perhaps used to think that things were better for someone here, there or anywhere than they were for us. Now we don’t have that impression. It is the same everywhere and “the grass isn’t greener” anywhere. Most young people are probably upset, with the summer completely wasted. Older people have some vaguely formulated

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fear that their last summer might be passing… This summer doesn’t come easy for anyone.

On the collective front, most people are probably more concerned about work, the survival of their own business, their company, preserving their jobs. From that perspective, the idea of a summer holiday seems very far away. Many have been left jobless, both here and in countries that are far more economically developed.

The state has its WE PERHAPS USED TO own concerns, which THINK THAT THINGS we cannot influence WERE BETTER FOR as individuals, except SOMEONE HERE, THERE through our personal responsibilities related OR ANYWHERE THAN to following recommenTHEY WERE FOR US. dations.

NOW WE DON’T HAVE Such a summer will THAT IMPRESSION. IT IS not be forgotten. People THE SAME EVERYWHERE suffering from higher levels of anxiety will be AND “THE GRASS ISN’T afraid even when a reaGREENER” ANYWHERE son disappears. Those with a different personality structure and mechanisms for defence and coping will find another way to handle things.

However, what is certain is that a lot will change. If we don’t change something ourselves, another common enemy will emerge against which humanity will have to unite. I hope that humanity will smarten up.

SERBIAN ECONOMY

C H A L L E N G E S A N D O P P O R T U NI T I E S

Returning To Regular Flow

VOL . 2

CONTENTS

03

WE NEED TO BE INDUSTRIOUS AND PRUDENT

COMMENT

14

WE KNOW WHAT YOU NEED

16

DIGITALISATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR RECOVERY

19

FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY WITHOUT COMPROMISE

20

BOLDLY MOVING FORWARD

22

WE’RE REOPENING FACTORIES

23

WE AWAIT INVESTORS

DEJAN ALEKSOV, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT BENU PHARMACIES AND MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PHOENIX GROUP

04

SOUND FISCAL POLICY REMAINS A PRIORITY

SEBASTIAN SOSA, IMF RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN SERBIA

07

OTP GROUP’S RECORD RESULTS IN SERBIA

08

MOUNTAIN GEM

CCIS AND USAID OVERVIEW OF THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY – “OVERCOMING THE CRISIS TOGETHER”

PREDRAG MIHAJLOVIĆ, CEO OF OTP BANKA SRBIJA AND EXECUTIVE SPONSOR OF THE INTEGRATION PROJECT OF OTP BANKA SRBIJA AND VOJVOĐANSKA BANKA

BOJANA KUZMANOVIĆ, SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR, GORSKI HOTEL & SPA

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THE POWER OF THE VIRUS & THE SCALE OF THE CRISIS

13

PROUD OF THE FIRST CENTURY

FEATURE

DEJAN STOJIĆ, PRESIDENT OF AMSS – THE AUTO-MOTO ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA

VLADIMIR VASOJEVIĆ, BELCHIM CROP PROTECTION SRB (LTD.)

BOBAN JANKOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MIONICA

VLADIMIR STOJANOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF KUČEVO

MARIJA CVETKOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF GADŽIN HAN

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COMMENT

We Need To Be Industrious And Prudent Given the current state of the pandemic, it is likely that the Serbian economy will need consecutive infusions of money in order to stay afloat. However, new measures should take into account the fact that saving everybody is neither attainable nor wise

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ew measures aimed at supporting the Serbian economy, which has been stricken by the pandemic, are already in front of us, despite the new government having yet to be formed.

There is nothing strange about this, given that the whole world is now aware that the rebounding of the economy in a sharp “V” curve is impossible. Indeed, it is widely believed

sition to dispense money to their economies generously. The Serbian government already positively surprised both experts and businesspeople by pouring €5.1 billion at the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. The new instalment, estimated at €1.36 billion, is to be disbursed as of August. Although this amount is definitely much smaller than the first instalment, it surprised both the public

At the end of the day, it could happen that public money is spent but neither companies nor jobs are saved. The new government will have to address this challenge that the return to normality will rather take the shape of a “U” or “W”. Some economists actually speak about consecutive “Vs” as the most likely outcome, given that some of the biggest economies are still operating under the conditions of the pandemic, while others are grappling with ups and downs.

Under such circumstances, state support is following the pandemic curve. Governments are spending more in order to save their economies and jobs. Direct support to national carriers, or larger budget deficits which were “big no-no-s” during the global financial crisis, are today a welcome practise.

However, not all economies are in a po-

and experts, as it was claimed just a month before that there would be no additional financial infusion to the economy, as the state coffers simply could not sustain that.

Of course, companies see the new package as welcome and necessary, but expect it to be followed by another more generous one, in the autumn, when a new wave of the pandemic is expected to strangle the economy. Will there be space for that? Experts argue that neither the first nor the second package were well conceived and distributed to those industries that needed help the most. Furthermore, the measures, they argue, lack economic logic – companies will

use them, but there is no mechanism that will force them to use resources efficiently.

Instead, some firms may go into bankruptcy once it becomes evident that state money cannot keep them alive artificially. It would be helpful if the financial aid were followed by institutional changes aimed at improving the business environment and reforming the labour market, which will render the economy more resilient.

Concerns that one-off measures are not an adequate answer are even more grounded if one takes into consideration that the global economy won’t be the same once the pandemic finally ends. On the contrary, it is believed that countries like Serbia, with less versatile and advanced structures, will fare better during the crisis, but will then fail to grow once the green economy, digital transformation and sophisticated services based on advanced technologies regain their importance. Indeed, any new package will have to balance between channelling support to the economic sectors that are most needed and those that may be “growth accelerators” in the times to come. To be sure, there is no need for them to be hand picked by the government. It will be enough for there to be a transparent, well-established mechanism for financing those companies that have already demonstrated their ability to transform themselves during the crisis. ■

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INTERVIEW

SEBASTIAN SOSA, IMF RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN SERBIA

Sound Fiscal Policy Remains A Priority If the global crisis deepens, it will further impact Serbia through weaker external demand, the continued disruption of supply chains and tighter financing conditions. Under such circumstances, it would be crucial to have well designed public investments and a sound fiscal policy for maintaining the economy on the right track

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here is no sign at present that the economic crisis triggered by COVID-19 will soon be in the past tense. Under such circumstances, it seems reasonable to discuss all possible scenarios of the development of the crisis and conceivable policy responses in the given situation. In this interview, IMF Resident Representative in Serbia Sebastian Sosa offers valuable insight into the options available to Serbia.

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• What are the best- and worst-case scenarios when it comes to Serbia’s GDP growth in 2020?

- Notwithstanding a sizeable policy response, the pandemic has had a significant adverse impact on Serbia’s economic activity, and we project real GDP to contract by three per cent in 2020, compared to the four per cent increase projected prior to the outbreak. The pandemic is hitting the economy mostly through reduced

external demand, weaker foreign direct investment and remittances, disruptions to regional and global supply chains, and domestic supply constraints. Although growth is expected to rebound next year, the projected 2021 GDP level is about five percentage points below pre-COVID-19 projections.

Risks to the growth outlook remain substantial, given the heightened uncertainty about the duration and magnitude of the COVID-19 shock. A further worsening of the pandemic could lead to a more severe output contraction in 2020 and a weaker recovery in 2021. A deeper and more protracted global crisis would further affect Serbia through weaker external demand, continued disruption of supply chains and tighter financing conditions.

• After massive support to the economy at the beginning of 2020, does additional fiscal space exist in the Serbian budget for a second wave of support to businesses?

- The fiscal package deployed in response to the crisis has been the largest in Emerging Europe (about 6.5% of GDP) and included increased healthcare spending, tax deferrals, wage subsidies and universal cash transfers. A state guarantee scheme for bank loans to SMEs was also implemented.

A second round of measures, amounting to 1.2% of GDP, was recently announced, including additional wage subsidies for SMEs and deferments of labour taxes and social security contributions. Although these measures should not create financing problems, they will raise public debt sharply and the remaining fiscal space is now very limited. Therefore, should the outbreak be more protracted than expected, any additional support will have to be strictly targeted to the most vulnerable firms and households.

• The Serbian economy is largely dependent on foreign investments, goods’ exports and remittances. Which of those are the strongest and weakest links in the chain?

- As I mentioned before, these are all important channels through which the COVID-19 shock is being transmitted to the Serbian economy. Real exports, which

have been growing steadily in recent years and were projected to grow by eight per cent this year before the pandemic, are now projected to fall by almost 10 per cent.

Foreign direct investment, which peaked at 7.8% of GDP last year, is expected to fall to 4.7% of GDP in 2020, while remittances are expected to decline from eight per cent of GDP to 6.5% of GDP, impacting negatively on private consumption.

investment, including into green infrastructure and environmental protection. This will not only support economic recovery, but also boost Serbia’s potential growth.

• There is a long list of reforms that slowed down due to the pandemic. Under the current circumstances, is it realistic to expect the tackling of areas like tax administration, public sector wages and employment systems, and the corporate governance of public enterprises?

- The implementation of structural reforms has indeed faced delays during the pandemic. There are several structural fiscal reforms to underpin the improvement of fiscal discipline that we had hoped would be adopted in 2020 before the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) comes to an end, but that are now delayed. These reforms include the implementation of a new public sector wage system and the adoption of new fiscal rules. The introduction of a new public employment framework is also delayed, due to setbacks in technical assistance delivery related to the pandemic, but also considering the need to prioritise solid control of public employment and the wage bill throughout the crisis. The adoption of plans to develop Serbia’s capital markets has also been delayed.

The PCI enabled a strong policy dialogue between Serbian policymakers and the IMF, to help the country demonstrate its commitment to reform and to maintaining macroeconomic stability • Is there still time for public investment to be scaled up to support the recovery of the economy and boost potential growth, given that we are already in the second half of the year and that each time the new government is inaugurated it needs time to adjust and articulate its policies?

- Public investment has indeed been affected by the pandemic. While we were projecting public investment in 2020 at 4.5% of GDP prior to the COVID-19 shock, we are now projecting it at 3.8% of GDP. The 2021 budget should envisage higher public

In this context, the reform agenda for the remainder of the PCI has been streamlined and refocused on crisis priorities, including monitoring fiscal risks and strengthening SOEs. The Serbian Finance Ministry is preparing a strategy and methodology to properly monitor fiscal risks, supported by World Bank technical assistance, prioritising fiscal risks stemming from SOEs, local governments, public-private partnerships, litigation and natural disasters. Moreover, a new ownership and governance strategy for SOEs is

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currently being prepared, with assistance from the EBRD. This reform should provide an integrated approach to overseeing SOE operations, as well as measures to improve corporate governance of SOEs. • What are the preconditions for a healthy fiscal policy during times when additional

will be important for maintaining Serbia’s reputation in financial markets.

• You’ve warned that increases in public sector wages and pensions should be limited in 2021. How about support to vulnerable groups, such as those who lost their jobs, be that in the traditional

and increased public investment, including on green infrastructure and environmental protection. It should also allow for increased support to the most vulnerable households, including informal workers facing job and income losses. Expanding the coverage of existing targeted social assistance programmes could be helpful in this regard.

• The current PCI programme will officially end in January 2021. Given that PCI was a new tool, what strengths did it show?

- The PCI was designed to enable a strong policy dialogue with the IMF and to help a country demonstrate its commitment to reform and to maintaining macroeconomic stability. For Serbia, the PCI has indeed played that role. Under the PCI, which started in mid-2018, Serbia has achieved good results in terms of macroeconomic performance and financial stability. Prior to the COVID-19 shock, the economy grew at a healthy pace, supported by strong foreign direct investment and improved labour market conditions. Inflation remained low, while the resilience of the financial sector continued to improve, with non-performing loans reaching historically low levels. Fiscal performance was strong, with public debt on a firm declining path.

borrowing and rising public debt are realities of every country, Serbia included?

- The COVID-19 crisis has shown the importance of building strong fiscal buffers during good times, in order to be able to provide substantial policy support in the case of a negative shock. In fact, due to a strong fiscal performance in previous years, Serbia faced the pandemic with enough fiscal space to respond with a large package of measures without jeopardising its fiscal sustainability. The fiscal deficit is expected to increase from 0.5% of GDP in 2019 to more than seven per cent of GDP in 2020, with public debt rising to about 60 per cent of GDP. However, given the projected economic rebound and the temporary nature of fiscal measures, the fiscal deficit should narrow significantly in 2021, ensuring the resumption of a clear downward trajectory for public debt. That

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Should the outbreak be more protracted than expected, any additional budget support will have to be strictly targeted to the most vulnerable firms and households or the irregular economy? Is there space for intervention and how should that be handled?

- After the sharp, temporary increase in 2020, the fiscal deficit should narrow to about two per cent of GDP in 2021. In this context, and following two years of sizeable increases, public sector wage increases in 2021 should be strictly limited, while pension increases should continue to be guided by the Swiss formula, with no oneoff payments or ad-hoc increases. At the same time, the 2021 budget should create space for additional healthcare spending

These positive results allowed Serbia to face the COVID-19 shock with relatively sound macroeconomic fundamentals and enough policy space to deploy a substantial fiscal and monetary policy response to the pandemic.

In terms of structural reforms, results have been mixed. Good progress has been made in improving the tax administration, enhancing public financial management and privatising Komercijalna Bank. But the implementation of the public wage system, public employment framework and SOE reforms have suffered significant delays. ■

PREDRAG MIHAJLOVIĆ, CEO OF OTP BANKA SRBIJA AND EXECUTIVE SPONSOR BUSINESS OF THE INTEGRATION PROJECT OF OTP BANKA SRBIJA AND VOJVOĐANSKA BANKA

OTP Group's Record Results In Serbia The integration of OTP banka Srbija and Vojvođanska banka, as a strategic move of the OTP Group, has the aim of forming a leading bank on the domestic market. This will provide a huge contribution to the further improvement of the user experience, innovation, digitalisation, development and the stability of the banking sector

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he needs of our clients direct us, while innovations inspire us. Guided by this, we strive to work better and differently in both banks, in order to contribute to our own business success and the success of our clients, notes OTP banka Srbija CEO Predrag Mihajlović.

• Alongside your usual duties, you are also in charge of implementing the process of integrating OTP banka Srbija and Vojvođanska banka, while you have the role of the project’s executive sponsor. Can you tell more about the dynamics of this big and important job?

- The integration process began at the end of 2019, while the merger of OTP banka and Vojvođanska banka is expected in the next year and represents the most complex project being implemented on our financial market.

This strategic move by the OTP Group, which owns both banks, has the objective of forming a leading bank on the domestic market.

The responsibility is great and full of challenges, but I’m primarily proud of the 3,200 colleagues who diligently perform their jobs every day at both banks, while at the same time being committed to the merger project. I consider that we have the strongest management structure that is able to successfully complete the task

of integration whilst maintaining a strategic focus on further improving the user experience, innovation and digitalisation.

• What kind of results has the OTP Group achieved on our market to date by operating through both banks?

- We recorded record results in Serbia last year, and that was a year in which one integration process was completed and another was launched.

Total net loans amounted to 3.2 billion euros and with that we gained a market share of as much as 16 per cent, securing the number one position on the market, with annual growth of loans exceeding eight per cent.

We achieved growth in net profits of 17 per cent, i.e. in the amount of 89.2 million euros, with which we took a strong second place on the banking market. Operating revenues increased by 15 per cent compared to 2018, reaching a level of 263.4 million euros. We also directed our activities towards cost optimisation, which resulted in them being reduced by six per cent and contributed to a significant increase in net results, and that’s not the end – we expect to see the full effect of optimisation after the merger of OTP and Vojvođanska banks. With our total assets of 4.7 billion euros and a market share of 13 per cent, we rank second in Serbia.

• Given that you are focused strategically on innovation, what novelties can your clients expect?

- During last year and this, we’ve introduced numerous improvements to processes and functionality. In our online branch, clients can realise a cash loan, receive an approved overdraft facility, buy insurance... Sending money between friends and family members has been simplified with the P2P option within the scope of mobile applications. For users of Android phones, the mCard option has been enabled – allowing payments via mobile phones – and we will soon also introduce Apple Pay. The service we launched this month allows the withdrawing of cash loans via mobile phones – mKeš [mCash].

The National Bank of Serbia also encouraged us to further improve the user experience. With the introduction of the Instant payment system, citizens are able to carry out fast transactions and, as of this year, to make payments with the help of the IPS QR code.

We are recognised as a pioneer of innovation and digitalisation, and we’ve also transferred that to domestic entrepreneurship. This year’s fourth Generator Game Changer is intended precisely for those who have a new idea or ready-made solution and who want to innovate, in order to help small and medium-sized enterprises. ■

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BUSINESS

BOJANA KUZMANOVIĆ, SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR, GORSKI HOTEL & SPA

Mountain Gem Hotel Gorski, located close to the ski slopes in the tourist centre of Kopaonik Mountain, sets new standards for mountain tourism. It has luxury rooms and apartments, the most modern SPA centre, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and many other wellness facilities

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estifying to the level of satisfaction among guests is the fact that a large number of them wanted to book accommodation for the next winter season during their winter stay last season. As for the summer, during June and July we were completely full, notes a proud Ms Kuzmanović, speaking to CorD.

• Gorski Hotel & Spa is a real refreshing change, with new energy, a new and fantastic facility, in an exclusive location on Kopaonik.

How do you different from other hotels?

- Apart from that which you mentioned, I must point out that the hotel was built according to the highest aesthetic and architectural standards. The entire space is rich in natural light, which make the exclusive design shine even more. Our rooms are the largest on Kopaonik, and some of the most luxurious apartments also have balconies with unreal views of the national park.

We offer guests a full service – a children’s playroom, board game room, parking and garage facilities, a spa centre with an outdoor pool that has a constant water temperature of 35 degrees, hidden from the eyes of passers-by, a terrace with views of the peaks, an innovative menu with the finest ingredients.

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During winter the entire skiing experience is incredibly easy and the best ever, because in addition to heading straight from the hotel onto the slopes - you can buy a ski pass at the hotel’s reception, and our ski resort has the most modern dryers, lockers and ski equipment that can rival Europe’s leading ski resorts.

In addition to all of the aforementioned, within the scope of Hotel Gorski there is also a congress centre, which I can claim with certainty has shifted the boundaries of everything seen so far in the MICE aspect on Kopaonik.

The congress centre exudes sophistication, and consists of a multifunctional hall covering 470m2 and equipped with the latest generation technology. It has partition walls that are soundproof, so we can divide it into two smaller halls with up to 250 seats. Three more halls are also available, one of which has its own terrace. The spacious lobby, with a bar and satellite kitchen, enables the organising of

- We welcomed the first independent ski opening with capacities completely filled, and this trend continued throughout the entire season.

The winter months brought us more success than projected, with us we often lacking some rooms. We exceeded expectations, and the best evidence for that is the fact that a large number of guests wanted to make reservations for the next winter season during their stay. I believe that best reflects what their impressions were like, which can also be seen in the reviews we receive on online platforms.

• Your guests are attracted the most by your unique Spa & Wellness Centre, with its outdoor pool that has a constant water temperature of 35 degrees. What kind of treatments do you offer? Do you have everything for complete relaxation?

- That’s right, the spa is a favourite among guests, especially because of the outdoor pool

Behind all the successes are the professionalism, dedication and love for the job that we share service and socialising before or after an event.

In short - we have everything that is expected of a new, modern and exclusive hotel in a destination such as Kopaonik.

• Your first independent, winter season is behind you. What were your impressions and those of the guests?

that operates throughout the entire year. Apart from that, the offer includes a large number of facial and body treatments, singling out the special Gorski Ritual that lasts 100 minutes and guarantees relaxation of the mind and body. We place an emphasis on the use of the best preparations, which is why we use organic, American cosmetics Pevonia Botanica. There is

The spa centre also operates under a new regime. Sessions for the use of spa and wellness facilities are limited to three hours, after which the entire space is disinfected and aired.

Behaving responsibly and maintaining health are our obligations that we perform professionally and conscientiously, which guests also recognise.

• What are your plans like for next season?

When it comes to your services, what would you highlight as singling you out from the competition?

- Preparing offers and early bookings for the upcoming winter season are underway. Our goal is to maintain our leadership position and strengthen it further. In this regard, there also a VIP spa for two, which features a Finnish sauna, two water beds and a steam bath for true luxury in privacy and a new level of enjoyment.

• Even before the opening of the hotel, you calculated that most of your guests would come from Serbia, and now that is certain due to the borders being closed. Will the pandemic nonetheless impact on your operations and, if so, to what extent?

- As many as 80 per cent of our guests are domestic tourists, and in that sense the pandemic impacted on our operations only during the state of emergency, during which the hotel didn’t operate. We used that time to secure everything necessary for the season to continue successfully once the conditions were created.

Guests inquired about our capacities all the time, which is why we were one of the first hotels to open in Serbia. As we have taken all the necessary preventative measures, guests feel very safe, and the result of that is that we were at full capacity during June and July, with excellent forecasts for August. Aware of the situation in which we all find ourselves, we also joined the programme of distributing vouchers for subsidised holidays, through which we offer guests a large number of outdoor activities, as well as extremely attractive packages.

• Have you succeeded in adjusting your offer to the recommendations of epidemiologists?

- Absolutely. That is something that represents a new precondition for safe work and stay of our guests, and to which we are most committed.

Gorski Hotel & Spa has everything that is expected of a new, modern and exclusive hotel in a destination such as Kopaonik Prior to the reopening in May, all rooms were disinfected, without exception, through the method of smoking the space. Disinfection barriers were installed at all entrances to the hotel, and hand sanitizers are located, apart from at the entrances, on each floor and in shared spaces. We have also prepared smaller bottles for guests, which await them in their rooms and which they can take with them when they leave the hotel. Masks, physical distancing and all other prescribed and recommended measures are respected, with the standard implementation of hygiene, which had to be at the highest possible level even before the pandemic.

will be some novelties related to entertaining children and organising additional activities.

Apart from the ski centre with Wintersteiger equipment, a playroom with daylight and professional animators, a garage for 80 cars and outdoor parking for 40 cars, we often hear from guests that what sets us apart is our outdoor pool that provides privacy, great food and comfortable beds.

The crowning glory of everything the hotel offers, and what makes the biggest difference, is our team. Behind all the successes are the professionalism, dedication and love for the job that we share. ■

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FEATURE

Just as it isn't known how long the pandemic will last, when a vaccine will be found and what kind of autumn awaits us, it isn't even known whether the new tranche of state aid will succeed in preserving Serbia's economic stability and thus prevent company closures and worker lay-offs

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The Power Of The Virus & The Scale Of The Crisis

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hen the Government of Serbia decided in early April to earmark 5.1 billion euros to help the economy and citizens cope as easily as possible with the consequences of the global pandemic caused by the spread of the Coronavirus, it was unknown how long the crisis would last, what its scope would be and who it would hit. Most of these unknowns remain until today, with no end of the pandemic in sight, and – according to epidemiologists

and economists – the coming autumn will not bring us any relief. On the contrary.

It is unknown whether Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had their forecast in mind at the beginning of July, when he announced that the state was not considering a new package of measures intended for the economy, or when he referred to those predictions twenty days later, announcing another tranche of 1.36 billion euros.

And it remains to be seen whether that will be enough! ■

ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ, President of the Republic of Serbia

ANA BRNABIĆ, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia

WE’LL HELP OUR BRAVE ENTREPRENEURS

WE’RE CONTINUING WITH REFORMS AND CAPITAL INVESTMENTS

In the next two months, our brave entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises can count on help. We have provided for 60 per cent of the minimum earnings for all their workers, because we additionally want to help financially. We will defer payments of taxes and contributions for at least another month.

We’ll try to did for another month after that, but I can’t promise.

This is important for hospitality companies and travel agencies, and we will launch the project “My first salary payment” and will introduce an additional moratorium on loan repayments.

Serbia’s economic recovery is as important as its health recovery, which is why we’re thrilled by the fact that no foreign investor has given up investing in Serbia. This is a good signal, just as the stability of the construction sector is an important indicator in terms of further economic recovery. It is important for us to continue reforms in the medical sector and the social protection sector, and to continue with large capital investments. It is extremely important to transform the economy so that it is based on innovation.

JORGOVANKA TABAKOVIĆ, Governor of the National Bank of Serbia

SINIŠA MALI, Serbian Finance Minister

WE’LL PRESERVE THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM’S STABILITY

FINANCES STABLE, MONEY AVAILABLE, PROMISES FULFILLED

Considering that the emergency health situation is still continuing, the National Bank of Serbia has brought the decision to provide additional opportunities for our citizens and the economy to pay their obligations, thus fulfilling the legally defined goal of preserving the stability of the financial system.

The National Bank of Serbia reacted efficiently and decisively to the first blow of the pandemic, enabling citizens and the economy to delay repayment obligations to banks and financial leasing providers for a period of three months. The importance and timeliness of this decision is evidenced by the fact that more than 90 per cent of debtors utilised this opportunity.

For 60 per cent of the amount of the minimum wage for two months, we will set aside 36 billion dinars, while postponing taxes and contributions on wages for one month will cost around 30 billion dinars. The first payment will be made by 10th August, with the second payment to follow in September. We started taking measures in March and are one of the few countries that will have six months of economic measures to support businesses. There are no mass redundancies, which was the scenario in many stronger countries than ours, and no factory closures, while our shops have been full the whole time. It would be most realistic to talk about the effects in September, because by then we will know what the inflows are, how the EU reacted to this aid package, how we are doing with exports and what the health situation is like.

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MARKO ČADEŽ, President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia

VIOLETA JOVANOVIĆ, NALED Executive Director

NO MORE LINEAR AID FOR ALL SECTORS

PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE MADE FOR A POSSIBLE SECOND WAVE OF THE PANDEMIC

We should be proud of the fact that the Government reacted quickly and adequately, that it saved the backbone of the economy and that there were no worker lay-offs. The situation will continue to be difficult, as it is everywhere in the world, but it is encouraging that everything that could have been done to keep the problems in the economy to a minimum has been done. The first tranche of assistance provided for everyone, for all business and all citizens, while now we are directing attention towards seeing which sectors have been hardest hit and who needs help the most. We no longer have the ability to help all sectors linearly.

Tourism, but also passenger transport and craft services, were initially forced to completely suspend their operations and they will need time to make up for what’s been lost. It’s for this reason that it’s very important that the Government recently adopted a regulatory framework to enable credit from the Development Fund for liquidity and working capital to businesses engaged in tourism, hospitality and passenger transport. The interest is high, but it remains to be seen what the result will be.

One of the biggest challenges will be preparing for a possible second wave of the pandemic and maintaining operations until the danger of the virus has passed completely.

ZORAN DRAKULIĆ, President of the Privrednik Business Club

NEBOJŠA ATANACKOVIĆ, Honorary President of the Union of Employers of Serbia

THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO SAVE, NOW WE MUST SPEND

WE’VE DEVISED A PACKAGE OF MEASURES TO REVITALISE THE ECONOMY

Unfortunately, this crisis will be deep. Recovery will certainly last two to three years. I actually think that 2021 will also be problematic and difficult. It won’t go easily. Everything is a question: when will we find a vaccine and when will we emerge from everything; when will the borders open; when will the functioning of tourism, the economy, the aviation industry start? All of that will take time. It will cost a lot more if companies collapse and you then have to bring them back from the dead than it will to find a way to help them.

This is not the time to save, money must now be spent and what can be saved should be saved, but much more selectively than in the first round.

The Union of Employers of Serbia has devised a package of 5+3 measures to revitalise the economy and minimise the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the national economy, which it has forwarded to Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. While welcoming the Government’s previous measures to support the economy, we proposed a reduction of VAT in the field of tourism and hospitality to 10 per cent, because these two industries are hardest hit by the pandemic, and the payment of VAT on realised invoices, as of 1st January 2021. We’ve proposed the abolishing of mandatory documenting of non-taxed costs of transportation fees for the arrival and departure of employees to and from work, reductions in the level of local utility taxes by 30 per cent and the postponement of payments of the newly introduced eco-tax, until 1st April 2021.

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DEJAN STOJIĆ, PRESIDENT OF AMSS – THE AUTO-MOTO ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA BUSINESS

Proud Of The First Century

AMSS is a national and independent association of citizens and drivers with more than 100,000 members and users of membership advantages, which has spent an entire century improving the areas of motoring and mobility. It has directed special attention towards improving traffic safety

I

would like to emphasise the unique and significant role that AMSS plays in informing the public about the road conditions, which we do every day through numerous channels with millions of views. With that we contribute greatly to increasing traffic safety, stresses AMSS President Stojić.

• You will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of AMSS in 2021. Will you be celebrating your centenary as a leader in the field of road safety?

- There are few who can boast of a century of existence, and that makes us very proud.

Circumstances have changed significantly

other responsible institutions. I would say that the emphasis is on successful mutual cooperation with common goals. The main and basic goal is to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on the roads of Serbia.

The resources that AMSS directs towards fulfilling that goal are reflected through numerous projects and campaigns that we carry out continuously.

There is also the AMSS Centre for Motor Vehicles, as the most modern laboratory for testing and certifying vehicles, with an orientation towards very intensive scientific research work. Numerous projects and professional scientific gatherings, organised by AMSS

Motor sport represents an important part of our work and development, and we are proud of the ever increasing number of competitors and competitions over these 100 years, but we have always given our maximum and that will remain the same in the future. The range of services that AMSS provides to all motorised citizens has expanded continuously, and by guaranteeing the highest standards we strive to maintain our position as the association with the largest number of members, of which it currently has more than 100,000.

When it comes to improving traffic safety in Serbia, our role and responsibility do not imply leadership in relation to

CMV, have yielded numerous positive results when it comes to improving traffic safety.

• AMSS enjoys a good reputation not only in Serbia and the region, but also around the world. Is this best evdenced by the support you receive from the world governing body of motor sports, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)?

- The vision of future progress that we share with our partners at the international level helps us to direct our resources towards

meeting internationally recognised standards.

We have the absolute support of the FIA in our work, as demonstrated by the visit of FIA President Jean Todt last May. We are currently working together on the optimisation of work under the newly created circumstances, but also on preparations in organising the international congress that we will host next year.

Hosting delegates from all over Europe, Africa and the Middle East is a special honour and another indicator of the relationship that AMSS has with the FIA. Inevitably, motor sport represents an important part of our work and development, and we are proud of the ever increasing number of competitors and competitions, which further encourages the FIA to support us in the development of this branch of sport.

• What motivated you to initiate the construction of a racetrack in Serbia. Do you have support for such a project?

- I drove on numerous tracks abroad during my competitive career. As a former motor sport competitor, but now also as the AMSS president, I consider that Serbia deserves such a track, which will be able to respond to demanding competitions with all its capacities, thereby bringing together a large number of fans of motor sports in one place. Considering that this is a very demanding project that implies the combined work of numerous entities, I can state freely that we have the great support of all relevant institutions in this endeavour. ■

August

13

BUSINESS

DEJAN ALEKSOV, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT BENU PHARMACIES AND MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PHOENIX GROUP

We Know What You Need

BENU is part of German company PHOENIX, which has in its composition more than 2,500 pharmacies in 14 European countries. BENU has managed to establish itself as a market leader in Serbia in just five years and, despite the extraordinary circumstances, will welcome the end of the year with 400 outlets in the country

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e succeeded in achieving a lot thanks to our people, dedication, and the support of the parent company from Germany. The fact that our customers have accepted us proves that we are working in the right way, but that’s not a reason to relax now. On the contrary, says Mr Aleksov, before revealing numerous innovations to BENU’s operations.

• Mr Aleksov, the BENU pharmacies concept is recognisable throughout Serbia. Could you tell us a little more about it?

- The BENU pharmacy concept is led by a unique strategy that’s orientated towards the customer. You are awaited at each of our locations by friendly staff who are ready to help, listen, offer adequate advice and fulfil your expectations. Professional and trained pharmacists are aware that the customer is of the greatest importance to them and that they should pay full attention to them, regardless of the time or decision. We believe firmly that we can only be satisfied if we provide customers,

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August

i.e. patients, with a high-quality service and excellent advice. That’s the only way we can have satisfied customers.

In addition to friendly, trained staff, all our pharmacies throughout Serbia have the same ambience and unified visual identity. BENU pharmacies’ range of products is carefully selected, classified and segmented exclusively, in accordance with customer needs. It isn’t easy to maintain the same level of service, because we currently operate at more than 380 locations in Serbia, with a plan to reach 400 BENU pharmacies by the end of this year, despite the difficult circumstances.

Interestingly, we are also present on the territory of Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the same strategic approach and in accordance with market circumstances.

• With the appearance of COVID-19, and considering that we find ourselves in very uncertain times when it comes to the future, were you able to learn from this and, if so, what could you learn?

- It is true that COVID-19 brought with it a certain dose of uncertainty, particularly in the period when we had to constantly adapt our business measures and the needs of our customers. And despite the difficult circumstances related to working from home, I can really highlight that we, as a company, very quickly managed to find alternative directions, to develop new business channels, such as home delivery, reserving products and collections from pharmacies, cooperation with volunteers who had a priority with us etc. We adjusted the working hours of more than half of BENU’s locations to suit the oldest citizens and organised the fast procuring of all hygiene products. All this ensured we are more agile, provided us with a sign to once again think well, reconsider and draw new conclusions about our business decisions, giving authenticity to our company.

• We see that you focus on the constant educating of employees and the constant improving of your quality of service. Do pa-

tients and customers recognise that? Can they appreciate it?

- I’m proud of the fact that all our employees are extremely professional, very dedicated and always keen on innovations and acquiring new knowledge. Education is part of the company’s daily internal programme, and quality of service is our focus and strategic direction that we will never abandon. It may sound unusual, but at frequent gatherings that management has with employees we hold open discussions and address every topic. It’s endearing to me how much my colleagues care about keeping pace with innovations and how broadly they view things. We really have great and dedicated people who maintain our system and services at the highest possible level. I’m sure that gives us an advantage; that customers recognise and appreciate that greatly.

Indicators of this are that they often share positive comments with us, but also that they leave the pharmacy with a smile on their face. In a pharmacy expertise, precision and accuracy are very important – there is no room for mistakes or deviations. Our colleagues are aware of that and that is where we differ in relation to other branches.

We often conduct various research activities through which we monitor work and relations with customers, listening to their needs, and we are capable of being very self-critical, because our goal is to remain a market leader.

the potential of Serbia. The fact that our customers have accepted us proves that we are working in the right way, but that is no reason to now relax. We should always be different, persevere with our strategic direction and continue the practise of teamwork, because only that leads to results.

It was around this time last year that we took over state-owned pharmacies in Novi Sad. In the space of just one month, we renovated, rebranded and equipped them, and educated the personnel. It was difficult, but we succeeded. We are currently in the process of

We have great and dedicated people who maintain our system and services at the highest possible level... customers recognise and appreciate that greatly • Although you’ve been present in Serbia for a relatively short period, you’ve succeeded in establishing yourself as a market leader.

What do you have to thank for the recognition of your brand?

- BENU has been present on the Serbian market for five years. Viewed from this perspective, I’m also positively surprised. If we look through the life cycle of a brand, we are still in the first phase, known as the launch.

In this relatively short period, we managed to achieve a lot thanks to our people, dedication and, of course, the support of the parent company from Germany, which recognised

resolving pharmaceutical waste in Novi Sad, while we’ve been cooperating for years with Belgrade’s Centre for the Care of Oncology Patients. This is our obligation, because we are socially responsible both towards citizens and towards Serbia.

We set the standards, and my personal goal is to always have people alongside me who know how to appreciate this and who can follow and apply it. Our environment is dynamic, but we are all satisfied, positive and get along wonderfully. Therein lies the key.

• Can you predict what tomorrow will bring?

- Nothing can surprise us anymore. We have

learned a lesson and are now thinking three steps ahead. We’ve certainly ensured that people can work from home and we will continue with that practise. We have confidence and have proven that the level of responsibility is the same as when one is sitting in an office.

We will move towards further developing the online shop, which is the future. We will strive to provide our customers with even greater availability and for our employees to continue

to be their ambassadors of trust. We will further develop loyalty through the development of loyalty programmes and, most importantly, we will continue to listen to the needs of customers and create a business strategy in accordance with those needs.

BENU is a large, organised chain, representing the most widespread health institution in Serbia, and that’s why we must continue developing the trust of people. We want them to know that they can come to us even if they just want a consultation or advice. We will definitely work on that in the future - on the development of BENU advisory services in all major cities in Serbia, with the aim of contributing to raising community awareness about the importance of prevention, but also treatment when required.

We are, and will remain, a reliable partner in protecting the health of our customers, as our slogan also confirms. ■

August

15

CCIS AND USAID OVERVIEW OF THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY – “OVERCOMING THE CRISIS TOGETHER”

Digitalisation Is Essential For Recovery On average, it will take one year for the Serbian firms affected by the Coronavirus pandemic to recover from the crisis, according to the results of the third iteration of the "Overcoming the crisis together" survey, conducted by the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and USAID's Cooperation for Growth Project, from 8th to 15th June. Microenterprises have been hit hardest by the crisis, while liquidity remains one of the key problems that firms have been facing. Digital solutions have been recognised as an essential part of a recovery strategy and business continuity

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he findings of the survey are valuable because they are “mirroring” the state of the economy and the reactions of businesses in the month since the end of the state of emergency.

We have been monitoring the impact of the crisis on the Serbian economy since the Coronavirus outbreak by conducting three iterations of the survey. Representatives of 806 businesses participated in the first iteration of the survey, conducted in the last week of March – the third week since the beginning of the crisis. The second phase of the survey was conducted at the end of April, in

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the seventh week since the crisis’s outbreak, with the participation of 1,000 businesses.

The third and final phase of the survey was conducted a month after the lifting of the state of emergency. Representatives of 396 businesses participated. Having all three iterations in mind, we can proudly say that the survey approached more than 1,500 companies distributed in different sectors, sizes and regions, grouped at the country level. It is also important to state that the third phase took place at the beginning of June, during a relatively stable COVID-19 pandemic situation in Serbia, explained

Dragana Stanojević, USAID Cooperation for Growth Project Chief of Party, speaking for CorD.

the deferral of tax obligations have been the most useful of the Government’s crisis response measures.”

IMPACT OF THE CRISIS Some 92 per cent of companies expect revenues to fall this year compared to 2019.

The slope of the downturn depends partly on company size, but is mainly determined by industry sector. In contrast to expectations voiced during the state of emergency, the latest findings indicate a slight decline, to 16 per cent, in the number of businesses that believe their revenues will fall by more than half.

Companies based in the Belgrade region are on average more likely to expect their revenue to increase this year than their peers from elsewhere in Serbia. Micro-enterprises expect to see the largest falls, with nearly a quarter believing that revenues will slide by more than 50 per cent.

The number of firms that estimate they have lost at least half of their usual revenue has declined to a quarter (26 per cent). One in two companies put their revenue loss at up to 30 per cent relative to the same month of the previous year. Nevertheless, a large proportion of respondents (15 per cent) claim to be seriously affected (with earnings falling by 70 per cent). Most of these companies operate in industries such as tourism, transport, the creative industries etc.

“Small firms have suffered the most.

A fifth of all micro-enterprises earned 70 per cent less in June this year than in the same month of 2019. As suggested by the findings of the second round, the crisis is spilling over into the IT sector and various manufacturing industries. These results again highlight how important it is to devote more attention to the decline in performance in industries that have a major impact on other sectors in the same value chain (such as transport and warehousing). In the next period we will see how the global pandemic crisis will impact on value chains and how the inevitable disruption of traditional value chains will affect the economies,” explains Stanojević. “In a finding similar to those from the previous rounds of the survey, businesses believe that minimum wage support and

RECOVERY STRATEGIES - ADAPTING BUSINESS MODELS Firms have largely arranged for some of their staff to work from home (as reported by 59 per cent), the larger a company, the more prepared it has been to plan working from home. Industries more closely linked to brick-and-mortar spaces were less able to

reported responding to the downturn by either setting up online stores or gearing up to do so. Companies integrated into global supply chains were much more likely to alter their production algorithms or introduce new products (as reported by 40 per cent of these businesses).

The most common strategy across all sectors has been to digitalise either business models or the whole access-to-market concept. Many companies have been able to find new niche markets and business models

When do you expect to see difficulties in paying your debts?

in the next 15 days

4

from 30 to 60 days

6

after 90 days

the next year

20 19 10 11

from 15 to 30 days

from 60 to 90 days

22

8

after 6 months

I don't expect difficulties

in percentage %

pivot to working from home, and so opted for other approaches to workforce optimisation.

The shift to digital business models has proven to be a crucial approach in weathering the Covid-19 downturn. Some businesses were better prepared for the emergency and were able to strengthen their existing online channels (as reported by 30 per cent of all respondents), but most other firms also voiced their expectation that digital solutions will be required for recovery.

A third of all firms report planning to develop new digital advertising channels, digitalise their business processes, and/ or adapt their product portfolios to new developments in demand. About 13 per cent

to best utilise their skills and survive. One in three companies see e-commerce and new advertising channels (digital marketing) as integral parts of their recovery strategy.

Nevertheless, two-thirds of all companies are inherently unable to shift their businesses completely online. As in previous surveys, findings show that industry type is decisive in determining a possible shift.

LIQUIDITY AND TIME TO RECOVERY Most companies are looking to fend off current and/or potential liquidity crises by managing their cash flow better (as reported by 72 per cent). Many firms are planning to introduce client risk assessments (42

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Even through the serious crisis, the vast majority of businesses have been able to retain all staff for the duration of the state of emergency and into the post-lockdown period. It is especially heartening to see sectors that have a strong impact on supply chains reporting a degree of recovery, as is the case with 60 per cent of all transport companies.

Compared to the same month of 2019, how much revenue do you estimate to have lost? up to 30% from 30% to 50% from 50% to 70% more than 70%

25

49

14 12

in percentage %

per cent), negotiate payment extensions or advance payment terms with creditors, and take out liquidity loans offered by the Serbian Development Fund (33 per cent).

Lastly, just under a third of those polled are planning to either borrow from their owners or from commercial banks or, alternatively, seek banks’ liquidity loans backed by national guarantee schemes. The take-up of factoring remains low, with plenty of room for improvement.

“A majority of the respondents (80 per cent) continue to assume they will have issues paying debts and remain vocal in highlighting the seriousness of the private sector’s liquidity issues. No major differences are in evidence from the previous survey round (late April), as one in every two companies still expect to encounter difficulties in paying what they owe within the next 30 to 90 days. There has been a noticeable increase, to seven per cent, in the proportion of businesses that believe they will have issues with paying their debts in the coming year. Micro- and small businesses were more likely to report such expectations. The findings show one in three medium-sized/ large firms have plans in place to ensure they stay liquid”, says Stanojević.

About 90 per cent of the firms surveyed expect to recover within one year: most (27 per cent) believe this will take between three

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and six months. Encouragingly, 11 per cent of all businesses feel business will return to normal in under a month. As expected, the hardest-hit sectors believe it will take longer to recover (more than a year in some cases). In comparison to the previous survey, there has been a noticeable increase in the proportion of firms reporting a partial recovery in production/service delivery.

CONSTRAINTS ON RECOVERY Firms believe the greatest obstacles on the road to recovery are a potential second wave of the pandemic and a repeated lockdown (as reported by no fewer than 73 per cent). Half of all surveyed companies (50 per cent) fear a drop in demand for their products or services. About 40 per cent expect to face issues with liquidity, access to finance, and/or changes to import/export policies.

“The findings from all three survey iterations have been very helpful to keep a continuous understanding of the SME sector’s whereabouts in the first three months of COVID-19. During the autumn period, USAID’s Cooperation for Growth Project will conduct the Survey of 1,000 Businesses that will provide more useful information and follow-up on SME’s vital circumstances and struggles on the market”, says Stanojević. ■

Which measures related to your business model have you taken or are planning to take shortly in response to the crisis?

36

33

32

30 13

Digitalization

Digital marketing

New products Boost of New sales existing online channels sales channels

13

11

7

Partially Launching of Temporary suspending the new, suspending business online payment business operations channels operations

Taken or planned business model measures %

VLADIMIR VASOJEVIĆ, BELCHIM CROP PROTECTION SRB (LTD.) BUSINESS

Food Quality & Safety Without Compromise Belchim is a European company that has a knowledge base from the most agriculturally developed countries in Europe, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany. The company's aim is to ensure that ever more agricultural producers in Serbia have access to their innovative plant protection products

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hrough its SMART Crop Protection™ programme, for intelligent, i,e. Precise, plant protection, Belchim has harmonised its programme with all increasingly rigorous environmental and safety standards. It invests in the development of new products through experiments that it conducts everywhere, both in Serbia and around the world.

tions, because plant protection is a dynamic area of agriculture that requires an holistic approach, rapid adaptation and flexibility.

Our ultimate goal is to be a part of the production of better quality and safer food.

With an understanding for the needs of local markets, with a team of dedicated people, we professionally help producers achieve good yields and high-quality produce.

• Your objective is to be part of the production of better quallity and safer food. How healthy and high quality is the food we eat today?

- The production of better quality and safer food starts with us, that is with plant

• How can new, modern and technologically superior solutions be made more accessible to every agricultural producer, whether they are the owner of thousands of hectares or a small family farm?

Belchim works constantly to make its products increasingly safer, through so-called biological. i.e. ecological, solutions protection, because we believe that plant protection solutions must be tested, safe and available to every agricultural producer, on the one hand, while at the same time all of us consumers of that same food must be convinced that we are consuming safe food. Although we operate across Europe and around the world, we don’t believe that there are universal solutions for all markets.

Our solutions are the result of many decades of monitoring and researching in real condi-

- Belchim develops professional solutions in all branches of plant production: viticulture, fruit, vegetable and field production. For us there are no small and large market segments or small and large producers, rather only optimal solutions that can help make our country’s agriculture more competitive. The specificity of Belchim’s development is in constantly identifying new solutions and adapting. This year, with our Japanese and European partners, we’ve also introduced several new products

to our market, which will soon represent the standard in plant protection. We are working to make our products increasingly safer, through so-called biological. i.e. ecological, solutions.

• We can’t be an agrarian force as a nation, but we could achieve much more than we are at present, right?

- Agriculture is the branch of the economy that we relied on for centuries when times were difficult. That is also the case now, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all need to work more intelligently, each in their own field. Smart agriculture starts with smart plant protection, which is promoted by our company.

On the basis of many quality people in the field of agriculture that I met across Europe, I think Serbia has everything it needs for success, both in terms of knowledge and experience, and that it only needs to monitor world trends and accept those technologies that can help in achieving high yields. In Serbia there are already existing serious producers and companies that have already reached the very top, with their excellent yields and product quality. Our role is to share knowledge and connect people as much as possible, doing everything in our power to help that section of producers who are able to advance. Only in that way can we rely on average yields being better. We see this as a huge challenge. ■

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BUSINESS

BOBAN JANKOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MIONICA

Boldly Moving Forward Thanks to investments in infrastructure according to plans, the modernisation of devastated old industrial zones and, primarily, the opening of Miloš the Great Highway and the high-speed Nepričava-Valjevo road link, Mionica has the lowest unemployment rate in the Kolubara district, while the goal is for it to be even lower

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ionica is a among the most developed municipalities in Serbia and is due to enter the society of the best in a few years. Moreover, my desire is for us to be an example of how a small local government can progress from being among the least developed to the most developed, says an optimistic Mr Janković.

• This year marks five years since you took over the helm of the municipality. Everything you’ve done has been done, as you once said, “at 200 per cent”. Was that enough? Are you happy with the performance?

- We have certainly worked. We have certainly done a lot, but I’m among those people who think that they can always do better. I am satisfied, but I wish we could have done more than this. The fact is that my team, with the great support of the Government of Serbia, has done plenty in terms of improving the lives of citizens, and we intend to do as much as possible by the end of the mandate next year.

When we set goals, we knew where we wanted to see Mionica in the period ahead, so we set a deadline for that period and undertake everything that leads us towards that

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• You stated recently that your goal is to ensure the same living conditions in the town and in the countryside in your municipality, which is small in terms of population but large in terms of territory. Is that feasible?

- Our progress is largely linked to Miloš the Great Highway and the high-speed Nepričava-Valjevo road link. People have been moving away from our municipality en masse since 1998, when we were struck by a horrific earthquake. Young, promising and educated people left because they could no longer connect their future and their existence to their homeland, and that is something we are endeavouring to change; to create conditions for them to have a normal life, working conditions and a salary that can motivate them to return.

Over the last few years we’ve worked intensively to ensure living conditions in our municipality are as good as possible, to lead

people to conclude that there’s no reason to suffer in the traffic congestion and pollution of major cities when they can find here everything that a major city provides them – good roads, electricity , water, work, cultural and sporting facilities, facilities for children, but even more than that. Here we have unpolluted nature, healthy water, healthy food, a peaceful life etc.

• You planned to provide water to every village, high-quality roads and a sufficient number of jobs by the end of your term in 2021. Is that right?

- We’ve done a lot in the previous period in terms of the quality of electricity supplies, and every village on the territory of the municipality will have its own water supply by the end of 2021. Everything we’ve done has been carried out in a planned way and on the basis of the expressed desires and needs of

Everything we've done has been carried out in a planned way and on the basis of the expressed desires and needs of the citizens, who stated their priorities in a public opinion survey

the citizens, who stated their priorities in a public opinion survey conducted on the territory of the municipality. Ranked in first place was securing their existence, i.e. job security, while water supply was ranked second and in third place came roads.

Our villages are burdened by two problems - small estates of an average of two and a half to three hectares and outdated mechanisation – which ensures that no household can live from agriculture. It’s for this reason that we are focused on the industrialisation of one part of Mionica, and our goal is to provide a regular salary to one member of each household through the creation of new jobs. That would guarantee them security, while engaging in agriculture would provide for additional quality of life.

When it comes to production, our goal shouldn’t be sales of primary agricultural products, but rather the opening of processing capacities. Mionica needs a large, modern dairy and a large plant for processing poultry.

If we managed to achieve that we would be able to increase incomes, employ people and profit from the processing of our agricultural products, instead of leaving that income for someone else to earn.

Organic production represents a great potential of our municipality, due to its geographical position and healthy environment.

In this regard, through a pilot project last year we distributed 20 polytunnel greenhouses for organic production to small producers, mostly young people. They trade their produce on the local market, supplying hoteliers and hospitality facilities, and if they expand their capacities they will have enough produce for Belgrade, which is just 45 minutes away. This year we’ll continue the programme of distributing polytunnel greenhouses and educating the population about organic production on a larger scale.

• You are building a new industrial zone that should help you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the most developed municipalities in Serbia, from the fourth development group.

When can this be expected?

- A local law on the construction of a new industrial zone was passed this year, and it will change the complete picture of the municipality and enable it to stand shoulder-to-shoulder

with the most developed municipalities in Serbia, from the fourth development group.

Until six years ago we had just one devastated and practically unusable industrial zone, which we revamped and made operational, and we are now working on the opening of a new one. It will be located just a kilometre and a half from the high-speed Nepričava-Valjevo road link and we should open it in November this year. The new industrial zone will change the complete picture of the municipality...

on our labour market. Our goal is for both highly educated and qualified workers to be hired, and we are here, as a municipality, to provide them with personnel of sufficient quality, either from the employment bureau or through retraining and additional training.

• Where are the greatest economic potentials of your municipality, besides tourism?

- Our investment in the further development of infrastructure, which is a prerequisite

This year we'll continue the programme of distributing polytunnel greenhouses and educating the population about organic production on a larger scale • You have three letters of intent from major companies operating in the auto and agricultural processing industries. How serious are their intentions?

- We currently have three letters of intent from large companies in the automotive sector that are interested in starting or expanding their production right here in our municipality.

These are companies that are linked to the automotive industry and the production of refrigeration equipment.

Their opening will create conditions for employment, not only for the people of Mionica, but also for citizens of Valjevo and other municipalities, in the case that there are insufficient workers available

for the revival of economic and agricultural activities, is at the fore. Tourism is currently dependent exclusively on Banja Vrujci spa and Divčibare mountain resort, but we can offer much more than that. Through tourism we can interconnect and improve all branches of the economy, but also agriculture.

Our chance is organic production, pristine nature, water that’s among the best quality in Serbia, excellent roads and close proximity to Belgrade, while people still represent our greatest wealth and potential.

Industrious people, hosts who love their families and their region, and who fight for the progress of their loved ones and their homeland. ■

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BUSINESS

VLADIMIR STOJANOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF KUČEVO

We're Reopening Factories The Municipality of Kučevo launched a series of activities in the previous period in order to create a favourable business environment for investors. New plants have opened, while the municipality also has an office that coordinates between investors, the local government, relevant government ministries and competent state agencies

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hen it comes to natural resources, the municipality of Kučevo has an incalculable wealth, and in order for it to live off tourism additional funds are required for new accommodation capacities, in order for tourists to stay instead of coming only on transitory visits.

• You once had factories employing almost 2,000 workers, while today you can only dream of that. How can production be relaunched?

- The production of Duboka mineral water by company Anđelković Al has been launched in Neresnica, Italians have invested in the Classiwood factory for timber and furniture elements, Swiss investors have invested in the MS Wood Group pellet factory, a Chinese business will open the Gangyan lime factory in March 2021, and in recent days a pre-agreement was signed on the sale of the ŠIK Kučevo complex between the current owner and German company Blockause.

With the arrival of these companies we’ve reduced unemployment, and we now expect new investments so that we can employ professional, educated, young people and thus secure a better standard of living.

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• Despite the budget for development, you are unable to carry out most infrastructure works without the help of government ministries.

What are you most in need of?

- We have good cooperation with all ministries and succeed in completing many important works in our municipality with their help. Thus we last year received funds for the renovation of the primary school in Rabrovo, while this year we received 500 million dinars to asphalt of roads, and just last week a contract was signed for the reconstruction of the Rakova Bara – Tumane regional road.

When it comes to the water supply and sewage network, at the end of this year we expect the completion of works on water flows, which are being implemented with the help of the competent ministry. The plan is to build a central water supply system and sewage network that would encompass all 25 settlements in the municipality. Our electricity network is good, with the situation stable, but we are certainly planning to construct new transformer stations.

Our municipality covers an area of 721km2, so it is very difficult to maintain road infrastructure, which isn’t only important for residents, but also for potential investors and tourists. Last year we managed to finalise the

complete road to Ravništarka Cave, where there is an info centre, restaurants and our log cabins where people can come to rest.

Thanks to funds from the Ministry of Tourism, we will be able to raise this complex to a higher level, with an additional 25-30 places in accommodation capacities.

Our tourism is advancing, so we can be proud of Vidikovac, the “Krak Lu Jordan” archaeological site and the river Pek, where guests pan for gold, while the categorisation of rural households seeking to engage in rural tourism is underway. This is part of the project entitled “Whole village ethno village”, which is already being implemented in the village of Duboka.

• Kučevo was declared an exceptional tourist destination in 2016. What would need to be done for yoou to live off tourism?

- It is essential for us to receive funds to promote our tourism potential. Caves are our biggest attraction, as well as panning for gold in the river Pek, and we believe that, if we were additionally engaged in that, tourists could bring us organised nature walks, hikes to the Jelena Stena viewing point, hikes to the highest peak of the Homolje Mountains and bicycle tours. ■

MARIJA CVETKOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF GADŽIN HAN BUSINESS

We Await Investors The Municipality of Gadžin Han hasn't attracted any new investors in the last 10 years, because it had nothing to offer them. Things started to change last year, when works started on the opening of the industrial zone that has attracted the interest to the first investors

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lthough the employment bureau has registered excellent and professional personnel for various jobs, the municipality would be ready to organise training courses and additional qualifications if required, in order for as many of the 1,400 registered unemployed local people as possible to secure work.

• Your municipality is the only one in Serbia that doesn’t have an industrial zone, but you are working on that. Are there any interested investors on hold?

- We’ve used strategic documents to define industrial zones on the territory of the munici-

• Prime Minister Ana Brnabić recently paid you a visit and promised help in finding investors.

What could be opened in the abandoned production hall that you visited?

- That’s a hall of 2,500 square metres that’s located within the framework of the Elid company. After that company went bankrupt, it came under the ownership of the Directorate for Property, which would give it to our municipality if an investor is found. During her visit, the Prime Minister expressed her intention to bring a serious investor that we could give the hall to, on condition that it employs 50 or 100 workers. We would most like for that to be a clothing factory, in order to employ as

Four people are currently included in the project “It's never too late to start”, which runs for 18 months pality, and one of them, the north industrial zone, is located at the very entrance to Gadžin Han. We repurchased land and earmarked funds for the preparation of project-technical documentation.

All that cost us 15-16 million dinars, and now we are preparing documentation for equipping it in terms of infrastructure, which includes access roads, water supply, sewage and electricity. We have investors interested in coming to Gadžin Han, but we need a little more time to finalise this job. Our budget is small, amounting to only 400 million dinars, which is why we need the help of the state.

many women as possible, because there are more of them registered with the National Employment Service.

• Only two companies operate on the territory of your municipality: Elid, with 50 workers, and Resor, with about 100 employees. Could they expand their capacities and hire additional workers with subsidies or some other assistance?

- Resor deals with the upgrading of utility vehicles and employs about a hundred workers, while Elid, with its 50 employees, is engaged

in the production of electrical materials of exceptional quality. Their products could satisfy even the most demanding markets, but they lack ISO standards and certificates, which are extremely expensive in and of themselves. If they had them, they could reorientate themselves towards exports and expand their production capacities, because the space available would enable that, and increase the number of workers, but they can’t do any of that without subsidies and significant assistance.

Money and time are required for that, but I believe that would ultimately be good for everyone.

• The project “It’s never too late to start” provides an opportunity for unemployed people to take the first steps towards developing their own business. Is there much interest?

- This is a “Start-up Centre” that we opened in the building we bought from the former Zaplanjka, which we equipped with computers and video, then made a conference room and created optimal conditions for writing business plans. Four people are currently included in the project “It’s never too late to start”, which runs for 18 months. I think the project will be extended, and the idea is for the authors of the three best business plans to receive help from the state, both in terms of money and equipment, to launch their businesses.

This is a good way to reduce unemployment and, even more importantly, to motivate people, primarily young people, to take their lives and their destinies into their own hands. ■

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Leaders’

INGRAM MICRO

VMware Greenplum Is Limitless PAGE /28

INGRAM MICRO VMWARE SD-WAN FOR HYBRID CLOUD

Superior IT Solutions PAGE /30

MEETING POINT ANA MANIĆ, Sauter Building Control Serbia

World’s First Covid-19 Vaccine Factory PAGE /31

NIKOLA ŽEŽELJ, Vojvodina Development Agency

GENERALI

Generali’s Human Safety High Net Helps Goals Lead To High Leaps 30,000 People PAGE /34

PAGE /39

INGRAM MICRO

VMware Greenplum Is Limitless

Pivotal Greenplum is the only open source shared nothing, a massively parallel processing data warehouse that has been designed for business intelligence processing and advanced data analytics. Its enterprise-grade analytical database provides powerful and rapid analytics on very large volumes of data

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reenplum is an open source data warehouse that provides powerful and rapid analytics on very large volumes of data. Uniquely geared towards machine learning and advanced data science, Greenplum is powered by the world’s most advanced cost-based query optimiser, delivering unequalled analytical query performance on large data volumes, flexibility, a complete set of features and tight integration with leading analytical libraries and software stacks.

Static IT budgets, exploding data volumes and an ever-evolving competitive landscape have catalysed new ways of thinking about effective systems for data analytics in enterprises. Legacy data management solutions have not been able to scale to the volume of data and deliver the advanced analytical capabilities needed to address this new market reality. At the same time, proven mas-

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sively parallel processing data warehouses have led to new approaches to effective data exploration and business insights.

KEY ARCHITECTURAL TENETS Each server node in the Greenplum warehouse owns and manages a distinct portion of the overall data. The system automatically distributes data and parallelises query workloads across all available hardware, moving the processing dramatically closer to the data and its users, resulting in the delivering of maximum resource utilisation and incredible expressiveness.

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CORE CAPABILITIES DELIVER A FULLY FEATURED DATA WAREHOUSE Greenplum incorporates several core capabilities that deliver extremely high query performance and throughput, reliable query completeness and correctness, as well as strong support for complex queries at petabyte scale data volumes with mixed workloads. Proven Open Source Technology: After a decade of software hardening, Pivotal made Greenplum available as an open source data warehouse called the “Greenplum Database”;

Massively Parallel Processing Architecture: The Pivotal Greenplum architecture provides automatic parallelisation of data and queries— all data is automatically partitioned across all nodes of the system, while queries are planned and executed using all nodes working together in a highly coordinated fashion.

Petabyte-Scale Loading: High-performance loading uses MPP Scatter/Gather Streaming technology.

SOLVING BUSINESS PROBLEMS WITH PROVEN ANALYTICS Comprehensive SQL support: Greenplum offers comprehensive SQL-92 and SQL-99 language support with SQL 2003 OLAP extensions. Advanced machine learning: Greenplum has some of the most advanced machine learning support among analytical databases in the industry. These capabilities are provided through Apache MADlib (incubating), an open source library for scalable in-database analytics extending the SQL capabilities on Greenplum through user-defined functions.

Support for PL/*programmable analytics: Greenplum enables users to implement functions in PL/Python, PL/Java, PL/R, PL/SQL, PL/Perl etc. that are executed in massively parallel mode. This enables powerful programmatic analytics capabilities to be executed natively at massive scale, as required by the use cases. Data Federation using GPHDFS: Greenplum supports data federation with all the major Hadoop distributions, enabling the use of a HDFS file system to create and update external tables, thereby minimising data movement. PostGIS support: Greenplum has extensive support for PostGIS, a spatial database extension for PostgreSQL that allows GIS (Geographic Information Systems) objects to be stored and processed in the database. The Greenplum PostGIS extension includes support for spatial indexes and functions for analysis and processing of GIS objects.

SECURITY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY Data Security: Security is a key consideration for ensuring enterprise policy and regulatory compliance for the data managed in analytical databases. Security can be categorised as authentication, authorisation, audit

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Flexible Deployment Model: Greenplum is available as part of the Pivotal Big Data Suite

• Leverage existing SQL tools and skills • Off-load and takeover workloads with the best cost, performance and scale • Leverage advanced analytics to solve business problems • Implementation of business critical analytical use cases with robust security and business continuity • Leverage data federation with all major Hadoop distributions to build end-end use cases • Leverage flexible deployment models to address enterprise needs • Leverage flexible licensing as part of a larger Pivotal Big Data Suite FEATURES OF GREENPLUM • Shared-nothing, massively parallel processing data warehouse

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and supports multiple deployment models: • Software: Packaged software distribution for integration with user provided commodity hardware running Linux OS. • Appliance: EMC Data Computing Appliance (DCA) – fully integrated Hardware + Software solution, available in a range from a ¼ rack with four nodes to hundreds of nodes.

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KEY BENEFITS OF GREENPLUM • Proven open source technology hardened over ten years

• Fastest MPP data ingest platform • Full SQL and ACID compliance • Pivotal Query Optimiser supporting complex, interactive queries at big data volumes • Polymorphic storage and multi-level partitioning for flexible and efficient queries • Advanced analytics capabilities • Data federation with all major Hadoop distributions • Enterprise-grade security and business continuity • Flexible deployment options Ingram Micro doo Beograd, 11070 Novi Beograd, Tošin bunar 272V +381 (65) 20 42 099 vmware-serbia@ingrammicro.com

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INGRAM MICRO VMWARE SD-WAN FOR HYBRID CLOUD

Superior IT Solutions VMware SD- WAN is one of the superior IT solutions that helps make best use of a company’s resources, to support a large number of operating systems and applications, building a strong and always available IT system. As such, it is the right choice for every company

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ybrid cloud combines the best of both public and private clouds – accessibility, elasticity, agility and cost benefits of the public cloud, along with the control, security and reliability of a private cloud.

At the same time, if the user experience and performance of the applications deployed anywhere are not consistent while using either IT delivery model, the benefits of the hybrid cloud, or any cloud model, fall flat.

To support the transition to cloud while maintaining the desired user experience, enterprise network architects are re-evaluating the design of their wide area network (WAN) architectures to efficiently route internet traffic. In order to take advantage of inexpensive and ubiquitous broadband Internet services, customers are turning to software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN).

The cloud-delivered VMware SD-WAN

by VeloCloud® simplifies how traffic is directed and provides bandwidth optimisation for the branch without the complexity and effort of Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). VMware SD-WAN enables direct access to applications deployed on public or private clouds for branch users through a distributed network of highly available VMware SD-WAN Gateways and the VMware SD-

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WAN Orchestrator with branch VMware SD-WAN Edges.

Unique to the VMware approach is the Dynamic Multi-path Optimisation (DMPO) technology that steers traffic on a per packet basis to the optimal path and mediates transmission degradation.

The VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator offers a single pane of glass, enabling admins to define policies, deploy new services and monitor and manage all the deployed VMware SD-WAN Edges. The combination connects the user and application through a low latency and highly reliable path without any major change required from the customer side.

VMWARE CLOUD ON AWS Customers across industries are accelerating their adoption of both Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud and VMware infrastructure. Many of them want the ability to integrate their on-premises data centre environments with AWS using their existing tools and skill sets within a common operating environment based on familiar VMware software. VMware Cloud on AWS delivers on this promise Ingram Micro doo Beograd, 11070 Novi Beograd, Tošin bunar 272V +381 (65) 20 42 099 vmware-serbia@ingrammicro.com

by providing a unified infrastructure framework that bridges the gap between private and public clouds.

OPTIMISING CONNECTIVITY WITH VMWARE SD-WAN VMware Cloud on AWS provides a seamlessly integrated hybrid cloud that empowers users to enjoy the flexibility of public cloud, while at the same time controlling the distribution of workloads based on their business intent. Networks connecting the users and workloads, whether deployed on customer premises or on AWS, play a pivotal role in deciding the performance and experience for the end user.

Connectivity to cloud-based applications over the last mile can be greatly enhanced by using VMware SD-WAN delivering a better user experience and real time visibility into application and network performance. VMware SD-WAN Edge logically aggregates all types of WAN connections emerging from branch offices or other remote locations, widening the bandwidth for applications.

The most important benefit of using VMware SD-WAN with VMC on AWS is that users receive all the features of VMware SD-WAN even when there is no VMware SD-WAN Edge installed at the AWS zones where VMware SDDC is deployed.

ANA MANIĆ, SALES AND MARKETING, SAUTER BUILDING CONTROL SERBIA

World’s First Covid-19 Vaccine Factory Sauter is a Swiss company that is entrusted with the most demanding and complex projects around the world, because it has the best and most reliable solutions, as well as many years of experience in automating BSL-4 laboratories in the countries of Western Europe

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aving the status of a leading brand in the field of pharmaceutical and laboratory controls has brought us an engagement in Baku and participation in the construction of four BLS-3 laboratories, while - on the basis of top references – we’ve also been entrusted with one of the most important jobs in the world, reveals Sauter Building Control Serbia’s Ana Manić.

Why did China place its trust in your Swiss company when it comes to the construction of the first factory for a vaccine against Covid-19, which is one of China’s most important strategic projects of national interest?

The project of constructing a factory for a vaccine against the virus, which is the biggest threat to today’s civilisation, has the highest priority for the Chinese state, but also for the rest of the world. It is for that reason that no risk is allowed in any segment of the project, and Sauter is recognised as a company that can ease the realisation of the requirements set significantly, as it has the best and most reliable solutions. We are very proud of that fact.

Through the comprehensive integration of all components, we combine systems into unique solutions that meet the specific requirements of each facility.

So, Sauter is automating the laboratories where the first vaccines will be produced.

How important is automation when it comes to the vaccine production process?

In accordance with the strictest requirements, automation is essential in research laboratories. Including the protection of people and property, maintaining temperature and humidity, and controlling danger zones, the automation process must reliably maintain the flow and quality of air, prevent exchanges of particles between different areas within the facility, and thereby maintain a sterile environment. Sauter recommends

The BSL-4 certificate is awarded for the highest level of biological safety to laboratories in which viruses are tested

itself in this field due to its many years of experience involving the automation of BSL-4 (Biosafety level 4) laboratories in the countries of Western Europe. The BSL-4 certificate is awarded for the highest level of biosafety to laboratories in which viruses that threaten today’s society are tested.

Does Sauter Serbia share similar experiences when it comes to the field of laboratory automation, for which applications are almost always crucial from the perspective of safety and finally health, considering the importance of products that are produced and tested there?

Certainly. Sauter Serbia has implemented a strategically important project in Baku, Azerbaijan. That project is called the CRL (Central Reference Laboratory). Investors in the project are the U.S. Army and the Government of Azerbaijan. Our engineers from Belgrade worked on the development of project documentation and the complete implementation of the Sauter solution, concluding with the commissioning of the Building Management System in Baku. We had four BLS-3 laboratories on that project, and it was an extremely demanding project that was received successfully by consultants from Washington, with whom we had great collaboration. This was a significant experience for us, because BSL-3 laboratories are a rarity and you don’t get many opportunities to work on such a project that’s complex in every way.

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“We are proud of the long-term cooperation and support of the American Embassy in Serbia and USAID, with which we have been building a public-private dialogue for a better business environment in Serbia since 2006.” – NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (NALED)

LOCAL NEWS EU

EU DONATES €16M FOR WATER TRANSPORT PROJECTS

OTP BANKA

OTP BANKA ENABLES PAYMENTS WITH APPLE PAY Starting from 21 July 2020, OTP banka Srbija, with the support of Mastercard, has enabled its clients to pay with Apple Pay-a.

With greater security, safety and data protection when paying with Apple devices, OTP banka’s customers can now pay at the point of sale without exchanging a payment card or cash with the seller and without touching the POS terminal with their hands.

The clients using an iPhone or Apple Watch only need to bring their portable device close to the POS terminal and thus make a contactless payment.

The European Commission approved non-repayable funds in the amount of €16 million for financing projects in the field of water transport, according to the statement by the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.

The funds are intended for the realisation of three projects – the adaptation of the water navigation lock within Hydro electrical power plant “Djerdap 2”, the expansion of the electronic waterway marking system (AtoN) to the Sava River, and the purchase of two vessels for the needs of the Waterways Directorate.

The funds have been approved through Connecting Europe Facility Fond, аnd the total amount of the grant, €16 million, covers 40 per cent of the total value of the projects, while the remaining funds have already been secured through a loan of the European Investment Bank and the Serbian budget.

DELTA HOLDING

DELTA HOLDING’S BUSINESS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2020 In the first half of 2020 Delta Holding business system managed to save employees’ health during the Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining good business results at the same time. As a result of the measures taken, 2.7 billion dinars operating profit before taxation (EBITDA) was realized during the last 6 months, which is 9.3% more than in the first half of 2019. Sales revenue of 30.33 billion dinars (257.93 million euros) was generated in the 6-month period, which is 1.5% less than in the same period last year. The largest part of the revenue was generated in agriculture (48%), then followed by a distribution (30%). Despite the ongoing pandemic, Delta Real Estate managed to continue construction work on all 4 active construction sites – future business headquarters Delta House in Belgrade, Delta Planet shopping mall in Niš, Hotel Indigo in Belgrade and Delta Planet shopping mall in Varna (Bulgaria), which is being redesigned as a preparation for the opening of Ikea.

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GALENIKA

75 YEARS OF GALENIKA In the jubilee year, Galenika a.d. Belgrade records constant growth in all segments of its business. In the first half of 2020, Galenika achieved an increase in sales by 8% compared to the same period in 2019, which strengthened its second position in the Serbian pharmaceutical market. The direct result of the new vision and business strategy resulted in additional sales growth in the region (Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia) by 14%. Three new export markets have been opened, while Galenika is actively present in 8 international markets in the EU, the Middle East and Africa, where it has increased its sales more than double.

With a strategic partnership with its sister company from Brazil – EMS, Galenika’s Institute for Research and Development continues to develop new products.

The registration of 12 products is in progress, and by the end of the year, 4 new products are expected to be released on the market.

THE EUROPEAN INVESTMENT FUND

FIRST EVER LOAN UNDER EASI FUNDED INSTRUMENT SIGNED IN SERBIA The European Investment Fund (EIF) and the European Union announced the first EaSI Funded Instrument loan transaction in Serbia, worth €10 million. The loan will allow Opportunity Bank Serbia (OBS), the only specialised financial services provider for micro and small enterprises on the Serbian market, to increase its outreach towards vulnerable entrepreneurs, particularly in rural areas. OBS plays an instrumental role in the local economy by enhancing farmers’ access to various loan products. The transaction will enhance the lending capacity of OBS, whose financial offer is complemented by non-financial services. The bank will distribute the loans under more favourable terms than existing commercial loans, and provide entrepreneurs with complementary education to improve their business management skills.

“It is excellent news that the Convention between Japan and Serbia for the Elimination of Double Taxation concerning Taxes on Income and the Prevention of Tax Evasion and Avoidance has been signed.” – JAPANESE BUSINESS ALLIANCE IN SERBIA (JBAS)

Placements postings

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appointments@aim.rs

MARIAN MARINOV, AD INTERIM NESTLÉ COUNTRY MANAGER FOR SERBIA GAS PIPELINE

NIŠ-SOFIJA GAS PIPELINE FOR BETTER NATURAL GAS SUPPLY AND AIR QUALITY IN SERBIA The new natural gas connection will open development possibilities, new markets and options for a cleaner environment. The construction will allow easy gas access for citizens and businesses of Bela Palanka, Pirot, and Dimitrovgrad—three towns that previously haven’t had access to gas.

The construction of the gas pipeline Niš-Sofija, a 108-kilometre section in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, should be launched in early 2021. The total value of construction works is estimated at around 85 million EUR, of which the European Union donated 49.6 million EUR.

Marian Marinov holds the position of CFO of Nestlé South East Market and ad interim Country Manager of Nestlé Serbia, which is part of the world’s largest food and beverages company, Nestlé. In addition to holding leading senior management positions in Nestlé, Mr. Marinov is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Foreign Investors Council - FIC. Marian joined Nestlé in 2010, as Head of Internal Audit for Nestlé EMENA Region in Nestlé Group Audit (NGA), based in Switzerland.

Prior to his current position, he served as financial manager for Nestlé Bulgaria, after which he took on the role of South East Market Transformation Project Lead. He was appointed CFO of Nestlé SEM in May 2019 and ad interim Country Manager of Nestlé Serbia in March 2020. Prior to joining Nestlé, Marinov held positions with increasing responsibility in Kraft Foods International and Deloitte. A Certified Internal Auditor who holds a BA degree in International Business, Mr. Marinov is a married father of two daughters.

BAMBI

BAMBI DONATES MORE THAN 30 MILLION RSD IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 Since the beginning of the crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic in Serbia, Bambi has donated more than 30 million dinars for more than 30 institutions, organisations and cities that are most affected by the virus.

Bambi has aimed to provide support to healthcare centres at the front line of the response to coronavirus.

In this month only, a significant donation in the necessary medical equipment has been provided for the Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Belgrade, Gerontology Centre Bežanijska kosa, Clinical Centre of Kragujevac, General Hospital in Užice, General Hospital in Vranje and hospitals in Šabac and Surdulica. Previously, the company helped the hospital in Požarevac by donating medical equipment. During the state of emergency, Bambi also donated its products to healthcare professionals in all major healthcare centres.

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NIKOLA ŽEŽELJ, DIRECTOR, VOJVODINA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

High Goals Lead To High Leaps The Vojvodina Development Agency, RAV, is doing everything it can to make Vojvodina a recognisable area in this region, especially when it comes to investments – conditions for doing business. It is already recognisable for some sectors, but time and effort are required to secure a leadership position Realistically, and I’m sorry that I have to start like this, I think that at this juncture we’re ever further away from the goals that were bright and clear in our focus just a few months ago. Today they’re directed primarily towards the fight against the virus, towards maintaining the health of employees, work and contacts, as well as towards creating plans to overcome the economic consequences that the virus will leave behind. Although I must mention that, even at this moment, there are interested foreign companies, for which reports are currently being prepared.

And if the Coronavirus hadn’t happened, then I would still be telling you that Vojvodina isn’t yet the leader of the economic development of Southeast Europe, because that’s a goal that we set high for ourselves. And only if you set your sights high will you leap high enough.

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t is an important fact for companies seeking new locations that Vojvodina already has a unique and diverse economy, and that it plays host to a large number of companies from various sectors, according to the principle: “If it is good for others, it will also be good for us”.

The mission of the Vojvodina Development Agency is “To make Vojvodina the primary investment location and leader in the economic development of Southeast Europe”.

How far are we from achieving that goal?

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RAV deals, among other things, with the finding of available funding from international funds and the distribution of budget subsidies. How are these funds used at the local and regional levels?

One of the goals of the Vojvodina Development Agency is to bring all available financing opportunities closer to businesspeople in Vojvodina, i.e. to inform them about current subsidy contests, favourable loans and other programmes, as well as finding adequate ways of co-financing their business projects through state

assistance programmes or international programmes of donor institutions.

Companies operating in Vojvodina have at their disposal both funds from national sources and funds from the provincial budget fund, through which subsidies are awarded for new employments, the procurement of new equipment, as well as for investments in the field of cooperatives in agriculture. These funding contests are announced once or twice a year, and we can say that they’ve already become recognisable and popular among business leaders, because firms can apply for subsidies, through a really clear and simple procedure, if they plan to hire new workers or purchase new production equipment. Subsidies are awarded by the Provincial Secretariat for Regional Development, Interregional Cooperation and Local Self-Government, in cooperation with our agency.

We have strong educational centres, the highest percentage of qualified and highly qualified workers in Serbia ... and we are separated from the EU by only one border and an hour’s drive

Between November 2017 and today, 116 applications have been approved, and thanks to these programmes a total of 1,774 new workers will be employed, while 4.4 billion dinars will be invested in tangible assets. The approved funds for equipment and new jobs amount to around a billion dinars, with around 46 million dinars approved for equipment for cooperatives.

When it comes to promoting Vojvodina as an ideal investment location, what are its greatest potentials?

Vojvodina has strong educational centres, the highest percentage of qualified and highly qualified workers in Serbia, a multilingual educational system, a good business climate and developed agriculture, metal-machinery industries and a strong IT sector. And along with all of that it also has foreign companies, especially European ones, while also representing a significant factor certainly the fact that it is so close to the European Union, separated by only one border and an hour’s drive.

An important segment of our work is cooperating with companies that are already here, communicating with them, maintaining contacts, visits, taking care.

When you present potentials to foreign businesspeople, everything you’ve said or written to them only gains real gravitas and value through “examples of good practice”. And in Vojvodina such examples are traditionally prevalent in the agribusiness, IT and metal-machinery sectors, including the auto parts industry.

Many world economists estimate that the pandemic will change the car industry permanently, so it remains to be seen how this crisis will be overcome by the auto parts industry, which has so far been one of the strongest sectors in Vojvodina, attracting a lot of foreign capital.

Viewed from the perspective of current events, what is the most profitable area for investment in Vojvodina today? In the auto industry, agribusiness, IT sector, or in renewable energy?

Vojvodina is an agricultural region

and agribusiness is traditionally one of the leading sectors here. To date a total of 101 foreign companies have come to us, and with them investments worth more than three billion euros. There are currently 76 foreign agribusiness companies active, employing 12,500 people.

It is only in these kinds of crises that we become aware of how important it is that

It is only in these kinds of crises that we become aware of how important it is that our agriculture sector and food industry are well developed

our agriculture sector and food industry are well developed, there are no cases of withdrawals or collapses among food production companies. Here are a few examples: French yeast producer Lesaffre (formerly Altech of Senta) sold as much yeast in the first month and a half of the state of emergency as it normally sells in an average year.

Likewise, our small producers of jams, juices, pastas, spreads, fresh fruits and vegetables etc., have started using new sales channels - online sales have come

to the fore, which everyone was previously less engaged in or only planned to develop. It is also important to note that foreign companies continue to invest and reinvest in the food sector.

Foreign investors were for years hesitant to come to Serbia due to its administrative procedures, but that time is fortunately in the past. How quickly are required permits obtained today?

It is very important to know how others see us, because when considering the possibility of relocating capital and production to another country, companies don’t only read what their development agencies write about investment conditions, but also how they are ranked by institutions like the World Bank. Their reports can sometimes be a kind of instruction manual: what needs to change.

In the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 report, Serbia was ranked in 44th place, while in the one from 2019 it was 48th. The reasons for this positive shift are cited as the fact that Serbia has eased the obtaining of building permits by implementing a new online portal and reducing administrative fees, improved the reliability of electricity by reengineering substations, installing remote control systems and improving network maintenance, eased the payment of taxes by introducing internal deadlines for VAT refunds etc. So, it is recognised that work is being done to make conditions better and better for launching a business and for doing business.

What about when the Coronavirus pandemic passes? Where will you start; what will be your main activities?

We’ll have to find new dates for the postponed promotional activities, to continue with all the activities that were interrupted or postponed. Also ahead of us is the development of the “AP Vojvodina Development Plan for the 2021-2027 period”.

However, first and foremost we’ll have to do a lot of analysis, to measure losses, talk with domestic and foreign investors, and help where we can, especially small and medium-sized producers in Vojvodina.

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“It will take two years to get back to the pre-pandemic level.” – MIRSAD JAŠARSPAHIĆ, PRESIDENT OF B&H CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

REGIONAL NEWS CROATIA

BINDING VERDICT IN FAVOUR OF ABC SERBIA After a process lasting eight years, the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia has brought a binding verdict that obliges the Audit Bureaux of Circulation of Croatia Ltd. (ABC Croatia) to pay the Audit Bureaux of Circulation of Serbia Ltd. (ABC Serbia) the amount of €43,700 with interest, as well as court expenses and other costs totalling the sum of 751,189.89 Croatian kuna (approx. €100,000).

The dispute arose in 2012 after ABC Croatia refused to pay for agreed services of ABC Serbia, consisting of introducing ABC Croatia to auditing works, the use and maintenance of essential software for performing audits in accordance with international standards, as well as consultancy services.

SLOVENIA

GORENJE ENTERS CHINA’S MARKET WITH NEW BRAND NAME GU LUO NI Slovenian white goods manufacturer Gorenje, owned by China’s Hisense Group, said it had entered China’s high-end consumer market under a new brand name - Gu Luo Ni. “We have decided to come even closer - as it is frequently done by foreign brands in the Chinese market, we have also adapted the brand name Gorenje to Chinese pronunciation. Thus, we proudly present Gu Luo Ni,” the Slovenian company said in a statement last week. It noted that Gu represents the tradition of the Gorenje brand with 70 years of heritage, while Luo describes a sense of elegant, consumer-centred design, and Ni is the idea of globalisation and simplification. Gorenje added it would further support the positioning of its brand on the Chinese market via numerous other activities, such as the recent celebration of its 70th anniversary at a special event in Beijing.

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA SEES INCREASE IN NUMBER OF BUILDING PERMITS The number of building permits issued in June 2020, compared to the average number of building permits issued in 2019, increased by 9.8%, while it decreased 6.2% compared to June 2019.

The number of residences planned for construction in June of 2020, compared to the average number of residences planned for construction in 2019, increased by 11.6%, while increasing 11.9% compared to June 2019.

Judging by the number of building permits issued during the Coronavirus crisis, reduced activity in the construction sector can be expected in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the coming period, according to the eKapija business portal.

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“This year MFIC celebrates 11 years of its existence. Our objective continues to be the promotion of sustainable economic growth by improving Montenegro’s business climate through transparent dialogue between our business community members and policymakers.” – MONTENEGRO FOREIGN INVESTORS COUNCIL (MFIC)

BULGARIA

BULGARIA THE SECOND COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF BITCOINS According to recent statistics, Bulgaria is the second country with the highest number of bitcoins in the entire world. This fact only speaks about the interests in bitcoins in Bulgaria.

There was a recent rise in bitcoins ownership in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Government owns more than 213.000 bitcoins.

Bitcoins in this country are worth more than $804 million. The bitcoin wallet is a great idea to cover the amount of Bulgarian GDP. The owner with the highest number of bitcoins in the world is indeed the creator of bitcoins, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Many companies are operating with cryptocurrencies. Most of the international crypto conferences are indeed taking place in Bulgaria.

MONTENEGRO

INVESTMENT IN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ENOUGH TO OBTAIN MONTENEGRIN CITIZENSHIP The purchase of apartments in a condo hotel or a hotel that is on a mixed business model, listed among development projects, is counted as an investment for which a Montenegrin passport can be obtained based on the Government’s program of economic citizenship.

The information was confirmed to “Vijesti” by the Montenegrin Investment Promotion Agency (MIPA), which submitted report that the list of development projects in the field of tourism currently includes seven hotels given the green light for construction by the Government. Of these, four are based on the condo business principle, and three on the mixed business model.

ROMANIA

BIGGEST ROMANIAN DEVELOPER LAUNCHES 120 MILLION EURO OFFICE PROJECT Iulius Company, the biggest Romanian real estate developer, controlled by local investor Iulian Dascalu, started the construction of its new Palas Campus office project in Iasi. The investment in this project is estimated at EUR 120 million.

Palas Campus will be one of the largest office buildings in Romania in terms of its total area, adding up to more than 60,000 sqm leasable area, according to the company. The project will also consolidate the city centre as a destination that supports the evolution of local entrepreneurship and creative industries.

Palas Campus is the biggest investment launched in Iasi in the current social and economic context, as well as the largest after the grand opening of Palas in 2012, the first mixed-use project in Romania, also developed by Iulius Company.

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“June has been a very strong rebound in sales and July is seeing a similar trend.”

– PHILIPPE DE ROVIRA, FINANCIAL CHIEF OF PEUGEOT

WORLD NEWS WORLD

GLOBAL AIR TRAFFIC WON’T RECOVER FROM COVID-19 UNTIL 2024

EU

EU ALLOCATED €2.2BN FUNDING FOR 140 TRANSPORT The European Union has announced €2.2bn in funding for 140 transport projects through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Rail will receive the lion’s share with €1.6bn allocated to 55 projects on the trans-European transport (TEN-T) core network.

The EU says the funding will help plug missing transport links across the continent, support sustainable transport and create jobs, while also supporting the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding will also help the EU deliver its climate objectives set out in the European Green Deal, with a strong emphasis on projects that reinforce rail connections, including cross-border links and connections to ports and airports.

Global air traffic will not return to pre-coronavirus levels until at least 2024, a year later than previously anticipated, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Tuesday.

One of the reasons cited by the IATA for the “more pessimistic” outlook is the slow virus containment in the US and developing economies.

“Although developed economies outside of the US have been largely successful in containing the spread of the virus, renewed outbreaks have occurred in these economies, and in China,” the IATA noted.

“Furthermore there is little sign of the virus containment in many important emerging economies, which in combination with the US, represent 40% of global air travel markets,” it added.

USA/EU

FACEBOOK TAKES THE EU TO COURT OVER PRIVACY SPAT Facebook has pushed back against a European Union investigation into its practices, taking it to court over privacy concerns.

Two investigations are being carried out into Facebook to find out if it breaches competition laws.

To gather information, the European Commission has demanded internal documents from Facebook that include 2,500 specific key phrases.

Facebook says that means handing over unrelated but highly sensitive data.

The European Commission says it will defend the case in court, and its investigation into Facebook’s potential anticompetitive conduct is ongoing.

The social media giant has filed an appeal to the EU courts, arguing against the breadth of the document requests.

USA

AMAZON TAKES ON SUPERMARKETS WITH FREE FOOD DELIVERY Amazon is ramping up its online grocery service with the aim of serving millions of shoppers across the UK by the end of 2020.

Online food sales have almost doubled during the pandemic with grocers struggling to keep up with demand.

Amazon is now after a bigger slice of this fast-growing market, which analysts say could increase pressure on rivals such as Ocado.

Amazon Fresh offers same or next-day grocery deliveries for customers in London and parts of the Home Counties.

Shoppers have to subscribe to Amazon Prime to get it and users currently have to pay an additional monthly fee or a delivery charge per order. It has about 10,000 products including fresh, chilled and frozen food.

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GENERALI

Generali’s Human Safety Net Helps 30,000 People · The first report of The Human Safety Net’s global activities has been published after a two-year journey · Extraordinary support of over €1 million was allocated to tackle the Covid-19 emergency, ensuring programmes can continue at distance and reducing the digital gap of families and refugees

T

he Human Safety Net, Generali’s global initiative for unlocking the potential of people living in vulnerable contexts, has published a first activity report, sharing its two-year journey of growing Generali’s social impact in the communities where the Group is present in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Two years after its launch, The Human Safety Net is active in 21 countries around the world and running three evidence-based programmes to support families with young children and integrate refugees through work. After a rigorous selection process, The Human Safety Net has partnered with 46 leading NGOs and social enterprises, acting together like a net to amplify the impact that each organisation might have on its own.

Until the end of 2019 it had supported more than 30,000 people, reaching about 20,000 children aged 0-6 and 10,000 parents, and training almost 700 refugees who created more than 100 start-ups.

The Human Safety Net brings together the strengths of non-profit organisations and the private sector. The initiative is designed for social impact through a shared methodology for implementing programs and a common framework for measuring results. As part of the Group’s broader sustainability strategy objectives, Generali aims to increase the impact of this movement of people helping people by mobilising the skills and resources of the company’s employees, agents, distribution networks, and clients. In 2019, Generali employees and agents dedicated 20,000 hours of volunteering with The Human Safety Net.

To maintain close contact with more vulnerable families and refugee entrepreneurs, and to ensure program continuity during the Covid-19 emergency, additional extraordinary initiatives worth more than €1 million have been launched to support immediate necessities (like healthy kits, masks, laptops and tablets) as well as an investment in digital solutions (like online platforms and apps).

Since 2018, as a part of The Human Safety Net initiative, Generali Osiguranje Srbija has been offering a family programme in Serbia, aimed at providing children living in poverty with equal chances to realise their full potential. As parents or guardians play a key role in children’s development, the programme is designed to help them acquire knowledge that will enable them to support the development of their children during the first six years of life. The programme is being implemented in cooperation with the Novak Đoković Foundation.

So far 390 workshops have been held for 600 parents and 1,000 children

The latter will allow NGO partners to support families and refugees during and after the crisis, providing them with learning opportunities, maintaining access to essential services, and limiting the social isolation of the most vulnerable. In this way, The Human Safety Net is helping reduce the digital gap in the non-profit sector.

The Chairman of Assicurazioni Generali, Gabriele Galateri di Genola, and the Group CEO, Philippe Donnet, explained, “The Human Safety Net is part of our active commitment to society. It addresses some of the great social challenges of our time and is one of Generali’s key contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted inequalities and has made large sections of the population more vulnerable. In this period, more than ever before, The Human Safety Net projects have become important in unlocking the human potential of the weakest parts of our humanity and in strengthening the communities in which the Group operates. Alongside these activities of The Human Safety Net are other Generali initiatives to deal with the Covid-19 emergency, as the Extraordinary International Fund launched in March”.

The initiative is driven by Fondazione Generali The Human Safety Net Onlus, established in 2017 to support the Group’s business units in coordinating programs and activities in the countries where The Human Safety Net is active. In 2019, the contribution to The Human Safety Net by Fondazione Generali and Generali business units was € 6.3 million.

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KANYE WEST

Timothy Norris/Getty Images

Enterpreneur

How Kanye West Made & Spends His

Billion-dollar Fortune

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Kanye West, the rapper, who has teased a presidential run since 2015, posted his intentions on Twitter that he’s running for president in 2020 Forbes estimates that Yeezy alone adds $1.26 billion to the rapper’s personal net worth.

As Business Insider’s Mary Hanbury previously reported, West rolls out new products in limited numbers, which boosts the hype and causes them to sell out quickly. One hour after the Boost 350 sneakers went on sale for $200, for example, they were sold out in stores

Vogue/YouTube

Kanye West’s Yeezy brand has entered into a multi-year partnership with Gap. Bloomberg’s Kim Bhasin reported that the Yeezy-Gap collaboration will see a line of apparel for men, women, and a kid’s line called Yeezy Gap. Products will start to roll out in 2021 “We are excited to welcome Kanye back to the Gap family as a creative visionary, building on the aesthetic and success of his YEEZY brand and together defining a next-level retail partnership,” Mark Breitbard, global head of Gap Brand, said in a press release about the partnership.

In a 2015 interview with the now-defunct Style.com, West revealed that he wanted to be the “Steve Jobs of Gap.” He also mentioned Gap in the song “Spaceship” from his album “The College Dropout.”

In April, Forbes declared West a billionaire after a years-long public campaign by the rapper and fashion designer. Despite being new to the three-comma club, West has long been open about the extravagant lifestyle he shares with his wife, Kim Kardashian West.

Together, the couple owns millions of dollars of luxury cars, real estate, and even nearly $200,000 worth of livestock, according to Forbes.

Here’s a look at how West has built and spent his billion-dollar fortune.

The rapper raked in an estimated $150 million in 2019, according to Forbes. The publication looked at pretax income from June 2018 to June 2019 before deducting fees for agents, managers, and lawyers.

Jay-Z, the industry’s second-highest-paid artist, made an estimated $81 million in 2019.

Drake is the third highest-paid hip-hop artist, with $75 million in pretax earnings.

The streetwear brand, which sells clothing and sneakers in partnership with Adidas, was valued at $3 billion by Bank of America in 2019. West is the brand’s sole owner, according to Forbes.

the new collection and being photographed by the press.

West is known for hosting what he calls “Sunday Service,” an invitation-only spiritual gathering and performance usually held in Southern California.

During the services, West often sings and raps gospel versions of his own songs accompanied by a large choir.

The get-togethers have reportedly been attended by major celebrities including Brad Pitt, Dave Chappelle, A$AP Rocky, and Katy Perry — and everyone who attends reportedly has to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

Despite his current success, West’s personal finance journey has been somewhat tumultuous.

In 2014, he was worth an estimated $30

KANYE WEST, KIM KARDASHIAN WEST, AND THEIR CHILDREN IN THEIR HIDDEN HILLS, CALIFORNIA

Kanye West is the highestpaid person in hip-hop and online.

And it helps that his equally famous wife, Kim Kardashian West, is among his biggest supporters. In 2018, Kardashian West was at the center of her husband’s Yeezy Season 6 campaign, stepping out in public wearing

million, according to Forbes.

But in 2016, West tweeted that he was $53 million in debt and asked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1 billion in “Kanye West ideas.”

Now, West’s net worth is estimated to be $1.3 billion, Forbes reports.

West and his family own $21 million worth of real estate, according to Forbes, including a palatial mansion in Hidden Hills, California.

The 15,667-square-foot home sits on three acres with expansive lawns, vineyards, and foun-

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Randy Brooke/Getty Images

Enterpreneur

AERIAL SHOT OF WEST’S FIRST WYOMING RANCH. J. P. KING AUCTION COMPANY

tains. As Insider’s Callie Ahlgrim previously reported, the home’s interior is minimalist, monochromatic, and includes a flat sink that baffled the internet after it was spotted during Kardashian West’s Vogue “73 Questions” interview in 2019.

The couple bought the home in 2014 for $20 million and reportedly spent four years and $20 million renovating it before they moved in in 2018. Kardashian West’s mother, Kris Jenner, later tweeted that the home was worth $60 million.

Variety reported in October 2019 that the Kardashian West family expanded their Hidden Hills estate by purchasing a neighboring property.

The just under 1.5-acre ranch-style property is divided by the street into two parts and was listed for $2.975 million.

West bought a $14 million ranch in Wyoming. The massive property includes a restaurant and saloon, a ranch-style event venue, a maintenance shop, an office building, horse barns, sheds, corrals, storage facilities, and a state-of-the-art shooting range. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Kardashian West said she envisions their family spending some summers and weekends at the Wyoming ranch.

In November 2019 Kanye bought a second ranch in another part of Wyoming Bighorn Mountain Ranch sits on 6,713 acres and is located under 100 miles away from the first

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Most of West’s fortune didn’t come from his music, however. He makes the majority of his money from his footwear and apparel brand, Yeezy ranch West bought in September. Bighorn was listed with an asking price of $14.495 million.

West also owns 300 acres of land in Calabasas, which neighbors the Hidden Hills gated community that he and his family currently call home. It’s unknown how much he paid for the property.

Most of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, including Kylie Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, have homes of their own in Calabasas or Hidden Hills. Many other notable celebrities have owned homes in the area, from Drake to Justin Bieber to Miley Cyrus. In a 2018 interview with radio host Charlemagne Tha God, West said he wanted to be “one of the biggest real estate developers of all time, what Howard Hughes was to aircrafts and Henry Ford was to cars…”

In June 2020, it was announced that Kanye has entered a multi-year deal with Gap, which will see his Yeezy brand create apparel for the retailer. The line will officially start rolling out in 2021. Business Insider’s Madeline Stone reported that Gap was “excited to welcome Kanye back to the Gap Family.”

As a teenager, Kanye worked at a Gap store in Chicago, Stone reported. Now, decades later, the rapper signed a 10 year deal, which will see his Yeezy brand create apparel for the retailer.

Per Bloomberg’s Kim Bhasin, the YeezyGap collaboration will see a line of apparel for men, women, and a kid’s line called Yeezy Gap. Products will start to roll out in 2021 “We are excited to welcome Kanye back to the Gap family as a creative visionary, building on the aesthetic and success of his YEEZY brand and together defining a next-level retail partnership,” Mark Breitbard, global head of Gap Brand, said in a press release about the partnership.

In a 2015 interview with Style.com, West revealed that he wanted to be the “Steve Jobs of Gap.” He also mentioned Gap in the song “Spaceship” from his album “The College Dropout.”

By Katie Warren, Taylor Nicole Rogers and Dominic-Madori Davis / Business Inside

PROFILE

Beacon Of Culture For All I was born into an artistic family, where culture and its contents were not a supplementary activity, but rather the substance of everyday life - both work and pleasure

MILICA ŠEVARLIĆ, PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER AND DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE BELGRADE YOUTH CENTRE

I

grew up in a house with a large library and a rich collection of records, but also in the Belgrade Drama Theatre and Radio Belgrade, surrounded by works and people who are art, who create and live art. Visits to exhibitions, concerts, cinemas and literary evenings were an integral part of my childhood, as were discussions about artistic creativity and the experience of art, its values and power. Such an environment, with unpretentious parental guidance and support to explore my own interests, inclinations and abilities, and to be persistent and consistent in what I do and am, developed in me a love for art and formed me on the path that became my business, but also my life.

Culture and art, as the construction material of the individual and humanity, represent the flywheel for the development of civilization; that which drives and paves the way towards progress, teaches and scolds, ennobles and heals, asks questions (of us and through us) and provides catharsis.

My education at the Department of Management and Production for Theatre, Radio and Culture, which I opted for at the

Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade (where I also recently continued my doctoral studies in Culture and Media Management), provided me with the opportunity to combine all of my many interests, to I unite theory and practise, through the call of a modern impresario, which encompasses the whole process of creating content from the domain of culture – from idea to realisation; from everything that needs to happen behind the curtain in order for a work to come to life in front of the audience, to that which happens on the stage, from the germ of creativity to its materialisation. In order for me to enter into the very essence of the “life” of art, which has also always excited me the most: that which is magical, unrepeatable, eternal in its ephemeral nature; the moment of the embodiment of a work in contact with the audience. Artefacts of culture are a resource, art is only alive at the moment in which it happens!

When in the spring of 2003, as a thirdyear student, I went for an interview at the Belgrade Youth Centre, the management of which had turned to my faculty in search of young and promising personnel from the sector, I wasn’t aware that it would be one of those fateful meetings. In this case it was a meeting with an institution that had, for 17 years, been directing the course of my professional life, but also a significant part of my private life.

The Belgrade Youth Centre was founded in 1964, with the idea of it becoming a hotspot for the cultural, entertainment and social life of the youth of Belgrade. It very quickly

became recognisable for its programming profile and identity, imposing itself as a modern, flexible and pluralistic centre of culture. It has gone through many turbulent and difficult times until today, finding itself confronted by numerous challenges, but it has always responded to them successfully.

In the transformations that it has undergone, it has remained programmatically relevant, and consistent to its editorial concept and essential values. It has always clearly opposed commercialisation, all kinds of kitsch and tastelessness, but also brittleness and dogma in all spheres. With openness to the boldest ideas, innovations and artistic experiments, it is one of the key cultural spaces which is permeated with the creativity and creative power of local and foreign artists, but also scientists, theorists and cultural representatives. In such an environment, every job – regardless of how much it implies the same series of actions necessary for the realisation of a programme – always seems new and different, in cooperation with people and their works that inspire and motivate one to push the boundaries in one’s own achievements.

The Youth Centre is a place where one grows, where one learns, which opens one up to new horizons and provides many opportunities – both for those who are on stage and those in the audience. In it and with it, all of us who are employed there grow and learn, and with our work – just like our colleagues who preceded us – we make it precisely what it is: a beacon of everything that’s good and valuable within and around us.

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Feature

Igor Barjaktarević, MD, PhD, Specialist in pulmonology and intensive care medicine and Assistant Professor at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA)

What’s common to all social communities that have to date shown success in controlling the epidemic is that decisions on protective measures were made more in accordance with the recommendations of experts and based less on the opinions of politicians.

Unfortunately, compromising the health security of the entire community under the pressure of politics has not escaped us

Who Wins In A Pandemic?

F

rom the U.S. to Serbia and New Zealand, politicians have given various examples to their populations about respecting preventative measures during the pandemic. If we look at the ups and downs in the number of cases, can we establish a clear connection between political (ir)responsibility and the number of those infected? That was our first question for Igor Barjaktarevic, a specialist in pulmonology and intensive care and an assistant professor at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), who has been quoted by many media outlets in the region that have been seeking a measured stance and understanding of the pandemic in the wider social context.

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“The fight against the epidemic is inevitably taking place at different levels. The picture of the fight against the virus is often shown by the situation in hospital systems and the outcome of treatments. However, the biggest struggle is objectively happening at the level of the response of social communities to the spread of the epidemic.

Unfortunately, politics is inevitably involved everywhere, here since the response of society is defined on the basis of political decisions.

As such, any decision, whether good or bad, can be politicised, and many decisions are unfortunately made under the influence of the need to avoid losing political points,” says Dr Barjaktarević. “What’s common

to all social communities that have to date shown success in controlling the epidemic is that decisions on protective measures were made more in accordance with the recommendations of experts and based less on the interest of politicians”. Returning to this question in another way, has medicine or politics proved triumphant within the crisis staff in the countries you follow? Was it more important for the epidemiologists heading expert teams to be top experts or to have the talent for political “negotiations” regarding the measures to be taken?

A person who observes the epidemic from a

scientific perspective can easily see that better control of the epidemic is fully correlated with more aggressive protection measures.

However, the stricter the protection measures, the consequences of these measures are more significant, and they are reflected in. Taking all of this into consideration, the recommendations of expert teams demand a broader consideration of the potential consequences of each decision made, including an overview of the general political situation. However, I think a clear distinction must exist between respecting reality and accepting criticism from non-health systems on the one hand, and compromising the health security of the whole community under the pressure of politics, on the other.

and harmonising ways of protesting in order to minimise the risk of transmitting infection will be essential and welcome. Once we receive a medical treatment or vaccine, will this virus – apart from unpredictability and high mortality – leave a lasting mark in your practise?

Do you consider that you will emerge from this with knowledge from your field that will be significant to respiratory medicine as a discipline, for the organisation of work in the health system? In other words, is this just a

terrible misfortune or will it lead to some advances in knowledge?

It’s difficult to predict how much success we will have in finding a treatment or a vaccine against this infection. I have no doubt that some progress will be made, but there is a chance that the COVID virus will in itself be less of a threat to humanity by the time we’re in possession and in reach of such substantial tool for COVID-19 management. However, this pandemic has already caused enough unrest and has certainly shaken the tranquil comfort of menkind, believing that they hold their destiny completely in their own hands.

In many countries, measures of social distancing, wearing masks and recommending that people stay at home have led to conflicts with the exercising of democratic rights. “Black lives matter”, protests in Belgrade... is there any way to express one’s political will on the streets whilst remaining responsible towards oneself and others?

Interesting parallels can be drawn between the recent protests in the United States and those is Serbia. Although the reasons themselves are different, I think the protests are an expression of accumulated frustration, caused in part by the establishment’s inadequate political responses to events unfolding around us. Participants in these protests are young people who unequivocally show a readiness to uncompromisingly get to grips with injustice, who are driven by healthy intentions and who are largely aware of the risks brought by gathering publicly. In some way, expressing opinions in this way is a kind of valve that helps to maintain “common sense” during this crazy time. However, from an epidemiological point of view, such actions still increase the risk of losing control of the situation, and of particular concern is the fact that a number of the people participating in all of these protests are not sufficiently aware of the danger of spreading infection. I think that, wherever citizen protests continue, initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the prevention and fight against the epidemic, sharing free protective equipment and masks,

Despite being different, the protests in the U.S. and Serbia represent a kind of outlet that helps maintain “common sense” at this crazy time. Wherever citizen protests continue, it is important for the risk of transmitting the infection to be minimised

I think that, at the global level, this - let’s call it “newly recognised” vulnerability of humans - must lead to new priorities: a much broader and stronger scientific approach to controlling and treating viral infections and awareness of the need to consider the potential consequences of further environmental degradation. I think the epidemic will have many negative consequences, yet I still believe that this situation has simultaneously contributed to the accelerating of many scientific processes and that it will give us the opportunity to emerge from this pandemic stronger in different areas. We’ve had the opportunity to hear virologists, epidemiologists, respiratory specialists, clinicians etc. raise various

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Feature objections to their colleagues based on their belief that the latter don’t understand important expert aspects in their actions. For instance, does the rushed

Simultaneously, the reality is that adequate scientific reasoning and evidence-based medicine take time, which at present seems like a luxury that can’t be afforded. In accordance

embrace freshly reported, often surprising ideas from small observational studies or case-series, is prudent. Good supportive care, with some of the basic medicines that we’ve been using for decades, definitely helps, and this is a fact that should in no way be ignored. If we today read media articles and expert texts from 2017 or 2018, it seems that some of them contained telling warnings that such a devastating pandemic could happen, including, for example, on the front page of The Times or in the famous example of Bill Gates. Given this fact, why was the entire system unprepared? In practice, how much do scientific revelations from expert texts “travel” to the responses of the health system?

placing of patients on respirators accelerate fatal consequences of reduce them… How do such dilemmas impact on your practices when they arise?

This is a new virus, of a type that’s known to medicine in many ways yet is at the same time so different – it is characterised by an impressive combination of unpredictability, transmissibility and the severity of the illness it causes. We’ve found ourselves taken aback at all levels – from virologists, epidemiologists and doctors, via politicians, to “ordinary” citizens – with enough time to observe, come up with explanations and draw some conclusions that are more or less rational. At this juncture, more than 30,000 scientific papers focused on COVID-19 have been publsihed. It is not unexpected that, at a moment when everyone is desperately expecting some progress in the fight against this disease, much of the information emerging is easily accepted, but that it also soon proves inadeqaute, ineffective or harmful.

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It is highly likely that poorer people are more exposed to the disease and have less access to high-quality treatment. However, nobody is protected in the epidemic, and escalation from the higher risk population inevitably spills over into all strata of society with that, from the perspective of a health worker struggling with the illness caused by COVID-19, restraining from changing the approach from day to day and rushing to

It is no surprise that a problem very often becomes a problem only when it knocks on our door. Catastrophic epidemics that have simply remained better localised or controlled – SARS, MERS, Ebola – have been happening around us over the past decade, and the fact is that some of the countries that have gone through experiences with these infections were better prepared for this pandemic. From the perspective of a general after a battle, it is easy to see that the danger of just this type of virus - the mutation of which at one point enables it to be transmitted from animals to humans – has been very predictable for years, and unfortunately COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be the only pandemic threatening us. We should have better “heard” the alarming reports that were offered to us, and this situation must be sobering if we are to prevent or more adequately control such a scenario, or more terrible practices, in the future. How quickly do new revelations and practises of colleagues from around the world reach you today, compared to the period before COVID-19?

This pandemic has “accelerated” science and made it clear how small the world is and how important communication between governments and scientific institutions around the world is. The inadequate response of a small region of the world can endanger the whole of humanity, and it is clear that global

networking of these systems is essential.

This brings along a number of positive and negative connotations, which I’m sure will be the subject of many discussions in the future.

Americans of Eurasian origins. Although this situation may be a result of different genetic predispositions, it is most likely that contrasting socio-economic living conditions

Equipment, the expertise of personnel, internal organisation and trust within the health institution, salaries of employees – if you had to rank the most important elements of a good response of a health institution versus a bad one in order of importance, how would you rank them?

A health institution that is capable of responding adequately in the fight against epidemic such as COVID-19 must have sufficiently well-coordinated technical equipment, the expertise of health personnel and a good organisational structure. However, even the perfect hospital system cannot withstand an uncontrolled blow to its own capacities, and the system breaks down the moment that any of these components of the system is compromised. That’s why it’s essential to reiterate that health systems must defend themselves, first and foremost, from the epidemiological level. On the other hand, the society globally recognizes the personal sacrifices made by the healthcare workers which happen ubiquitiously regardless of salary, quality of healthcare system or available equipment. What society can do, and practically help more than with a round of applause in the evening, is to secure the availability of personal protective equipment for its healthcare workers and, more importantly, comply with the recommendations to practice responsible behaviour during the pandemic and thus protect hospital systems from being overloaded. Inequality is one of the most important topics shaping our debates in society, from the United States to Serbia. To what extent was the inequality of access to the healthcare system for rich and poor citizens expressed in the case of this pandemic?

Early data on the incidences and treatment outcomes of COVID-19 infections in the United States indicate that minority communities — including African and Hispanic Americans, among others — have an increased risk of infection and death than

higher population density, riskier jobs and a lower level of education, all recognised as risk factors for getting infected is situation like this one. One example is the UCLA Medical Centre, which is located in a wealthier part of Los Angeles, and has therefore to date been exposed to fewer COVID-19 admissions compared to many smaller hospital centres in areas that are home to people with lower economic standards. However, nobody is protected in this epidemic, and according to the communicating vessels principle, escalation from higher risk populations inevitably spills over into all strata of society. Distancing, masks and full protective equipment that makes the physician unrecognisible to his patient comprise something that is an obligatory standard. Under such conditions, how do you compensate for that part of the doctor’s care for the patient that consists of sight, voice and touch?

We should have better “heard” the alarming reports that were offered to us, and this situation must be sobering if we are to prevent or more adequately control such a scenario, or more terrible scenarios, in the future

are an objective explanation for such statistics.

Poorer socio-economic background is associated with increase incidence of chronic cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, inadequate access to treatment, but also with

As difficult as it is to treat this disease from a medical point of view, it is just as difficult to watch normal, healthy people admitted to the hospital, witness their rapidly deteriorating condition and them dying without any of their loved ones at the bedside. It is clear that there isn’t much room to manoeuvre in terms of spending enough time in simple direct human contact with the patient.

Fortunately, modern technologies enable patients to maintain virtual yet continuous contact with the external environment and their loved ones. Video communications help both patients and their families, but also health workers themselves, who in this way are able, to some extent, to solve the problem of the isolation that’s necessary in approaching the treatment of people with COVID-19. For me, the use of social media by patients is particularly impressive, especially in situations where the final thoughts, messages or images of people who’ve died from this disease travel around the virtual world of internet communications for hours and days after the tragic outcome. Of course, alongside all of this, a doctor still remains a doctor, human contact and empathy are more than present and are, of course, essential. Unfortunate circumstances always bring good people together.

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Art

10

RANK WESTON BENSON, SUMMER, 1909

Art suggests and indicates many things to a perceptive viewer.

We believe it can also be the perfect ‘influencer’ when it comes to current trends, lifestyles, and activities.

The many changes we have had to face since the arrival of COVID-19 might feel daunting at times because everything that we are used to has been altered in one way or another

Ways To Spend The Summer,

Inspired By Art

H

owever, we cheerfully invite you not to be discouraged and hope you have a fun and entertaining summer 2020!

Here is a list of ten ways to spend your summer, inspired by art.

1. GO FOR A WALK We open our fine list of inspiring images with this bright and airy oil-on-canvas painting called Summer, naturally. The American artist Frank Weston Benson portrayed his daughters and wife sitting on a hill in 1909, among dry grass and

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white flowers. They are all beautifully dressed in white, and a hat and other belongings are strewn here and there. They chit-chat and admire the blue of the sea of Penobscot Bay, Maine, from their property, Wooster Farm. We can imagine they walked through the extensive grounds and reached this scenic spot, and decided it was well worth a contemplative stop. It must have been a pleasure for Benson to paint the subjects en plein air, in full Impressionist style, given how lovely the weather and surroundings look.

Sadly, we don’t all have our own private estates

where we can have a stroll with our relatives. Our destinations might not look as ultramarine blue, nor the loop around the block to the shops or the local park as bucolic. While there are several restrictions in place nowadays, the subjects of the painting didn’t have to worry about anything like that. Going out to see a part of the world we are still allowed to see, wherever we are, seems vital for our wellbeing. May Summer by F.W. Benson encourage you to go for a walk and look for hidden gems we have yet to find—within a permitted distance!

MAD DOGS, 1991

GOOD DAYS’ SUNSHINE

GIUSEPPE ARCIMBOLDO, SEATED SUMMER FIGURE, 1573

the man’s turnip-toes and fingers, at his corn-calves and the flower bed on his head, the more we feel we should go out and enjoy nature on our doorstep.

Also, I might start growing tomatoes.

THE SINGING BUTLER, 1992

2. HAVE FUN ON THE BEACH The four images above are all by the same artist, Jack Vettriano, a contemporary painter who is probably self-isolating somewhere like the rest of us. He was born in Methil, an eastern coastal town in Scotland in 1951 to rather meager origins. But he had the beach, which was priceless amusement for young Jack. The seaside (probably not exactly the Scottish one he knew from childhood) features in many of his paintings.

The selected ones all seem to represent a summer day: from the recent past in Jive, from a century ago in Mad Dogs and Good Days’ Sunshine, or even a summer day out of time, like in The Singing Butler. Dense pastel colors and all the realism this artist could muster make the paintings look like postcards his bathers sent. They are like slides of holiday memories.

If you don’t live too far from the coast, the most obvious, yet evergreen, way of spending summer would be to go to the sea. There are so many things to do there according to Vettriano’s paintings. You can even dress up and dance the tango through the shades cast on the sand by dark-colored umbrellas held by your trustworthy servants while they sing to you.

JIVE, DETAIL

3. PICK FLOWERS AND FRUIT You might have to look at this painting twice.

Yes, it is indeed a whole man constructed entirely out of summer flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Seated Figure of Summer is an oil-on-canvas work in full Mannerism style. Mannerism, aka ‘strike a pose and make it full of rotations.’ This amazing display of Mother Earth’s creation assembled together with the features of a man partly made of grapes, who is eating grapes, was invented by Milan born artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

He very much liked this trick of the eye and produced several more trompe-l’oeil (optical illusion) paintings in his career. Arcimboldo embellished this one with an artfully painted background. It also has beautiful, textbook perspective and other natural elements. Arcimboldo painted cycles of the four seasons and the four elements as they all had symbolic meaning. Man and nature intertwine and connect, woven in the same fabric.

There are many ways this painting can inspire our summer plans. Despite the difficult times we are living in, nature carries on. When spring arrived, the outdoors bloomed. Now that summer is just around the corner, we can bet that soon it will be growing and giving, as usual. The more we look at

4. RIDE A HORSE Here comes our fourth outdoor suggestion of ways to spend summer 2020: horse riding! Now, as you can see, this equestrian scene is rather majestic. Jacques Louis David painted it in 1801 to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte’s victory, when he crossed the Alps to win Italian territory back from the Austrians in May 1800.

The artist asked Napoleon to sit and pose so that he could capture his features in detail but Napoleon didn’t fancy being still for long. So, David used a dated existing reproduction. As a result, the great French conqueror looks much younger than he would have been in reality. David, already quite experienced with epic scenes, went the extra mile and produced a triumph of a painting. The horse is prancing, nostrils, and teeth out, neighing away.

Its mane and tail’s curls whipped by the mountain wind. It certainly looks like the horse was indispensable to the crossing of the Alps! Moreso when we notice the privates in the background doing the same. But on foot. Pulling cannons.

If you have never ridden a horse before, let me tell you, it’s great. It involves exercise and being in touch with nature and fresh air, especially during summer, when the weather’s nice and the sky is piercing blue. You would think that a regular horse ride could not possibly look this monumental, and you’d be right. Unless you have an orange-gold cloak and a taco-shaped hat to wear, like Napoleon.

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Art

EDOUARD MANET, LE DEJEUNER SUR L’HERBE (LE BAIN), 1863

JACQUES LOUIS DAVID, NAPOLEON CROSSING THE ALPS, 1801

5. ORGANIZE A PICNIC Is there anything more summery than a picnic?

Here in Dejeuner sur l’herbe painted by Manet, we have all the elements needed for a successful one: people, nature, and food. This specific picnic did not get the public’s approval in 1863, however.

The composition and the cheekiness of the naked woman staring at the viewer with a side glance confused and shocked viewers.

In the painting, the woman waits for her skin to dry and chooses a spot next to two fully dressed men. She uses her clothes as a towel to sit on, so it seems she left home in the morning a bit unprepared. The two men, lost in conversation, pay no attention to her. Nor does the second woman in the background, too busy paddling in the pond. So it would seem the impropriety of this scene was only left to Manet’s contemporary public to acknowledge.

The official Paris Salon rejected the painting (of rather large dimensions). Thankfully, the Salon des Refuses exhibited it and the public gave it the attention it deserved.

Good people, good food, and good weather is the best cocktail! Just pick a fairly isolated spot and you won’t encounter any problems. If you fancy a cheeky naked dip in a public pond, just make sure you bring a towel.

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EDWARD HOPPER, SAILING, 1911

6. SAIL THROUGH BLUE WATERS Edward Hopper was an American painter born in Nyack, on the Hudson river, who faced several decades of movements and techniques, always being true to himself and his own style. If you think this painting of a boat called Sailing reminds you of the condensed coloring in Vettriano’s works (no.

2 above), you are right! Hopper heavily influenced the Scottish painter from Methil. And, in his years as a student, Manet, and Degas, then Rembrandt affected Hopper. The realism the aforementioned painters used to portray their vision of the world captured Hopper’s attention and imagination and it suited him well. He packed his urban scenes and nautical paintings with color, light, and shades.

Just like horse riding, this might not be everybody’s cup of tea. A boat doesn’t make it in the ‘quarantine essentials’ list. Besides the cost, sailing can be a very liberating summer activity. There are rules at sea one must follow, but it screams freedom and adventure! Alternatively, you could rent a pedal boat. Those are loads of fun, too!

FERNANDO BOTERO, A CONCERT, 1995

7. GO TO CONCERTS AND EVENTS Now, we present our first indoor scene, A Concert by Botero, a Colombian sculpturist and painter. We can see two of his famously spherical figures, a woman and a man, occupying space on a bed. She is naked, he is dressed. We could imagine it represents a summer evening and guess that the hot season is extra hot in Colombia. The colors are vivid and bright, but they face a titanic battle to win over our attention, given the peculiarity of Botero’s human bodies.

Detectable is also a vague lack of intentions and feelings. He is playing the guitar, mouth wide open, so he’s singing too. She seems to be listening.

The dog sitting by the bed is listening. A man in the background, in the street, stops in front of the open window. He is listening too. But, is anybody enjoying what is happening? It is hard to say. One would think that a private concert would move at least one of the parties depicted. This emotional detachment is one of Botero’s painting traits.

Playing an instrument might not be your forte.

By author

ERNEST ZACHAREVIC, CHILDREN ON BICYCLE, 2012

AUGUSTUS LEOPOLD EGG, THE TRAVELLING COMPANIONS, 1862

TITIAN, VENUS OF URBINO, 1538

I know I’ve tried to learn one or two in vain. We could identify with the lady, instead. If a close relative plays and sings for you, I can only recommend you try hard to look more interested and pleased than Botero’s subject! Our homes, gardens, and terraces have become the place to be these days. We could turn them into our theatres, clubs, playgrounds.

Maybe you participated in one of the fun flash mobs organized daily around the world, from your window. Let me know in the comments if you did!

8. RIDE A BIKE In 2010 George Town in Penang, Malaysia, inaugurated the first edition of the annual art and culture event, the George Town Festival, which celebrated its inception as a UNESCO world heritage site. It is a summer event that sparked collaborations with various artists to re-qualify its urban face and make the city a captivating destination.

Children on Bicycle is a public mural piece

by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian-born artist.

Zacharevic painted the two children, while the vehicle is a real bike leaning against the wall. A fun, interesting fusion of media. Street Art removes the restriction of the usual boundaries between the viewer and the artwork. You could be at a fish market, turn your head distractedly, and by chance, eye one of these compelling stencils, murals, or paintings.

Speaking of summer activities, bike-riding is definitely needed on our list of 10. It can satisfy your desire for speed, or it can gently take you wherever you want to be. It gets extra value when it comes to children. The joy on these kids’ faces, depicted in the act of riding, looks like a genuine and truthful representation.

9. TRAVEL The Travelling Companions is an oil-on-canvas painting by Augustus Leopold Egg from 1862. The scene represents two female mirroring figures in a train carriage. One woman sleeps, the other reads.

Besides the gloves (one woman has them on and the other does not) and a few other details, their appearances are very much alike. So much so that there are two possible interpretations: they are related to one another and have little imagination when it comes to clothes, or they represent two sides of the same person, idleness and industry.

In the background, through the window, we admire a sunny day. The coastline is a stretch of the French Riviera, a place where the artist spent many summer days, trying to alleviate his asthma symptoms.

Whether you like reading or snoozing while traveling, we invite you to keep doing it. The discovery of new places, far or near, keeps the mind and spirit in good shape. My friends from the UK

quit their jobs and went on a sabbatical with their two kids. They were supposed to see Indonesia, Cambodia, Australia but they had to rearrange that, of course, and are now in Devon, on the south coast of Britain having the best time.

10. WORK THE COUCH This is naked lady number three of our list.

However, an artist painted this particular woman way before the other two. It is a Renaissance masterpiece created by Italian artist Titian in 1538 and represents a young maiden waiting to get dressed to attend the ‘toccamano’ ritual. This was a nonreligious event where, by touching hands with a suitor, she would give consent to marry.

In the finely painted background we can see two maids prepping the garments for the occasion.

The noble girl’s figure, the gesture of hiding her bits (well, some of them), and the direct, allusive glance is influenced by the ancient iconography of the ‘Prude Venus’. So she waits, in all her naked pink splendor on the beautifully rendered fabric of her furnishing. It is probably a bed, rather than a couch. Potato – potato.

Our last activity at the end of this journey just had to be laying on the couch. This piece of furniture, central in each home, provided with its own gravitational pull, has acquired even more power during this period. Maybe you discovered your lifestyle was called ‘quarantine’ and you didn’t know it. In any event, we hope you have found inspiration in the list we provided and that your summer 2020 will be fun and worth remembering!

Author of the text: Giordana Goretti/Daily Art Magazine

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51

My life

Haris Pašović, Theatre Director, Professor

BALKAN CULTURE THE BEST INVESTMENT

Photo Credit-Dnevni avaz

His name is synonymous with success in this part of Europe, while his theatre plays are the best part of the history of Yugoslav theatre. Born in Sarajevo, this cosmopolitan, philosophical anarchist and anti-fascist never stopped believing in and fighting for the Yugoslav cultural space.

He says that Yugoslavia was the happiest part of his life, and that sometimes it seems to him that the international community has one plan for Bosnia-Herzegovina and for Serbia – controlled crisis... Forever 52

August

By Radmila Stankovic

Y

ugoslavia was my country. It was a concept of the world in which I was born and raised, and in which I formed as a man and an artist. That country had some significant problems, but it had a lot of good things too. One of those fantastic things was that common cultural space, which was so powerful that even today, after the horrors of war, that space still exists, he notes, naturally.

I choose these sentences of Haris Pašović (59), theatre director, professor and one of the most successful artists in this part of Europe, because they are an unavoidable stamp from his ID card. Just like the following: “Recently, after the earthquake in Zagreb, Sarajevo-based illustrator Midhat Kapetanović drew Vučko carrying an injured Zagi over the ruins. A few days ago, someone continued that motif during the demonstrations in Belgrade, with a drawing in which Zagi and Vučko defend the injured Victor. Shortly afterwards, during the time of commemorations of the Srebrenica genocide, the three of them together “came” to Potočari, to the memorial centre.

“Well, now: Vučko was created by Jože Trobec, a Slovenian artist, as the mascot of the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

Zagi, the mascot of the Zagreb Universiade [1987], was originally created by Nedeljko

PAŠOVIĆ WITH FRIEND MASCIA PAVON, VENICE

Yugoslavia was my country. It was a concept of the world in which I was born and raised, and in which I formed as a man and an artist Dragić, an artist of Serbian origin, and the Victor (Pobednik) an emblematic Belgrade monument, was a work of Ivan Meštrović, Croatia’s greatest sculptor. In one picture, in the third decade of the 21st century, they were combined by Midhat Kapetanović, a Bosniak artist. The fact that we understand this story, and that it awakens emotions in us, and that foreigners cannot understand either the story or our emotions about it, testifies to the uniqueness of our cultural space.

“Yugoslavia was the happiest part of my life.”

Right up until the outbreak of the wars of the 1990s, Pašović thought that his upbringing had been completely normal. He was born in Sarajevo and lived in a typical Sarajevo street in the city centre, where the houses and apartments were just like those in the classic story of Sarajevo - one Muslim home,

one Orthodox, one Catholic, one Jewish, one atheist, one mixed marriage, and then the same sequence again… Literally. Moreover, as in every Balkan family - half of the members are believers, half are atheists. Communists against capitalists in the same family, believers against infidels, football fans of “Sarajevo” against fans of “Željezničar” , constant debates, and yet everyone eating, drinking, celebrating and hugging together: “Classic Balkan charming bedlam. My family was also like that. In the neighbourhood, Aunt Divna always brought dark red eggs and beautiful bagels for Easter, the likes of which I didn’t eat even in Serbia when I later lived in Novi Sad and Belgrade; for Catholic Christmas we went to my aunt Elfrida, an Austrian lady, and to our Catholic neighbours, for Eid al Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) the Qurban sacrifice meats were distributed around the neighbourhood, and alongside all of that there was communism, and everything was somehow harmonious. It’s not that I’m sentimental, I’m really not, but it was really interesting to grow up like that. It was equally multicultural at school, everywhere… We didn’t have the word ‘multicultural’ in our vocabulary until 1992. It was all ONE culture.

Then foreigners literally imported the word ‘multicultural’ into our language.”

His parents Reuf and Nadžija gave their children, Haris and Lejla, love and taught them honesty. His father died young, of a heart attack, at the age of 57, and he was very proud of Haris’s successes. His mother wasn’t satisfied with her son’s choice to be a theatre director, regardless of his successes.

Haris’s sister Lejla is a professor of literature by education, but an artistic producer by profession, and she works at the American Embassy in Sarajevo. The two of them are great friends who support one another. Their mother nurtured in her daughter a trait that could be dubbed practical feminism.

When Lejla got married, she told her future son-in-law: “She doesn’t know how to do anything in the household , so don’t expect anything from her”. On the other hand, she taught her son that it is normal to tidy up the things after he uses them, to wash his dishes after lunch, and also to cook. Lejla has been married for more than 20 years to director

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Haris Pašović, Theatre Director, Professor

Dino Mustafić, they have a daughter Iman.

Haris recalls his childhood as being beautiful: “In the summers we went to the Adriatic, stopping in Mostar to see the Old Bridge.

Every year it was like that, as if we hadn’t seen it the previous year, and the year before, and the year before that. In the winters we went to Jahorina, Bjelašnica, Trebević and Igman, after 1984 they became the Olympic mountains. Everything was normal for me, including the bridge on the Drina, the Sarajevo assassination spot (my grandfather heard the shots), Yugoslavia, and the battles on the Neretva and Tjentište.”

From the third grade of high school, directing was his only choice. He graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, in the class of Professor Bora Drašković. He was also educated in the U.S., Denmark and France.

Pašović has been one of the leading theatre directors in Southeast Europe for more than three decades. He is a tenured professor of Theatre and Film Directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo and a professor at the IEDC Business School in Bled, Slovenia. He is the artistic director of the East West Centre in Sarajevo. He has worked all over the world and still does so, but he never left Sarajevo: “Under normal circumstances, I live in Sarajevo for less than five months of the year, because I work in Italy and travel a lot around Europe, the Balkans, the world. I completed my studies in Novi Sad, lived and worked in Belgrade, and if there had been no war I wouldn’t be living in Sarajevo. I studied in America and Denmark, then lived in the Netherlands and Sweden. I’ve been on the move after the war, for years, and have often been in a different city or a different country every week.

“Sarajevo is dear to me, it has a certain charm, and an energy that I like very much.

In Sarajevo I like that people are cordial and witty. The food is great. There are many talented and inventive people. The multicultural mosaic is still the essence of this city and I like that, because I’m essentially cosmopolitan.

“Perhaps in the future I’ll live in Belgrade.

Belgrade is the only metropolis in the Balkans, along with Athens. Belgrade has now returned to its urban, fine form, after the hellish collapse

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PAŠOVIĆ AND BOB WILSON, BELGRADE

We didn’t have the word ‘multicultural’ in our dictionary until 1992.

It was all ONE culture.

Then foreigners literally imported the word ‘multicultural’ into our language of the 1990s. It still lacks a more international dimension. I will live maybe somewhere by the sea or maybe in some other European city (I adore Paris and love Madrid, London, Berlin). I like big cities, metropolises.

“My education, like all of us who grew up in Yugoslavia, was cosmopolitan. I began very early on to feel the whole world as my home, my homeland. In high school I travelled around Yugoslavia with friends, and in college I was already travelling around Europe, often alone.

America, Africa and Asia had their turns a little later. I’ve been to America more than 20 times. I adore Asia, the people, food, art, that vitality, life energy...”

In the case of this artist, his success story

is quite simple: success has been a normal thing for him since he’s known himself. He completed ‘gymnasium’ high school in three years; in the second year of his studies he began directing professionally; the play for his third year exam “Jelka kod Ivanovih” [Christmas tree at the Ivanov’s] was among the winners at the MES Festival in Sarajevo and participated in the Belgrade International Theatre Festival BITEF. At the age of 25 he created the play “Awakening of Spring”, for which he received the Politika Award for Best Director at BITEF (the award had previously gone to Ingmar Bergman, Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski, Bob Wilson, Peter Stein et al), at the age of 29 he founded the study course for Theatre and Film Directing at the Sarajevo Academy.

Haris’s plays have participated in major programmes of the world’s largest festivals, including the Edinburgh International Festival, Festival d’Avignon, Singapore Arts Festival... They have been performed in around 20 countries on three continents; Peter Brook gave him his own study to work in when he spent three weeks as a guest with his plays at Brook’s Parisian theatre, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord; his documentaries have been screened at the Lincoln Centre in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm… He is invited to speak

PhotoCredit Petar ŽupnikCEF

By Radmila Stankovic

at eminent gatherings from Shanghai to New York, St. Petersburg to Helsinki, and Brussels to Barcelona: “I’ve never measured success with money, but I earn well and live nicely. I’m not interested in wealth or great property ownership. It was equally nice for me to spend summer in the most luxurious hotels in the world, such as the Oberoi in Bali, but also in wild camps on Lastovo and Mljet [Croatian islands]. I’ve socialised with people from the market, but also with presidents of states; with novice artists and with world stars. Sometimes I turned out to be ridiculous. Once, in New York, Vanessa Redgrave introduced me to a tall man and then disappeared somewhere. The two of us started some conventional conversation, I asked him what his name was and what he does. He said: “Christopher Reeve, actor”.

That’s when I realised it was Superman, one of the most popular actors on the planet at that moment! However, my greatest success is that throughout all these years I’ve remained a simple, honest and just man.”

He is proud of his directing and the fact that he never made compromises. Frank Wedekind’s play Spring Awakening was a wonder that is still talked about today. When he entered the hall for the reception after the premiere, Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz,

Those years in Sarajevo under siege represent the most important part of my life, which I wish hadn’t happened Bata Stojković and Dušan Kovačević got to their feet. They were already the legends of the Yugoslav and Serbian drama and theatre, and he was 25 years old. Mihiz said: “This is the biggest entrance to Belgrade theatre since Boro Drašković!” And Boro Drašković was his professor: “I am also proud of Dozivanje ptica [Aristophanes’ The Birds] (Yugoslav Drama Theatre) – we made an amazing show at the institution, and we worked for nine months as if we were some big world company; Waiting for Godot (Belgrade Drama Theatre) – literally the last Yugoslav premiere, performed on 25th June 1991, during the break we heard that tanks were heading for Slovenia, so the first act was performed in Yugoslavia and the second in a collapsed Yugoslavia; In the Country of Last Things by Paul Auster

(MES Festival during the siege of Sarajevo); Hamlet, Europe Today, Faust, Class Enemy (East West Centre); Conquering Happiness (British Capital of Culture) etc.”

However, the most touching, something that was very special for him and the world, was a project beyond all categories - “Sarajevo Red Line” - a concert/installation for the 11,541 citizens of Sarajevo killed – with the same number of red chairs placed along a kilometre of the main street M. Tito in the centre of Sarajevo: “That’s a project that transcended the whole city that day, hundreds of thousands of people came to visit the installation, the whole world reported on the event, it was incredibly touching, moving, but also somehow cathartic.”

There are many great moves in Pašović’s biography, when he proclaimed himself an artist and a citizen in defence of art and human dignity, fighting for justice and truth. However, the most honourable moment was when he arrived in Sarajevo while the city was under siege: “I was in Subotica when the siege of Sarajevo began and I couldn’t return. I went to Amsterdam to stay with Dragan Klaić and his wife Julija Bala, for one week, ‘until those riots settle down a bit’. I couldn’t return for months, I got a job – directing the opening of the cultural capital of Antwerp in 1993, but I couldn’t work. As it wasn’t possible to take the normal route to Sarajevo , I managed, in very complicated ways, to enter a besieged Sarajevo for New Year 92/93. I led an art festival in the besieged city, produced Waiting for Godot, which was directed by Susan Sontag, directed plays, founded the Sarajevo Film Festival… That all made sense, and I’m proud. I was what Hemingway, Orwell and Akhmatova were… I didn’t betray my role models. Those years in Sarajevo under siege represent the most important part of my life, which I wish hadn’t happened. War is horror and only horror. The fight for freedom is good and inspiring, but war is a disaster for everyone. There is absolutely no one who can emerge from war unscathed.”

CorD’s interlocutor is among the greatest enthusiasts who don’t stop believing in the existence of the cultural space created in the former Yugoslavia: “It exists. The nationalists would have

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Haris Pašović, Theatre Director, Professor

destroyed it if they could, they tried, in some places they succeeded a little, but they couldn’t destroy it as a whole, because it is natural. The ties among ex-Yugoslav people and cultures are so complex and strong that it is not possible to break them in the foundations. The most profitable investment in the Balkans is an investment in that common cultural space.”

When he defines his political beliefs, Haris says of himself that he is “at heart a philosophical anarchist, which means that I believe in a responsible, free man without a state. In the real world, I know that we’re still a long way from that. I am essentially a democrat. And an anti-fascist.”

He describes the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina as: “Controlled crisis. It would be very bad if the intention of the international community is to keep B-H in this ‘controlled crisis’ for a long time. Sometimes it seems to me that this is the plan for both B-H and Serbia forever.

“The biggest problems in the countries of the former Yugoslavia are a lack of essential democracy and healthy, modern political forces; and unemployment. That is used by various extremist groups to get rich. The results are disastrous. Compare Yugoslavia 25 years after World War II and the current states that emerged from the collapse of Yugoslavia – in 1970 the standard grew; political liberalisation began despite state resistance; culture developed; the country advanced in terms of infrastructure; there was no unemployment; progress was visible in science, education and international politics… Now there is high unemployment everywhere, the consequences of the war are still visible everywhere; culture, science and education are collapsing, we have no kind of political reputation in the world.

The blame for all of this lies with extremist policies and interest groups.”

Another artist who symbolically represented the former Yugoslav space was the young Igor Vuk Torbica, who took his own life this summer at the age of 33. Haris invited his play Hinkeman to the Mittelfest festival, of which he is the artistic director in Italy, and the play Tartif to the Sarajevo Fest Art and Politics festival, of which he is also the artistic director. And he wrote for weekly magazine NIN a very touching

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PAŠOVIĆ, BRANKA PETRIĆ, TANJA MANDIĆ RIGONAT

The ties between people and cultures are so complex and strong that it is not possible to break them in the foundations and admonishing farewell for his colleague, whom he says was “a great director, a very interesting interlocutor and an impressive man”. When asked if there is an explanation why it is so disastrous for a young man to show weakness today, what is bad in today’s value system, in harsh competition between young people, Pašović answers: “When I was young it wasn’t considered something bad if you showed that you were vulnerable. Today’s everyday life is so brutal that young people mustn’t show the slightest weakness, because others will destroy them.

Today you mustn’t say that you’re in a bad mood, sick or that you are simply having a ‘bad day’ – that is immediately interpreted as if you are a loser, incapable of dealing with harsh reality. Young women are afraid to get pregnant because their employers will fire them. You must constantly project the

image that you are in full working capacity, that you are rich, that you enjoy life; you must post pictures on Instagram that show that you are great, that you feel great, that everything is great, that it will be great… It is an abnormal reality that does not correspond to the political, economic, social or personal reality in which these young people live.”

And Haris analyses the reality in which we live as follows: “Authoritarian forces are increasing their pressure, which means that they feel insecure.

And that’s a good sign, because authoritarianism destroys society. On the other hand, it is becoming clear that there are no healthy political forces that can articulate the great dissatisfaction of people, especially young people and those who are unemployed or have low salaries. It is to be expected that modern young politicians will emerge who will shape these modern interests of the majority of citizens. This will create a new political and social dynamic, which will force the existing political forces to modernise and reform. The climate; biological challenges (infectious diseases, bioterrorism); economic restructuring; legislation that arises from new planetary circumstances; the development of technology; new art – these are the topics of the future for which we must all prepare. That future has already begun.”

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CHILL OUT FRANCE

Paris Introduces Floating Movie Theatre With Socially Distant Boats In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic Paris has introduced the concept of a floating movie theatre. Keeping social distancing in mind, which is the key to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus this concept is introduced. This movie theatre is coming to Paris next week people where you can watch films from socially distant boats in the Seine River.

Le Cinéma sur l’Eau, or cinema on the water, has been created by cinema chain Mk2 in collaborated with Häagen-Dazs will be held on 18 July for one night only on Paris Plages.

Paris Plages is an annual event organised by the French capital, which sees temporary beaches installed along the Seine and the Bassin de la Villette.

UK

NORWAY

Buckingham Palace Launches Its Own Brand Of Gin

Norwegian Smashes World Record For Singing Elvis Presley

Queen Elizabeth II is famous for her passions, from horse riding to raising corgis; the monarch is also well known for her love of gin.

The Royal Collection Trust has launched Buckingham Palace Gin, drawinginspiration from the Queen’s favourite beverage. The beverage includes ingredients sourced from the queen’s very own rear garden at the renowned palace.

The Buckingham Palace Gin comes in an elegant, floral-designed glass bottle and is priced at $50. The royal fans of the UK can order their own bottles of the spirit online at royalcollectionsshop.co.uk.

As per reports, all profits from sales of the gin will go towards the Trust, which looks after the Royal Collection art collection and oversees all public openings of the Queen’s official residences.

A Norwegian man on set the new world record for singing Elvis Presley songs for 50 hours, 50 minutes and 50 seconds straight in an online competition.

Impersonator Kjell Henning Bjornstad, also known by his stage name “Kjell Elvis,” completed the marathon at a pub in central Oslo.

“I’ll never do this again,” said the 52-year-old after he broke the record recognised by the Guinness World Record. His performance was streamed by Oslo tabloid VG, among others.

Bjornstad began singing on Thursday morning and switched between sitting and walking around on stage. When he completed the full Elvis catalogue, he started singing all over again.

CHINA

Horizontal Skyscraper China’s impressive Raffles City Chongqing construction is still ongoing. However, the complex’s “horizontal skyscraper”, the Crystal, has opened to the public. The stunning skybridge sits at 250 meters above ground boasts a park and a glass-bottomed observation point.

With a limit of 3,000 tickets per day, the attraction sold out quickly during its opening weekend.

The Raffles City Chongqing is designed by Moshe Safdie and consists of a cluster of eight skyscrapers. In a similar fashion to the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, four of the towers hold the horizontal skyscraper structure, which is officially named the Crystal, in place at the height of 250 m (820 ft).

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SERBIA

World’s Biggest Portrait Of Novak Đoković Architect and artist Andrej Josifovski, better known as the Pianist, made the largest portrait of Novak Đoković in the world.

The drawing, 24 metres long and 11 metres wide, covers an area of 264 square metres of the Đukić tennis club in Belgrade’s Bežanijska kosa.

The work of art called “SLAGING the court” is the first artistic endeavour ever of this type on the red clay tennis court.

The inspiration for the drawing arose from the desire to support Novak, the best tennis player in the world.

TURKEY

Paragliding On A Sofa Hasan Kaval, 29, from Izmir, Turkey, decided to turn one of his ‘crazy ideas’ into reality.

He customised a red leather sofa with a metal frame to which he attached a parachute and wheels, as well as a footstool, lamp and television. The paragliding pilot and instructor took to the skies in Oludeniz in the Fethiye district of Muğla Province in southwest Turkey, on 2 July. Kaval filmed the stunt as his friends pushed him down a hill and the red sofa became airborne, to applause from onlookers. Despite not being strapped in, he insisted: ‘I wasn’t scared, it was fine.’ Once in the sky, Kaval removes his shoes and swaps them for his slippers. He turns on the TV, which has a camera taped to the top of it and watches Tom and Jerry.

AUSTRALIA

World’s Tallest Mass Timber Building The Australian software company Atlassian is putting its new headquarters in state-of-theart mass timber and steel skyscraper. While the 40-story building will be the world’s tallest “hybrid timber” tower, it’s just one of among several planned mass timber constructions across the globe.

USA

Michael Jordan’s First Game-worn Air Jordan Shoes Up For Auction at Sotheby’s Sotheby’s announced that Michael Jordan’s Game Worn Autographed Nike Air Jordan 1s from 1985 sold for $560,000 in an online auction – the new world auction record for any pair of sneakers, surpassing the previous record set at Sotheby’s for the Nike 1972 Nike Waffle Racing Flat ‘Moon Shoe’ sold for $437,500 in July 2019. Following a bidding war which drove the value up by $300,000 within the final twenty minutes of the sale, the pair achieved more than 3.5x their $150,000 high estimate. Bidders ranging from age 19 to 50+ participated across 4 continents, with 70% of bidders new to Sotheby’s.

Mass timber is made by fusing layers of wood, and the structures can act as carbon sinks within city ecosystems. The planned Atlassian design, a collaboration between New York’s SHoP and Australia’s BVN architecture firms, will have a steel and glass exterior and rise to 180 meters (590 feet), with several layers of rooftop and outdoor gardens at the apex.

Besides the carbon-neutral structure, the building will also run entirely on renewable energy, the architects say.

August

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Favourite Summer

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H20 Ninja Mask A revolutionary full face snorkling mask designed to make snorkeling effortless and natural. 180° View €80

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August

Bored of beach games?

Want a bit more than an inflatable flamingo and a few hours lounging on an airbed?

Here we summarise the best water sports to get you to try something new on the beach this summer.

Going on a beach holiday doesn’t have to mean spending all day lying on a towel. With a wide range of exciting water sports activities on offer at most resorts, there’s always something new to try wherever you go.

From extreme thrills and highoctane action, to trying out something new and having a bit of fun in the sun, there’s always a water sport to suit you.

230 IBR Sea-Doo GTR aft is cr er at This w siest one of the ea to in t ge to s way ft the musclecra es scene. It com l fu with a power hp 230supercharged and it Rotax engine with ed is now equipp LinQ the exclusive stem Sy Quick-Attach the for cargo and o di Bluetooth Au System. €12,000

Wetsuit 2 LA Shorty BZ Mystic Diva 2/ signed for those who The Diva is de be out there. dare to €135

Yamaha RDS 280 This single speed Seascooter will cruise at speeds up to 4.5 km/h and is rated to a depth of 30m. €650

Core GTS6 GTS6 kite is the showpiece and the most award-winning kite from Core. €1,000-1,800 Aquaglide Mckenzie 125 Aquaglide McKenzie 125 Inflatable Kayak 2020 is a cross-over 2 person kayak designeded for running rapids, or finding perfect swell €1,000

Slingshot Foil Wake V3 Package The Hover Glide Foil Wake V3 Packageis the ultimate package for learning to foil. Unlock your surfing potential 2-3 waves back and turn any body of water into sheet of glass €1,600

13 MP3 Player Sony NW-WS4 alkman, for use in w f 4GB waterprooer up to 2- metre deep. at salt & fresh w €85

August

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Culture

calendar

Exhibition “Roma Aeterna”

1 - Museum of the City of Novi Sad The Italian Cultural Institute of Belgrade and the Museum of the City of Novi Sad present the exhibition “Roma Aeterna. Masterpieces of Roman sculpture by the Dino and Ernesta Santarelli Foundation” which collects a precious selection of thirty-three works arranged in chronological order from the 1st century BC to the 18th century. The sculptures, mainly made of marble, alabaster and porphyry and representative of the artistic and stylistic evolutions in Rome, are divided into real portraits, of historical or animal characters, and ideal portraits, of pagan divinities, satyrs, or sacred divinities. The exhibition will run until 11 September 2020.

Exhibition “Inspired By Italy”

until 23 August - Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad The Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Belgrade and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, presents the exhibition entitled Inspired

by Italy.

The exhibition houses a selection of works of art belonging to the collections of the Matica Srpska gallery, which visually present the Italian “experiences” of Serbian painters in the tradition and artistic practice of the 19th century. In this sense, the aim of the exhibition is to draw attention to Italian models, not so rare, in Serbian art as well as to present the cities, people and heritage of Italy, to which the artists were inspired . Thanks to the works of art preserved in the collection of the Matica Srpska Gallery, it is possible to come to know Italian art indirectly, but also to realize how it influenced and inspired the training of Serbian artists, both those who have studied in Italy and those who have studied from the observation of works of art encountered in the cities of Central Europe. Works by Aksentije Marodić, Jeftimije Popović, Jovan Popović, Pavle Simić, Naum Andrić and other artists are exhibited.

The exhibition is realized with the support of DDOR osiguranje Novi Sad.

Exhibition “Master State”

Until 7 – Belgrade Youth Centre (Dom omladine)

Kralja Petra Street – History In 1000 Steps 7 – Kralja Petra Street

If you want to experience Belgrade by walking through only one street - join a walk along Kralja Petra Street.

The street that connects the rivers Sava and Danube was the center of events in old Belgrade. A street that unites three religions.

The first bookstore, the first pharmacy, the first post office and a hotel were opened in this street, and the first billiard table was set up. Once the most important shopping street in which the first modern “Robni Magazine” was opened, the first one was paved with cubes instead of Turkish cobblestones.

Come and see for yourself why Momo Kapor wrote: “Modest Kralja Petra Street for me is a lesson in patience and friendship, which is often impossible to master in many richer, main streets of enlightened Europe.”

Information and reservation: 063 77 41 181

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August

“Master State” is an exhibition that presents the works of two freshly graduated artists of the Sculpture Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, Katarina Jovanović Alfe and Senka Trivunac, who studied and graduated together, in the class of Professor Mrdjan Bajić (in Bologna).

This exhibition presents the state, cross-section, current situation and reach of young authors in the fragile, crucial moment of extraction from the formative shell of the educational process. Although they studied in parallel, this is not felt in their artistic ‘speech’, their approaches are formally and conceptually different. While Senka sculpts objects with light and introduces and arranges them into “spatial shots”, Katarina opens herself to other media - performative actions, interventions and video, with the desire to demystify the position of the artist and examine the possibilities of conveying the message and full openness to the widest audience. Engagement starts from understanding and the desire to communicate, and cultural wealth starts from the nurtured diversity of which this arrangement of different approaches to the Master state is a part. The works selected for exhibition in the Gallery of the Youth Center are mature, rounded wholes, autonomous statements that are thematically supplemented or at least stimulated by numerous dialogic versions of reading in a broader, generational harmony.

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

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FACES & PLACES 30 ITALIAN AMBASSADOR OPENS JUN EXHIBITION ROMA AETERNA The exhibition of the masterpieces of Roman sculpture art “Roma Aeterna” (Eternal Rome) was officially opened on 30 June in the Collection of Foreign Art of the Museum of the City of Novi Sad. The exhibition was opened by H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy. The event was attended

by Vladan Vukosavljević, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, Mayor of Novi Sad, Vesna Iković, director of the Museum of the City of Novi Sad, Draginja Đurić, President of the Executive Board of Banca Intesa and Giorgio Markedjani, President of Italian Chamber of Commerce. The exhibition will be opened until 11 September. It is an important event for Novi Sad, as it will become the European Capital of Culture in 2021.

07 AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE GIVES JUL NATIONAL DAY SPEECH H.E. Jean-Louis Falconi, Ambassador of France to Serbia gave a video speech on the occasion of the National Day of France, exclusively to CorD Magazine. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, traditional reception was not held. On 13 and 14 July, the entire building was lit up by the colors of the French flag.

In his speech, Ambassador Falconi pointed out that France is committed to the sustainable stability of the Western Balkans. Ambassador also pointed out that “French economic relations have great potential, they are developing successfully and I am happy that the trade exchange between France and Serbia has exceeded one billion euros”.

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21 HUMANITARIAN EFFORT FROM THE BELGIAN EMBASSY AND BSBA JUL Marking this year’s Belgium Statehood Day on 21 July, the Belgian Embassy in Belgrade, together with the Belgian-Serbian Business Association (BSBA), has joined forces with the B92 Fund to donate medical and protective equipment to health facilities in Belgrade and Surdulica.

Through this initiative, Belgian companies and the Embassy of Belgium collected over 12,200 euros, from which were purchased 4 infusion-syringe pumps for the Clinical Hospital Center “Zemun”, a video laryngoscope for the Health Center Surdulica, as well as 700 protective coats for KBC “Zvezdara”.

Two Belgian companies, New Image and Metech, in cooperation with the Technical School in Smederevo, delivered several hundred protective visors that will be distributed to several covid hospitals - KBC “Zemun”, KBC “Zvezdara”, KBC “Bežanijska kosa”, KBC “Dr Dragisa Misovic - Dedinje “, Orthopedic Institute Banjica and Health Center Surdulica.

The ceremony of handing over the humanitarian donation to the Zemun hospital was attended by the Belgian Ambassador H.E. Cohen Adam, Belgian Defense Attaché Colonel Deneis and First Secretary Van Opstaele and President of the Board of the B92 Fund and the Executive Director of the Serbian Philanthropic Forum Veran Matic.

21 AMBASSADOR OF EGYPT ANNOUNCES TWO STUDY TOUR JUL FOR WINNERS OF BEST TRAVEL ARTICLES Biljana Bosnic Ognjenovic Foundation, in cooperation with the Embassy of Egypt in Belgrade, held Online Awards Ceremony for best travel articles on Egypt and Serbia on July 21 2020. The ceremony was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, contestants, media experts, as well as friends and family of the late journalist Biljana Bosnic Ognjenovic’s, whose birthday was yesterday.

Ambassador of Egypt in Serbia H.E. Amr Aljowaily, expressed sincere appreciation to Biljana Bosnic Ognjenovic Foundation for organizing this event and to all the participants, who through their articles, presented and promoted all the beauty that Egypt and Serbia have to offer. “Travel journalists are the society’s eyes and ears, helping bringing countries together and the world closer”, he highlighted, inviting all participants to continue their exploration of Egypt’s magical history and geography, thus strengthening friendship between the two countries.

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FACES PLACES

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

22 JUL BELGRADE NATO WEEK NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Ivica Dačić, Ambassador of Netherland in Serbia H.E. Gilles Beschoor Plug, US Ambassador H.E. Anthony Godfrey participated in Belgrade NATO Week, an annual event organised by the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies in Serbia and supported by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division. In an online panel discussion, the Assistant Secretary General addressed NATO’s response to the pandemic and its role in strengthening resilience against disinformation.

22 SWEDISH NOVEL JUL “FIND YOURSELF” PRESENTED Swedish Embassy is planning various activities during the fall within the project “Let’s talk about equality”.

The aim of the project is to look at the role of women in society from different angles and point out the fact that today’s women are between several different roles: professional, parental, friendly and partner, with special emphasis on the manifestation of these roles in global times of crisis.

The project started in Novi Pazar with the digital presentation of the novel “Find Yourself” by the Swedish author Agnes Lidbek, in the studio of TV Sandžak and through social networks. The presentation of this novel, just published in Serbia, was organized by the Swedish Embassy in cooperation with the web magazine for literature Eckermann from Novi Pazar, where the equality project will continue from October, the equality study program, in cooperation with the OSCE Office in Novi Pazar and Forum 10.

27 FAREWELL VISIT OF THE AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL TO SERBIA JUL Ambassador of Israel to Serbia H.E. Alona Fisher Kamm paid a farewell visit to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

Ambassador Fisher Kamm pointed out that relations between the two countries are constantly progressing through political dialogue and economic cooperation.

Speaking about economic cooperation, Ambassador Fisher Kamm assessed that more and more companies in Israel understand the potential of this region, primarily Serbia, with which Israel is connected by a common history and friendship between the two peoples.

The Ambassador explained that Israeli investors, despite the situation, plan to stay and expand their business in Serbia, and she sees a special opportunity to improve cooperation in the field of IT sector, innovation, environment and tourism.

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August

Partner Business Partner

SWITZERLAND - SERBIA

SWITZERLAND

H.E. Philippe Guex, Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia ● Majo Mićović, President of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce ● Ana Grujović, Execuive Director of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce ● Mladen Vukanac, General Manager, Sauter Building Control ● Aleksandar Milošević, 3ap CEO ● Branko Milikić, Managing Director, Sixsentix Serbia ● Jens Engeli, Regional Director for Eastern Europe, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation ● Dominique Küttel, Founder & Chairman, BAD SISTEMS LLC ● Aleksandra Bućić, Area Sales & BD Manager CEE, Selectchemie AG

BUSINESS PARTNER

CONTENTS

04 06

COMMENT

CHALLENGING & FASCINATING TIME IN SERBIA

H.E. PHILIPPE GUEX, AMBASSADOR OF SWITZERLAND TO SERBIA

10

23 24

SUPPORT IN DELICATE TIMES

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14 15 CYBER SECURITY HAS BECOME A BUSINESS NECESSITY

MAJO MIĆOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

EMPOWER CHANGE

ALEKSANDAR MILOŠEVIĆ, 3AP CEO

SWISS EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY AN ANSWER TO MARKET DEMANDS OF TOMORROW

WINSEDSWISS

16

UNIQUE TESTING APPROACH

BRANKO MILIKIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SIXSENTIX SERBIA

SWISS NATURE

WE’VE ADAPTED TO THE CHALLENGES

ANA GRUJOVIĆ, EXECUIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SWISS-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, SSCC

SMART AUTOMATION FOR IOT BUILDINGS

MLADEN VUKANAC, GENERAL MANAGER, SAUTER BUILDING CONTROL

EXCLUSIVELY NATURAL ORIGINS

18 20

YOUR PARTNER IN HEALTH CARE SUPPORTING SERBIA’S REFORMS

21

A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS REQUIRES ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE

DOMINIQUE KÜTTEL, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, BAD SISTEMS LLC

22

ECONOMY

ADOC

JENS ENGELI, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN EUROPE, HELVETAS SWISS INTERCOOPERATION

32

ONE OF THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES

34 38 40

EUROPE’S MODERN ARCHITECTURE MECCA

SWISS ARCHITECTURE

27 28

THREE DECADES OF SUCCESS

LOGO D. O.O. (LTD.)

SSCC ACTIVITIES

THE MASTER OF KINETIC ART & NOUVEAU RÉALISME

JEAN TINGUELY, 1925 – 1991

THE BEST LUXURY WELLNESS RETREATS WELLNESS

PLANNING MARKET EXPANSION

ALEKSANDRA BUĆIĆ, AREA SALES & BD MANAGER CEE, SELECTCHEMIE AG

EDITOR IN CHIEF Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs a.novcic@cordmagazine.com DESIGN Jasmina Laković j.lakovic@aim.rs PHOTOS Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR Mark Pullen mrpeditorial@mail.com

PROJECT MANAGERS Biljana Dević b.devic@aim.rs Nataša Trifunović n.trifunovic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs

EDITORIAL MANAGER Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs FINANCE Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs GENERAL MANAGER Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs PUBLISHER Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs

PRINTING Rotografika d.o.o.

Segedinski put 72, Subotica, Serbia BUSINESS PARTNER SWITZERLAND Published by: alliance international media Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508

Fascimile: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@aim.rs; office@cordmagazine.com www.aim.rs; www.cordmagazine.com No 19 ISSN: 2560-4465

necessary reflect the view of publications published by alliance international media THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE OF CHARGE

All rights reserved alliance international media 2020 The views expressed in this publication are those of the presenter; they do not

3

BUSINESS PARTNER

COMMENT

SUPPORT In Delicate Times Switzerland is one of the top three bilateral donors to Serbia, and the only donor that has been continuously present in Serbia without interruption since 1991. During the times of COVID-19, Swiss support quickly found its way to those most in need

I

n times when health and wellness count more than ever, Switzerland provided 600,000 euros to Serbia to help those most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. This amount was channelled through local partners, which resonates will with the method of providing Swiss bilateral support to Serbia.

It pays equal attention to Serbia’s national goals related to Agenda 2030 and the EU integration process, as well as to the needs of municipalities and their vulnerable groups – the elderly, as well as men and women who lost their sources of income.

The Swiss Cooperation Strategy Serbia 2018–2021, the document that lays the ground for Swiss support, demonstrates this approach clearly. For example, Swiss support was instrumental in improving the capacities and resilience of key national public finance institutions, which is an important feature in times when national fiscal policies are tremendously challenged by the impacts of pandemics. At the same time, Switzerland provides continuous support to various measures related to the improvement of the business climate in Serbia at the national and sub-national levels, thus promoting local economic development. Swiss support also contributes to making Serbian entrepreneurs more innovative and competitive, thus increasing their ability to become members of global trade and value chains, and creating more and better jobs.

Swiss support is focused increasingly on the employability of young people and dual education programmes, as well as on young entrepreneurs who benefit from the development of inclusive and improved market-orientated skills, which results in employment. Furthermore, Serbia benefits strongly

from the Swiss backing of the opening of Science & Technology Park Belgrade, as well as similar new facilities in Niš and Čačak. Such opportunities create space for young IT experts to develop their innovative projects into start-ups and contribute to the prevention of the brain drain.

The full list of supported areas is, of course, much longer and contains interventions related to the enhanced capacities of local municipalities, CSOs and citizens for inclusive decisionmaking, as well as energy efficiency and the development of smart cities.

Over the past four years, the Swiss government has increased its support to Serbia to up to 24 million euros annually, making Switzerland one of the top three bilateral donors, and the only donor to maintain a continuous presence without interruption since 1991.

Yet not all of these initiatives proved to be equally successful. Building efficient and effective democratic institutions represents one of the key area of Swiss support to Serbia, but as the current state of affairs shows, much greater efforts are needed in that respect. As Swiss Ambassador Philippe Guex put it “no one has failed to see that the freedom of media is imperfectly fulfilled, as the ruling party could rely on disproportionate coverage among most major media outlets, including the TV channels with a national frequency.” Indeed, Serbia would benefit strongly from improved rule of law and increased freedom of press, both of which are key prerequisites for a society thar aims to secure unfettered democratic and economic development.

In that respect, Serbia clearly has to learn from Switzerland.

Even though Serbia has progressed in the EU integration process, there is room for strong improvement in terms of the rule of law, freedom of press and the overall process of democratisation

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BUSINESS PARTNER

INTERVIEW

H.E. PHILIPPE GUEX, AMBASSADOR OF SWITZERLAND TO SERBIA

CHALLENGING

& Fascinating Time In Serbia There are still many reforms to be carried out to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. The recent elections have given a good example. No one has failed to see that the freedom of media is imperfectly fulfilled, as the ruling party could rely on disproportionate coverage from most major media – Philippe Guex

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s he makes preparations to depart Serbia, Swiss Ambassador Philippe Guex says that he is satisfied with the fact that, during his term, Switzerland became the third largest donor in Serbia, and that bilateral cooperation programmes were aimed significantly towards young people, primarily through the encouraging of the introduction of dual education in schools. Ambassador Guex concludes his term by stating that Switzerland and Serbia “agree to disagree in their view of the status of Kosovo”, which he says is linked to the only unpleasantness he experienced in Serbia. He found fault with one minister for making “malicious comments” against Swiss football players originating in Kosovo. There was no such discomfort when it comes to economic cooperation. Swiss investors are generally satisfied with conditions in Serbia, but also cite shortcomings: lack of the rule of law, including within courts of justice, cases of corruption or lack of transparency of the tax administration.

Your Excellency, given that you’re approaching the end of your term in Serbia, how would you summarise the time you’ve spent in Belgrade?

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INVESTMENTS

EU

NEGOTIATIONS

Even though the business environment has improved, there is still scope to align it further with European standards

The door to the EU is open, but it is up to the political elites of the candidate countries to push this door by taking onboard the necessary reforms

I don’t want to prejudge any future negotiations, but I'm afraid that broad local autonomy is no longer an option

- I dedicated over 20 years of my career to Swiss-EU affairs in Brussels, Luxembourg, London and Paris. My appointment in Belgrade was certainly the most challenging and fascinating one, considering the wide scope of diplomatic and political issues an ambassador has to deal with.

I am particularly satisfied that during my time in Belgrade the Swiss government has increased its support to Serbia up to 24 million euros annually. Switzerland now belongs among the top three bilateral donors to Serbia. As a reminder, we are the only donor that has been present continuously, without interruption, since 1991. A highlight of the last four years is that our cooperation programmes have focused increasingly on the youth, with our dual education programmes, as well as on young entrepreneurs. After supporting the opening of Science & Technology Park Belgrade a few years ago, we are now doing the same in Niš and Čačak.

Such support provides opportunities for young IT experts to develop their innovative projects into start-ups, and doing so prevents them from leaving the country.

national parks, the meanders of the river Uvac. I could go on and on like that with dozens of other examples.

At the start of your residency in Serbia, you noted the people’s “chaleur humaine” and the large servings of food.

What else made an impression on you?

- What I said in a previous interview is that the generous servings of delicious food is a feature that illustrates the great sense of hospitality of the people in Serbia, their human touch or their “chaleur humaine”, as we say in French. The creative art scene and tourism potential of the country also impressed me when I first arrived. No wonder that Serbia was the cradle of numerous talented artists, the most famous living example of which is Marina Abramović. During the first year I spent all my holidays touring the country and I got only a glimpse of its tourism potential. Just a few examples of my fond memories: the Deliblato Sands, the splendid Studenica and Sopoćani monasteries, the quiet Roman site of Romuliana, the mysterious fortress of Maglić, the astonishing synagogue in Subotica, the snowy peaks of Kopaonik, the amazing prehistoric site of Vinča, the magnificent Fruška Gora and Tara

- From one day to another, providing assistance to Swiss citizens has become a priority for me and the staff at the Embassy. We have been in constant contact with the Swiss community and have tried to respond to each request.

The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was very helpful in this regard. We had good cooperation in organising repatriation flights for stranded Swiss citizens in Serbia, as well as for Serbian citizens stranded in Switzerland. Another challenge was to respond swiftly to the Serbian authorities’ inquiry for support to manage the pandemic. Within a few days, we were able to make available 600,000 euros to help those most in need, including the elderly and men and women who lost their incomes. This amount was channelled through our local partners, including the Red Cross of Serbia.

Your final year in Serbia has been marked by the Coronavirus pandemic. To what extent did that impact on the plans you had until the end of your term?

Generous servings of delicious food is a feature that illustrates the great sense of hospitality of the people in Serbia, their human touch or their “chaleur humaine”, as we say in French

Even prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, economic cooperation between the two countries seemed to be experiencing a 7

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slight slowdown. Do you have a suggestion about what needs to happen in Serbia in order to make the country more interesting for investors from Switzerland?

- First I would like to state that most of the Swiss companies are, roughly speaking, satisfied with the business conditions that prevail in Serbia. The Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce carries out an annual survey among its members that confirms this fact. This is particularly true for the big “names”, like Nestlé, Novartis, Roche, Ringier Group, SGS or Sika. The complaints I am informed about come usually from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

They relate to the lack of the rule of law, including within courts of justice, cases of corruption or lack of transparency of the tax authorities.

As you prepare to depart the Western Balkans, do you see it as a future EU region or as an isolated island within the EU? - Europe would not be Europe without the Western Balkans.

From the dismantling of the Roman Empire to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Western Balkans have always been a gateway between Western and Eastern Europe. The continent is today reunited, from Lisbon to Athens, from Stockholm to Rome. I would then expect this gateway role to fade away over time.

Under these circumstances, what would be the added value in the Western Balkans becoming an isolated island? The door to the EU is open, but it is up to the political elites of the candidate countries to push this door by taking onboard the necessary reforms.

You’ve advocated strongly for Serbia’s membership in the EU, emphasising that some Swiss donations were also awarded with the intention of strengthening the country’s capacity to navigate negotiations successfully and achieve EU accession. You’ve stated that these donations are about supporting the system of European values. Do you think that they can only develop within the EU; and if so, how should we interpret the fact that the Swiss have no intention of even considering membership?

- We tend to forget that the European Union is first and foremost a matter of values, which are identified as the rule of law, freedom of media, market economy, judicial independence or intolerance of corruption. Each value is important and forms part of the whole.

There is no cherry picking. Switzerland shares all these values deeply, even though our direct democracy system, as well as our specific history, prevents us from joining the EU. Serbia has decided to join the EU. That means that these values have to be shared and implemented. Switzerland therefore supports Serbia in achieving this goal, with the resources available as a nonEU bilateral donor. As EU progress reports show, Serbia is moving forward, particularly in economic sectors, but there are still many reforms to be carried out in order to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. The recent elections have provided a good example. No one has failed to see that freedom of media is imperfectly fulfilled, as the ruling party could rely on disproportionate coverage from most major media outlets, including the TV channels with a national frequency.

As your only negative experience in Serbia, you’ve mentioned that you recall “malicious comments” during the World Cup in Russia that were directed towards several members of the Swiss national football team who have origins in Kosovo. Didn’t it seem to you at the time that some of the members of your own national team were using football to meddle in politics?

- Let’s get facts straight. The “malicious comments” you are referring to were made by a Serbian Minister prior to the Serbia vs. Switzerland match. These “malicious comments” were broadcast throughout Switzerland before the match, as evidence that a member of the Serbian government was using football to meddle in politics.The two Swiss footballers did the same during the match. They have been rightly punished for what they did. I am not sure that the Minister was sanctioned.The Swiss football team is an illustration of what Switzerland is at its best, namely a blending of different cultures that live together in peace and with mutual respect.

Within a few days, we were able to make available 600,000 euros to help those most in need, including the elderly and men and women who lost their incomes

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When discussing the secret of Switzerland’s success, you mentioned three recipes, one of which is decentralisation – given that your country has 23 cantons and over 2,000 municipalities. Why couldn’t the decentralisation model, proposed as broad local autonomy, not also be a solution for Kosovo?

Switzerland was one of the first countries to recognise the independence of the Serbian province.

- Switzerland and Serbia agree to disagree on Kosovo, as we recognised its independence like the majority of countries around the world. For decades, including in the ‘90s, broad

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local autonomy could indeed have been a solution for Kosovo.

Throughout that time there were several missed opportunities in this regard. I don’t want to prejudge any future negotiations, but I’m afraid that broad local autonomy is no longer an option.

Having said that, Switzerland supports an inclusive negotiation process that has to lead to a comprehensive normalisation agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, the implementation of which has to be effective. We trust that both sides will use their leeway to have a significant positive influence on the process.

and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia for the implementation of this dual education reform. A highly knowledgeable professor in dual education from the ETH Zurich has a leading role in that respect. Second, we are carrying out our own programme that’s focused on short term work-based learning courses. This programme targets the creation of new jobs in five cities and their surrounding municipalities. So far it has supported 12,000 young people with career advice and job placement, and facilitated 1,000 work-based learning

How does the Swiss-funded platform for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina function?

- Switzerland is funding one of the very few platforms for dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. This platform is not only for NGOs, journalists and academics from Serbia and Kosovo to meet and hold a dialogue with each other, but also for members of parliament or key representatives of political parties, be that opposition or ruling parties. In the case of members of parliament, they usually meet up to three times a year in a neighbouring country. Pristina’s introduction of 100% tariffs for imports from Serbia froze these exchanges for understandable reasons. I am confident that they will now resume.

No one has failed to see that freedom of media is imperfectly fulfilled, as the ruling party could rely on disproportionate coverage from most major media outlets, including the TV channels with a national frequency

Like several of your predecessors, you also advocated for the introduction of dual education in Serbia. How would you rate it today, with the applying of that system having started?

- The trigger for us to make dual education a priority of our bilateral cooperation with Serbia was the strong interest expressed by President Aleksandar Vučić during a visit to Switzerland five years ago, in his capacity as then prime minister. His interest has never declined since then. On the contrary, in the meantime his government carried out a major reform, the first results of which are promising. There are currently 7,000 students on dual education programmes in Serbia, in 104 schools, getting knowledge for 37 profiles with 880 participating companies.

This year alone there were 3,000 places for freshmen in dual education, which is a very favourable trend, given the current economic and public health circumstances.

The role of the Swiss Embassy here is twofold. First, we bring qualified policy advice to the Ministry of Education

programmes in 120 companies, with a 60 per cent job retention rate for young men and women.

You launched the project “Private Value” three years ago, through which you gave young artists from Serbia the opportunity to mark the start of their careers with exhibitions in a specific gallery that you created in the scope of the Swiss ambassadorial residence. Will your colleagues continue this project?

- When I arrived in Belgrade, I decided to open the doors of the Ambassadorial Residence to Swiss and Serbian artists specialising in visual arts. I think it perfectly suits my first mission in Belgrade, which is to be a bridge builder between Serbia and Switzerland. Three to four temporary exhibitions have been organised each year, including “Private Value” exhibitions featuring only young Serbian artists. As this is my personal initiative, I can’t tell you whether my successor will keep going with a 4th edition next year. You can trust that I will encourage him to do so.

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INTERVIEW

MAJO MIĆOVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

CYBER SECURITY

Has Become A Business Necessity The new government should do well to ease the level of tax liabilities, including reducing contributions to employees' salaries, and encourage banks to address support for the economy more substantially. Alongside that, with the further development of provided digital services, the state would significantly support the business operations of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Finally, cyber security should not be seen as an option, but rather an obligatory part of the digital transformation process

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he state of increased health security as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed companies operating in Serbia towards digitalisation, but the road from digitalisation to digital operations is an extended one, says Majo Mićović, president of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, investor and CEO of Sky Express, one of the leading companies in the field of cyber security in Serbia and the region. We spoke with Mićović about doing business in Serbia, the work of the Chamber and government measures that could help companies more easily overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

How deeply has digitalisation been taken on by different business segments of companies in Serbia?

- I would like to stress the distinction: it is important to understand that digitalisation, as a process, and digital business operations are not synonymous. Digitalisation, as a modern response to the tendencies of developing human communication, is generally an all-encompassing process that extends beyond

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narrow fields such as business, health or education. The transformation of all types of mass and individual communication into “bits & bytes” has been going on for decades already, since the beginnings of the mass use of personal computers and the internet. Digital business operations, on the other hand, which is the topic of your question, relates to the digitalisation of business communication, but not only communication as a form of mutually informing participants in the process, but rather beyond communication it also encompasses the complete line of business processes, from production to distribution, and alongside that all documentation, sales and marketing processes, analytics, data mining etc. If we look at your question from this perspective, the digitalisation of operations hasn’t been nearly as far-reaching as general digitalisation, and the COVID-19 pandemic and all measures, from the state of emergency to the post-Covid period, have confirmed the extreme importance of digitalisation. Many companies have “awoken” from their analogue dream, finding themselves facing extreme challenges such as compulsory work from home,

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web business orientation, facing market demands for digital communication and business operations in general.

In your opinion, how prepared was Serbia for this type of challenge, in terms of infrastructure and in the domain of e-government?

- With the information at my disposal, and I would say that no one has the most accurate insight into the preparedness of any country in the world when it comes to entering a pandemic crisis, Serbia was in a similar situation to most other countries in the region, with slightly better communication and IT infrastructure. What is actually a surprise, and an unpleasant one, happened in countries with much higher standards, such as Italy, France, the U.S. and Spain, and shows only that the strength of infrastructure isn’t the only response to emergency situations. I believe that the behavioral aspects of the individual citizen, and then the collective consciousness, is a much more important factor for successfully overcoming these kinds of situations. We have all witnessed that this same test was failed by much more developed economies and societies that are more advanced in terms of civilization. When it comes to the success and capacity of e-government of Serbia, I have different indications. Initiatives such as Digital Solidarity were to be commended wholeheartedly, then a couple of good portal projects such as COVID-19, as well as the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia to use frequent webinars in order to raise the ability of businesses to cope with the newly emerged situation. On the other hand, I think The Office for IT and E-government had the opportunity to do somewhat more in the area of supporting the economy and citizens in this period, considering the exceptional support of its founder, the Government of Serbia, or rather the Prime Minister’s Office. I said this while bearing in mind that the Cabinet and the Government have really done a lot for the IT industry in the past few years; as a result, it is a well-known fact that Serbia’s IT industry is becoming one of the main engines of Serbia’s export economy.

precisely the type of risks that must be addressed with a high degree of priority, considering the huge scales of potential compromises and the relatively simple way in which systems can be compromised when converted from paper to digital resources. The protection measures you take will not by themselves deter an attacker from their intentions, rather carefully selected and applied correctly with other measures are those that contribute significantly to reducing and eliminating the risk of an attack being successful. This is actually the major task of our IT security branch, to help the user to understand the adequacy of technology and mutual harmonisation of protection resources, to avoid wasting budget resources in procuring incompatible systems. Cyber security is a field of high, narrowly specialised IT technology, primarily in an application sense, because it has been shown that only application solutions can quickly, efficiently and flexibly deal with organised cyber crime. Here I would point to the fact that although cyber security is the fastest growing branch of the IT industry and the fastest growing industry in the world, the need for digital data and communications increased by the pandemic and crisis made it all even more obvious in the global business circles. In Serbia, we have several companies that have really succeeded in evolving into serious subjects in this area, not only in our country but also in the Region, such as the company for whose business I am personally responsible, Sky Express, which is a leader in the area of the distribution and implementation of highly complex solutions in the field of cyber security.

When the Swiss economy adapts to the new conditions for doing business, it is to be expected that a healthy cycle of quality investments will be restarted, because the Serbian market offers good opportunities, especially in the fields of IT and services

Do you think that current level of cyber security protection has been sufficient when it comes to operations that have been relocated to the internet, and in which areas is strengthening needed here?

- The aspect of cyber security shouldn’t be considered an option, but rather an essential part of the digital transformation plan, which is defined by the positive legal regulations of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the acts of the European Union. Of course, every transformation carries with it some risks, and the risks of applying digital transformation are

To what extent will working from home, but also transferring part of operations online, be able to contribute to the preserving of production processes? What is the situation among your member companies in this regard?

- It is certain that in the initial phase of becoming accustomed to the new system of work, working from home will not contribute greatly to the preservation of production processes, especially in non-digital operations, in classic industries such as metal processing, wood and agricultural production. In the end, working from home isn’t a method of contribution but a necessary measure to improve employee safety, so like any necessary measure it should be observed as temporary. The transition to online operations certainly goes hand in hand with services, and when it comes to the manufacturing business, part of the business - such as sales and logistics, as well as supplies - will certainly gain strength through the digitalisation of operations.

Members of SSCC, in accordance with the aforementioned theses, they apply both the measure of working from home and 11

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strengthening online operations quite differently: software and general IT companies, and companies with digital services, have very easily and efficiently adapted to the new conditions of doing business, with a possible tendency to keep part of employees on remote working even after the waning of the pandemic, while the other hand, the classical businesses of Swiss companies in Serbia certainly suffer the same pressure on the efficiency of production processes as all other companies of that provenance, and that through the enforced measures like deploying more working shifts, shorter working days, more frequent holidays, the reorganisation of business premises and production lines etc.

We understand that there probably won’t be a second package of assistance to the economy from the Government of Serbia. What are your suggestions for the new government when it comes to improving the business climate?

- It wouldn’t be responsible if I were to comment in advance the measures that should be adopted by a government that has not yet even been selected, because we must accept that it will probably differ quite a lot from the current one, both in terms of composition and in the strategic goals of the state, so measures for economic recovery will depend significantly on the political and economic circumstances in which it will be formed. Judging by the topics the state is currently engaged in, primarily the issue of Kosovo, then international relations with neighbouring countries, which unfortunately aren’t progressing due to pandemic complications, general regional tensions and the complexity of relations with the EU, I believe that economic issues will be resolved following their importance rather than strategically, at least in the period until the end of the year.

In nutshell, the new government should ease the level of tax liabilities, including reducing contributions to employees’ salaries, and encourage banks to address support for the economy more substantially. Alongside that, with the further development of provided digital services, the state would significantly support the business operations of small and medium-sized enterprises. Finally, cyber security should not be seen as an option, but rather an obligatory part of the digital transformation process.

Immediately prior to and during the health crisis, Swiss companies arrived on the Serbian market. What are your expectations with regard to new FDI, considering the situation on the global market?

- Compared to some other international economies, Swiss companies don’t rank high in numbers and investments, so I believe this crisis will even further slow down the arrival of Swiss investors, except in a few industries like IT and services. On the other hand, the world economy, including the Swiss economy, is adapting to new conditions for doing business, so it is to be expected that, after getting used to the new way of doing business, a healthy cycle of quality investments will be restarted, because the Serbian market provides good opportunities for that, which we have also been convinced of at the Evolution Equity Fund from Zurich, a fund that has invested in Serbia with Sky Express, which is an SSCC member company as well.

What do you consider as the most important tasks of the Chamber in the period ahead?

- The SSCC, like most of bilateral chambers, is an active factor in the international cooperation between Switzerland and Serbia, as well as being a careful analyst of the economic situation in the country.

Add to that the integrative moment for our membership, actively connecting all members who express an interest in connecting with various economic organisations, government agencies and other chambers, then you will get a picture of the scope of activities that the Chamber has. In the coming period, until the end of the year, analysing the pandemic situation and how it reflects on the economies of Serbia and Switzerland will certainly be our primary activity, both in an advisory sense as well as through acting as a centre for information on administrative and economic measures and changes in the economic lives of the two countries. Alongside that, we are also continuing with all our daily activities, amongst which I would really like to single out the outstanding contributions of some of our member companies, such as Adecco, Confida Consulting, Sky Express, Smart Point and TSG Law Office, whose webinars on topics relevant to overcoming crises difficulties to operations are attracting ever more attention from both our membership and among the members of other Chambers.

Many companies have “awoken” from their analogue dream, finding themselves facing extreme challenges such as compulsory work from home, web business orientation, market demands for digital communication and business

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MLADEN VUKANAC, GENERAL MANAGER, SAUTER BUILDING CONTROL

BUSINESS

SMART AUTOMATION

For IoT Buildings

Sauter Building Control has been ranked at the top of the world in the field of pharmaceuticals and laboratory control for more than a hundred years, because it insists on high quality solutions and services, reliability, technological innovation and knowhow

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nlike the majority of other companies, Sauter is hiring new staff despite the unfavourable situation.

According to announcements of new investment cycles in the construction sector, the company is making plans for next year, which is expected to surpass the successes of 2019 and 2020.

Switzerland is known as a country with high technological and industrial standards. How do you succeed in justifying such a status through your work and in implementing all those values within projects?

- Precision, innovation, reliability, good management and high quality are just some of the values that are rooted in the national identity of Switzerland. When we add to that economic and political stability, and when we know that the Swiss federation is the best example of the development of federal relations in Europe, we are talking about a country that represents a positive example of social and economic order.

In our work we insist precisely on the high quality of solutions and services, reliability, technological innovations and knowhow, but similarly we also take care of socialisation through the systematic transferring of knowhow, skills and habits to new generations.

When you’ve spent over a hundred years at the very top of the world in any field of business, you have great social responsibility and an obligation to make your environment, and the country in which you reside, a better place to live.

here in Serbia for the use of your latest technological solution, “Modulo 6”, which is based on the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT)?

- We see them everywhere. Digitalisation is unavoidable in all fields, including the sector of Building Automation. What’s important is that we are fully prepared to respond to all the challenges posed by IoT buildings with our solutions. Sauter’s “Modulo 6” is a guarantee of efficiency and accuracy, while it also brings economic benefits.

Our country isn’t lagging behind in terms of technological solutions, and Sauter’s engineers in Belgrade aren’t lagging behind any European country in terms of experience and knowhow. I can confirm this because I’ve had many opportunities to acquaint myself with solutions and projects across Europe, and to convince myself of that.

The projects we’re working on in our country haven’t been stopped, and we are achieving a record turnover

By keeping pace with the latest trends in the fields of automation and digitalisation, where do you see possibilities

What are the biggest challenges facing Sauter today and how do you approach them?

- The current health situation is certainly something that causes concern. However, we are not waiting for better times, but rather are already actively involved in the fight against the virus, which is the biggest threat to society today. Specifically, Sauter is just completing the automation of the first factory for a Covid-19 vaccine, which is being built in Beijing. When the services of our company from Switzerland are being used for one of the Chinese state’s most important projects, that is impressive, but also certainly brings great responsibility.

We try to look at each situation rationally, and to do the most we can at all times. We certainly analyse events that we cannot influence, but we don’t unnecessarily waste energy and time that we need to do something useful wherever that’s possible.

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BUSINESS

ALEKSANDAR MILOŠEVIĆ, 3ap CEO

Empower

CHANGE

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Change has forever been important to mankind, since time immemorial. Being able to reflect on how you do things is extremely crucial personally. The question is “when” one actually does it; and, moreover, whether we even want to engage in change? These are probably among the questions that we can easily ask ourselves. However, it is slightly more difficult to start actually making those changes, since mankind is often naturally predisposed to being reluctant to change

he forces pushing for change are probably stronger now than ever, with 2020 acting as an accelerator for this, a test, or even the proof that change is possible.

It is a call that we need to change. The current time in which we are living is probably of similar importance to the time when the steam engine was invented, when horses were being rapidly replaced by steaming locomotives drawing extensive carriages along newly laid rail tracks. This was a time Empowering large scale change is essentially the core of disruption of the way mankind travels, which later changed responsibility of companies, institutions and authorities, which yet again with the introduction of flight. should also do so in a joint manner. To truly support ambitions Jumping to the 21st century, one of the fundamental contribuwith stability (through authorities), creating environments that tors is digitalisation and the information it can create. During contribute to expertise (through companies), and knowledge the last couple of years we’ve only scratched the surface of the (through education). true potential that exists in this revolutionary area.

At 3ap we live the ambition to introduce change and to do A simple look at the way we plan our days, supported by so fast! That’s not just because we are eager to work on this weather forecast apps, can show us how these changes have a change movement, but also because we want to be ahead of direct result in terms of ensuring we take more enjoyable trips. the game, to learn fast and manoeuThis is just one simple example of how ourselves successfully through the empowering access to available informaEmpowering large scale change vre pace brought to us by the world. We are tion can influence our lives drastically. is essentially the core dedicated to our company culture for Other apps contribute to us being more that. We organise ourselves strategically physically active with sport via tracking. responsibility of companies, and consider how we can actually manage Thus resulting in us living healthier lives. institutions and authorities, constant change. We are indeed fortunate Social media has also been seen to have huge importance for us in demographic which should also do so in a joint to be headquartered in one of the most innovative countries is the word, and to aspects. These are just a couple of exammanner. To truly support have access to the latest practices and ples that impact on our daily lives. ambitions with stability theories, as well as the renowned Swiss What will come in the years ahead (through authorities), creating educational system. We are also bridging is what I call, from my perspective, “the break of silos”. In other words, the ability environments that contribute to the gap by being a role model company Serbia, where we are bringing new apto connect different silos with each other expertise (through companies), inproaches and have the ambition to be the even further and provide information in and knowledge (through force behind companies rethinking how a more holistic way by changing or even they can function. creating new approaches. education)

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SWISS EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

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BUSINESS

BRANKO MILIKIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SIXSENTIX SERBIA

Since its foundation, the vision of Sixsentix has been to grow as a specialised software testing company. Owing to successful business, the company today has offices in Vienna, Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi, Wroclaw and Krakow, Belgrade and Novi Sad

UNIQUE Testing Approach

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f you don’t invest in the constant improvement of employees and their knowledge, the continual development of the services you offer and your approach, and if you are not dedicated to clients’ satisfaction and becoming recognisable on the market, you shouldn’t expect big things, says Sixsentix Serbia MD Branko Milikić.

Your company is headquartered in Zurich, but Sixsentix has offices in several European cities, and in the UAE. - The company headquarters are in Zurich, but we also have offices in Vienna, Frankfurt, Abu Dhabi, Wroclaw and Krakow. In Serbia we have offices in two locations, in Belgrade and Novi Sad, and here we have the highest number of employees. Considering that our clients are major corporations, we keep pace with the world market and expand our business in countries that recognise the necessity of high-level software quality and understand the need and importance of investing in this type of service.

The company in Switzerland is specialised in software testing, whereas the subsidiary company in Serbia is specialised in both software testing and development. What types of services are more in demand on our market?

- There are two companies in our group. Sixsentix is specialised 16

in software testing (quality assurance) and QACube is specialised in software development and it has its own product for visual analytics and reporting for DevOps. Developers are currently in demand worldwide, including Serbia. So, the companies are literally competing to win over employees in this field. When it comes to testing, it can be said that the situation is slightly better.

However, as time passes, many companies are becoming aware of the importance of quality assurance, so I expect the situation to be the same with testers very soon.

Your clients are the biggest global banks and enterprises in the fields of finance, insurance and telecommunications. Do they rely on your Managed Testing Service?

- We have implemented our Managed Testing Service for several clients, and it yielded impressive results. This type of testing service saves both time and money, as well as resources. The output is of high quality and there is no need for in-house test consultants. In this way, the clients have more time to focus on their core business. We also work with clients who have their own in-house testers, and even entire testing departments. In some cases we coordinate the projects, while in others the clients do the coordination. Both options bring great results, provided you work with people who are experts at what they do.

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Your core business is software testing. What makes your testing approach different and unique? What results does it achieve – flawless, high-quality software that fully satisfies the needs of customers?

- Since the foundation of the company, our vision has been to grow as a specialised software testing company. We didn’t want to test everything in any way, but we aimed at developing our own unique testing approach - Software Agile Testing (SWAT).

The SWAT approach defines our methodology and testing life cycle, and has predefined team roles with specific skill sets and responsibilities.

It is distinguishable due to our testing methodology, which includes risk-based testing of the system components according to priorities, thus enabling the highest risk coverage of the system under test with a relatively small number of automated test cases. As a result, the client gets a fast report about their readiness for product launch.

We all know that ‘time is money’, and, in a very competitive landscape, everyone working on a new product wants the fastest time-to-market, with software that has no errors or shortcomings that could result in dissatisfied users or in putting the product owner’s reputation at risk. We’ve already heard about large companies losing millions of dollars, even billions, due to the defects of their products already placed on the market. The worst-case scenario is to lose clients who will quickly direct their business towards the competition. In this scenario, a lot more is lost than just money.

With our expert knowledge and professional staff, we help clients avoid the potential problems of placing a low-quality product on the market. It is for all these reasons that we are constantly improving our business model and way of work.

Thanks to your testing services, the companies that hire you reduce their costs and shorten their products’ time-to-market. As time is becoming ever more expensive, will the need for your services grow? Are you prepared for that?

- Our approach becomes more recognisable to clients year-onyear, and we gradually expand our market share and increase the number of clients. As I mentioned, software quality assurance is a relatively young field and the demand for this type of service will continue to grow, especially for the specific way of testing

The SWAT approach defines our methodology and testing life cycle and has predefined team roles, with a specific skill set and responsibilities

How do you choose the right technology and approach to software testing? How much does it depend on the specific needs of each client and their industry?

- It depends on the client’s needs and system architecture, but also on the client’s business policies. In some cases customers have signed license agreements and only use the tools of those vendors, so we have to adjust to that. In cases with no such restrictions, we decide for ourselves which tool and technique we will use, and which method of working we will implement.

This brings the best results, because we determine the most adequate approach to the given requirements at that specific moment, based on our extensive experience.

such as ours. We already have in place developed systems and processes for onboarding, education and staff training.

With the help of experienced colleagues, we can easily adapt them and prepare for any new challenge in our field.

Is that one of the reasons, among others, why you invest a lot in the training and development of your staff? Are there enough available experts that fit your needs?

- There are not enough qualified experts in this field on the market. On the other hand, the constant advancement of technologies and systems requires the continuous improvement of knowledge and skills. It is also very important to have the right people in the right roles, and to nurture the company’s values and culture. That’s why we invest in all of it, starting from the hiring process itself, through the onboarding of new employees, to the education and training of everyone in the company on a regular basis.

I would like to conclude this interview with the following message: if you do not invest in the constant improvement of your employees and their knowledge, continuous development of the services you offer and your approach, and if you are not dedicated to client satisfaction and becoming recognisable on the market, you should not expect big things.

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BUSINESS PARTNER

BUSINESS

ADOC

YOUR PARTNER

In Health Care

ADOC is a family business that has been supplying medicines to all healthcare institutions in the country for the last three decades, while it also holds the position of market leader in the fields of diabetes care and laboratory diagnostics. In addition to that, ADOC also manufactures a significant number of medicines, medical devices and supplements

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Can you briefly introduce your company us to? t ADOC they follow market trends, plan the - We are a family-owned company, established in Dedevelopment of products and services stracember 1990, which means that we’ve been operating tegically, and expand their network of supplion the domestic pharmaceutical market for 30 years. ers and customers. They also simultaneously We deal with the import, storage work continuously on the personal distribution of medicines and and professional development of By respecting every agreement and medical devices. During this period employees, which, viewed in its entirety, is obviously a good direction, and contractual obligation, we we’ve cooperated with numerous considering that the company has have gained enormous trust world leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, such as Roche (Pharma & been operating successfully for three among all stakeholders Diagnostics), AstraZeneca, Merck decades already.

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BUSINESS PARTNER

KgaA, Novo Nordisk, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, but also with domestic manufacturers, i.e. Hemofarm and Actavis.

We are among the largest suppliers of medicines to all healthcare institutions in the country, and we would single out our market leader position in the fields of diabetes care and laboratory diagnostics.

ADOC is also a manufacturer of a significant number of medicines, medical devices and supplements, including some brands that are very well represented on the domestic market.

Thirty years is a long period of existing and operating successfully. How have you managed to last so long?

- There are many factors that exist in the successful operation of any organisation, including ours, but I would single out two key ones: respect for agreements and constant development. ADOC’s basic principle is to respect every agreement and contractual obligation, whether that relates to orders, financial obligations, delivery, the quality of products or services etc. In this way we’ve gained great trust among all stakeholders. On the other hand, we have always looked ahead, because we know that maintaining the existing situation isn’t possible in the long run.

WHO and local authorities immediately and fully, including protective equipment and resources, self-isolation, shift work and remote working.

As a large supplier of medicines and medical devices, we understood most seriously our role in ensuring the vitality and functioning of the entire health system, so there was no way we could allow any halts in operations and deliveries. Our primary goal was to keep work processes to a minimum, but we managed to maintain the full volume of operations. We are still continuously monitoring the situation in the country and the region, prepared to make a decision and adjust our operations to the given situation at any moment.

How do you manage to bring decisions under such short deadlines?

- Compactness and flexibility are significant advantages of our company. The complete organisation is situated in a single location and we do everything centrally, including decision making. In that way we are able to respond to every new situation, not only during extraordinary circumstances, but also during regular operations.

Did you have to abandon some of your principles of cooperation with clients during the How many employees does ADOC state of emergency? have?

By caring for every - No! There is no compromise in that.

- At present, counting only the pharma employee we’ve created a The quality of products and services, business, we have 170 employees.

However, a more important statistic strong and competent team of respect for deadlines and contractual obligations, and the requirements of is that departures from ADOC are negligible, which testifies to the fact professionals who can respond all market participants, remain ADOC’s priorities. That’s something we showed that our employees are satisfied with to every challenge the most during the extraordinary the conditions and see their future at circumstances, and we received recognition from all our our company. In addition to the continuous development clients. It wasn’t easy in the slightest during this period, of skills and education, as well as providing all employees but we managed to preserve the reputation that we’ve with opportunities to express themselves on a profesbeen building over the last thirty years. sional level, it is very important to have exceptional social responsibility and care for every employee that ADOC To conclude, can you reveal to us your plans for the comhas nurtured since its inception. In this way we’ve created pany’s future development? a strong and competent team of professionals who can - Our plans certainly include expanding our distribution respond to any challenge. portfolio, but we are currently placing an emphasis on the development of our production, the market strengthening Is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting on your operations? of the position of existing brands and the introducing of - This is certainly a global problem, the pandemic influences new quality products to the domestic market. We are also our company and the entire market generally. However, I focusing on Value Added Service, in terms of co-promotions believe we’ve responded in a timely and adequate man& outsourcing, market access, patient support programmes, ner at every juncture of the pandemic and events at the RA support and primary & secondary packaging, where global and local levels. There have been various obstacles we believe we can offer a lot to our partners. to doing business during the epidemic, from supplies and imports all the way to deliveries to end customers, Milorada Jovanovića 11, Belgrade but everything has been overcome successfully through www.adoc-pharma.com joint efforts. We adopted the recommendations of the 19

BUSINESS PARTNER

BUSINESS

JENS ENGELI, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN EUROPE, HELVETAS SWISS INTERCOOPERATION

SUPPORTING Serbia's Reforms

Helvetas is an independent development organisation based in Switzerland and with over 100,000 active members in the country. It has a long history and track record in the Western Balkans dating back more than 20 years, and today Helvetas has offices in Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina

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ur goal is to assist Serbia in selected areas in which the country faces some challenges and sees some needs, as well as where Switzerland has some expertise and relevant knowledge. We are working together with local partners to support reforms in Serbia on its path towards EU membership, says Helvetas’ Jens Engeli.

What was the main motive for your organisation to start activities in Serbia?

- We worked in Serbia in the early years of the 2000s and came back in 2015. Our current support is focused on socio-economic development, as we believe these areas are of high importance for both Serbia and Switzerland. Our mission is to support poor and disadvantaged women, men and communities, in developing and transition countries, in their efforts to improve their living conditions. Together with our partners in Serbia - ranging from civil society organisations to the private and public sectors - we implement well defined and targeted projects of the Swiss Government.

administration in Serbia. The project “For an Active Civil Society Together – ACT” aims to contribute to an active civil society for the benefit of all people and to increase citizens’ engagement in decision-making. The ACT programme is implemented by the consortium of Helvetas and the NGO “Civic Initiatives” and will support around 100 civil society organisations with different grants that are combined with tailored capacity building.

How will the projects that you are implementing bring change to some areas in Serbia?

- One example is the Property Tax Reform project, which enabled the introduction of a national, unified, digital tax system, based on ICT-supported technology. Thanks to this system, citizens and companies can now pay property taxes online in one central location. In our ACT project, we are currently selecting civil society organisations that will receive institutional support as well as some more project-based grants to CSOs throughout the whole of Serbia. With this Swiss support we aim to strengthen civil society so that it can have a better say and involvement in decision making and democratic processes, mainly at the local level.

We aim to strengthen civil society for it to have a better say and involvement in decision making and democratic processes

What projects is Helvetas currently implementing in Serbia?

- We are currently implementing two important projects of the Swiss Government. The first is “Property Tax Reform” and the second is “For an Active Civil Society Together - ACT”. These two projects have a combined financial value of over 10 million euros. The Property Tax Reform project aims to improve trust between citizens and local governments. We believe that through transparent tax management, combined with the national digital tax system – which was set up thanks to this project – we are contributing to the further harmonisation of the tax 20

You came to live here a little less than a year ago. What did you expect and what did you get?

- The great hospitality, high living standards, cultural life and, very importantly for my wife and I, the beautiful nature, ensure our stay here is a really pleasure. We are both well-established here, enjoying our time both professionally as well as personally, and we hope to make our contribution and profit from our time here over the years to come.

BUSINESS PARTNER

DOMINIQUE KÜTTEL, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, BAD SISTEMS LLC

BUSINESS

A Successful Business Requires

ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE It takes more than a plan to develop an IT business successfully. It takes immense effort, time and confidence to get to the right formula for success. Endless enthusiasm, faith in people and a constant need to help your clients resolve their problems motivate us to approach digitalisation from the human side, and give the meaning to our product for the best user experience

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AD SISTEMS LLC was founded in 2016 in the southern Serbian city of Niš, with the idea of bringing together young people who are ready to develop digital products to cater to the needs of modern man.

What inspired you to decide to invest in a business in Serbia?

- It was a straightforward choice, as me and my business partner had a great business concept that required IT skills.

Since we have done business in Serbia for over a decade, we set up a company, hired three people and got started within a few weeks. Now we are a team of specialists in many different areas.

- As a general principle, the clearer the business case for a product or project, the easier it is to determine points of actions. At the very beginning of any project we place an emphasis on how to best bring the product to the market, the budget and time needed to gain traction. We want to avoid our customers developing a digital product and only thinking about how to market it during the development process. You would be surprised to see how many companies fail to do that.

Extremely useful in that context has been the usage of the Business Model Canvas, invented by Alexander Osterwalder in 2005, which forced one to look at a business from various angles.

We have observed how the stance of many industries towards digitalising their products and workflows has led to a strong surge in IT-related business opportunities. This trend will continue, as many pieces of the puzzle are now coming together and IT companies are - and will be - centre stage.

It took us a few years to combine the strength of the Swiss and Serbian cultures, and I’m now proud to say that we have a very enthusiastic team working on a couple of projects

What are the most significant advantages and qualities of owning an IT boutique in Serbia?

- Owning a company doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t have the right people on whom you can rely and trust. We created a business environment with like-minded people and talented youngsters eager to learn and progress. In the end, it all comes down to whether you have a good business plan, i.e. a sponsor, and the right people. It took us a few years to combine the strength of the Swiss and Serbian cultures, and I’m now proud to say that we do have a very enthusiastic team working on a couple of projects. An additional advantage is the abundance of good people across the country, particularly in southern Serbia.

What difficulties of business development is your company facing, and how do you see them improving?

How do you see the future development of your business on this market?

- Success breeds success. The happier the customers we have, the more visible we will become. Our ambition is to develop an in-house product that we think can make a difference and be the partner of trust for our clients. As such, we actively welcome crazy business concepts and discussions with clients to support them in any business aspect. We can only achieve this, of course, with the right quality people and enthusiasm.

And with that we will succeed.

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BUSINESS PARTNER

BUSINESS

ALEKSANDRA BUĆIĆ, AREA SALES & BD MANAGER CEE, SELECTCHEMIE AG

PLANNING

Market Expansion Selectchemie AG is a Swiss company that has spent half a century distributing more than 5,000 pharmaceutical and food products to customers from almost 100 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in Zurich, while one of its most successful representative offices is located in Belgrade

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he company has built a huge international reputation thanks to the fact that it doesn’t deal only in trade, but rather provides customers with support in various forms, from scientific, via commercial to regulatory support. It is precisely for this reason that the company plans to conquer new markets and expand its customer network in the period ahead Selectchemie has existed for half a century and has offices in 16 countries. How did the company develop and expand?

- Selectchemie was founded exactly 51 years ago in Switzerland, when four young, intelligent guys recognised an opportunity to connect East and West. Following their vision, as far back as 1980 they first went to China, where they opened their own representative office and engaged local experts. After seeing that this type of cooperation worked very successfully, later, in 2004, they opened a representative office in India.

The symbiosis of top quality, competitive prices, advanced technologies of the East and knowledge of the regulations and guidelines of the West, formed the foundation on which Selectchemie based its successful business over the course of decades.

In addition to offices in China and India, our company has representative offices on all continents. Through them we operate on local markets, because an unconditional understanding of the needs of our clients as certainly our basic goal.

How significant for the company is its representative office in Serbia? How many employees does it have, which regions does it cover; which market is most important to you, who are your main customers etc.?

- The representative office in Serbia is strategically one of the most important representative offices for the company,

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because the Belgrade office covers the entire markets of the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Israel, as well as certain clients in Spain and Portugal.

The company had its own representative here before, while our office was reopened in April 2017 and since then has been one of the most successful within the scope of the company.

We currently have five employees and intend to expand the office in the future.

Can the reputation you enjoy be explained by the fact that Selectchemie is not merely a trader, but rather provides customers with different forms of support, from scientific, via commercial to regulatory support?

- That’s right; that’s what sets us apart and represents the motto that leads us. The headquarters of our company is located in Zurich, where complete logistics, part of the customer service, the Quality Department and, of course, part of the sales team are located. The entire chain is ready to support the needs of clients in every sense - from commercial, via documentation, to regulatory needs - and we are also available if someone needs friendly advice and suggestions when launching new projects.

What are your plans for the period ahead? Do you expect to expand, conquer new markets and win over new customers, both globally and locally?

- Conquering new markets and expanding our operations is undoubtedly something we will strive to achieve. Despite the wide network that the company already has, there are still many markets in which we see great potential and which have yet to be conquered. This will definitely be one of our leading aims for the future, as will be strengthening our position on existing markets, in terms of launching new projects with existing customers and expanding our customer network.

BUSINESS PARTNER

SWISS NATURE

BUSINESS

EXCLUSIVELY

Natural Origins

The quality of the final product is a priority that also implies implementation of the highest technological achievements

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wiss Nature was founded in Serbia in 2010 as a foreign company with majority Swiss capital. The idea was to promote the development of innovative products of the highest quality, in collaboration with partners and renowned companies from Switzerland. Two categories of dietary products are integrated into the Swiss Nature business model – dietary supplements and nutrition in the form of functional food.

Swiss Nature dietary supplements are based on selected bioactive components of exclusively natural origins, nutritional substances and standardised herbal extracts. The bioactive compounds act in such a way in the body that they promote good health and deliver real benefits. They are being studied in the prevention of different conditions and diseases, while their safety and efficacy is scientifically proven and clinically tested.

We want to highlight our programme for diabetes and diabetes prevention. Diabetes is a global epidemic that affects an estimated 382 million people worldwide. It will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030. It is estimated that four million people die from diabetes complications annually. This disease affects people of all ages, genders and races. The most eminent experts in the field of diabetes were involved in the process of developing our products Diabetwell capsules and Diabetwell cream, for the prevention of diabetic foot.

Together with our portfolio of functional food, which has been specially designed for people with diabetes, and prevention, the complete solution is presented.

Diabetes was our first objective, and we continue to actively foster the sustainable development of different products with positive impacts on certain issues.

One very important area we’ve been working on is strengthening immunity. We were prepared for the global COVID-19 pandemic with our product INFLAMAWELL. It is a combination of turmeric and vitamin C, the best ingredients combined with the latest technology - NovaSol. Our business framework is global and our orientation isn’t just focused on the domestic market in Serbia, but rather also represents significant export potential.

We will continue to promote healthy ways of living, following global trends and technologies and being prepared for increasingly demanding consumers

OUR UNIQUE PRODUCT PROPOSITION IS BUILT ON SWISS QUALITY 100% Natural • Bioactive Components • Standardised Herbal Extracts • Nutritive Substances

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BUSINESS PARTNER

INTERVIEW

ANA GRUJOVIĆ, EXECUIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SWISS-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, SSCC

WE'VE ADAPTED To The Challenges

So far, our webinars have been implemented in cooperation with membercompanies, but as of September 2020, we will provide new insights about the situation in the region and in Switzerland as well, in cooperation with S-GE and Swiss bilateral chambers from the region

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We’re trying to extract the maximum benefit out of the existing situation, i.e. to minimise the negative consequences of COVID-19 on our members, says Ana Grujović, Executive Director of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SSCC). Like all other organisations, since the outbreak of the pandemic the SSCC has respected the prescribed rules of safe behaviour, with the aim of ensuring the protection of health. Many members have switched to the mode of remote working, while most SSCC activities take place via applications for webinars, online communication and video conferencing.

“One of the first measures taken, immediately upon the declaring of the state of emergency, relates to the joint initiative of 12 bilateral foreign chambers of commerce and organisations in Serbia, including amongst them the SSCC, in the form of sending an open request to Finance Minister Siniša Mali for the implementation of additional support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises,” says Grujović.

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In addition to this, the chamber took on the role of an info-centre in order to inform the business community in a timely manner about regulations adopted during the pandemic, economic measures to support the economy, as well as all current information relevant to the conducting of business activities.

How have you been able to help Swiss companies that are newcomers to this market, such as Regent Lighting, which only recently started operating in Svilajnac?

- The latest Swiss investment in Serbia relates to company Regent Lighting, based in Basel, which is engaged in the production of electric lighting. The investment is worth approximately 10 million euros, and the symbolic laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the factory in Svilajnac was carried out in June this year.

With regard to the advisory function of the chamber, the SSCC has a signed cooperation agreement with SwitzerlandGlobal Enterprise (S-GE), the Swiss organisation for the promotion of investments and exports, within the scope

BUSINESS PARTNER

You’ve announced that the results of a survey on the consequences of COVID-19 for Swiss companies operating in Serbia will be revealed in September. Can you nonetheless tell us what kinds of issues members most often asked for your assistance with?

- Yes, the survey is planned for the second half of the year, in order for us to gain better insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the operations of our member companies. Most of the inquiries we received were related to economic measures for supporting the economy, ways of ensuring the protection of the health of workers at work, as well as conditions for travel between Switzerland and Serbia.

from home. Then there is the series of HR webinars in cooperation with company Adecco, as well as webinars on digital business, in cooperation with agency Smart Point. In addition to this, we organised more detailed explanations of economic measures to support the economy thanks to the active participation of member companies TSG Law Office and Confida Consulting.

For the second half of the year, we will provide members with insight into the situation in the region, thanks to cooperation with bilateral Swiss chambers from the region. Furthermore, it is also my great pleasure to announce a webinar that we plan to realise together with Switzerland Global Enterprise in September 2020, which will provide us with additional insight into the situation on the Swiss market.

What are the most important topics of the webinars you organise and for whom are they intended?

- Our webinars are realised in cooperation with member companies, such as the Cyber-security webinar in cooperation with company Sky Express, aimed at providing additional support to members in ensuring safe work

To what extent can SSCC plans for 2020 that were made prior to the outbreak of the pandemic be adjusted to the conditions of online activity, and which objectives will have to wait for better times?

- We’re trying, of course, to extract the maximum benefit out of the existing situation, i.e. to minimise the negative

of which we’re obliged to provide free initial consulting for Swiss companies showing an interest in the Serbian market.

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BUSINESS PARTNER

that, it is to be expected that consequences of COVID-19 on our We will continue striving - with with the volume of business travel will be members. At our General Assembly in fresh information, webinars reduced, especially considering the February 2020, we announced a focus on HR topics this year, and we are very and individual support, - to existing travel restrictions. The reachappy that we have maintained and tions of governments to the unfolding make it easier for members situation continue to change, thus implemented this direction of action in the form of webinars. to re-organize their business our recommendation is to frequently We introduced, for the first time this check the news and publicly available operations in the best year, the electronic publication “Memlinks to government websites, in order possible way, but also to get the latest information. ber2Member”, in cooperation with the Belgian Business Association in Serbia to learn from their peers How much room has there been in the and the Hellenic Business Association. from Switzerland previous period for cooperation and In this way, members are provided with exchanges of experience on organisthe opportunity to additionally promote products and services, and to do so within the scope of ing work between Swiss chambers around the world? What the wider business community. Likewise, members of the is the most important lesson when it comes to maintainBoard of Directors and the office itself remain available for ing active communication with members? all questions and consultations over the phone or through - Our strategic plan for this year implies liaising with Swiss online communications. bilateral chambers in the region. In accordance with that, Of course, the part of activities related to physical gathin cooperation with the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber, we are preparing joint activities for the second half of the year, erings of members or visits to member companies will be while we are working intensively on also connecting with realised again once adequate conditions have been created the other chambers in the region. to ensure health protection and health safety.

In addition to this, we have offered our member compaFlights between Switzerland and Serbia were reintronies additional online media visibility through the project “SSCC success stories”, in the form of interviews to be duced recently. Do you expect there to be more physical published on the business portal and the SSCC website. contact between businesspeople in the period ahead, or The first interview was published with Mr Mićović, SSCC are they reserved only for exceptional cases? president and Sky Express CEO. I’m glad that the mentioned - We are witnessing that conditions of travel are changing project has attracted great interest among members, and on an almost daily basis and that, as a result of the Coroall interviews published to date can be found on the official navirus (COVID-19) outbreak and its health consequences, SSCC website. changes to travel plans are often being made. In accordance 26

BUSINESS PARTNER

LOGO D. O.O. (LTD.)

BUSINESS

Three Decades Of

SUCCESS

CONSULTING | DESIGN | PRODUCTION | ENGINEERING | MAINTENANCE

Logo has been among the region's leading companies in information and communication technologies for three decades. It offers customers the best combination of great experts, superior technology and its many years of experience in creating integrated solutions

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uccessful project solutions are based on understanding a project’s vision, the expectations of clients, planned budgets and recording the real situation with the user.

When a project is accompanied by an optimal solution and superior service, success and the satisfaction of users are guaranteed.

Since way back in 1990, when Logo was founded, technologies have changed on an almost daily basis, the market has constantly brought new challenges that this company has boldly accepted and, whenever necessary, has taken new paths.

Today company staff are proud of the fact that, even after a full three decades, the company is still among the leaders of the ICT sector in the region. From the very beginning of operations, Logo’s innovative solutions have been used in ICT systems in the sectors of telecommunications, energy, legal, banking, education, healthcare and many others, thanks to the reliability and efficiency of its operations based on turnkey solutions.

Through consulting, project design, the execution of works and maintenance, with state-of-the-art technologies and maximum commitment to the client, Logo constantly confirms its superiority in creating the most complex integrated solutions in the field of the ICT industry.

At the company they point out proudly that their greatest strength is the team of over 170 exceptional individuals, with more than 80 engineers and technicians.

At Logo they listen carefully and analyse the desires, needs and expectations of their clients, using these inputs they are able to create and implement personalised solutions based on superior technology and many years of experience.

Solid foundations of many years of successful opera-

tions form a synergy with the experience of top experts, the highest quality products, great services, an optimal price-quality ratio, reliability etc. Many decades of experience in the ICT industry, satisfied customers and numerous successfully implemented projects, many of which were pioneering, are the company’s best recommendation! Logo was the first in Serbia to launch its own production plant for the manufacturing of connector and predetermined optic cables, in cooperation with Swiss company Huber+Suhner, implementing the largest private optics network that connects 84 buildings of the Clinical Centre of Serbia and the Medical Faculty. Logo installed the complete infrastructure for the needs of the technical protection system in the Sozina Tunnel in Montenegro, as well as various other critical infrastructure facilities, implemented the first FTTH (fibre to the home) network in Serbia, connected the base station to several locations in Serbia with optic links etc.

As the most demanding projects from the area of structural cable systems, Logo staff single out the networking of 1,680 digitalised school cabinets and over 300 school wi-fi systems, 1,600 dispensaries in 158 health centres, 63 branches of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, 253 institutions of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, 170 branches of the Ministry of Finance...

Many decades of experience in the ICT industry, numerous successfully implemented projects and satisfied customers are the company’s best recommendation!

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BUSINESS PARTNER

SSCC Activities May/June 2020 SSCC/SMART POINT DIGITAL TUESDAYS

The purpose of these webinars was to help member members to learn how to use digital marketing as a tool for companies’ growth and business development in the Covid-19 period. During these webinars, the following topics were addressed: opening a functional web shop as a new sales channel, digital team building, virtual events, e-commerce and performance marketing and social media, among others. All SSCC webinars are offered free of charge to SSCC members.

March, April, May, June, July 2020 SSCC ADECCO WEBINARS ’’HR THURSDAYS’’ The first webinar, co-roganized with Adecco, ’’ The importance of HR resources during the state of emergency’’ took place on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Since then, SSCC

members are invited to join HR interactive panels led by HR industry leading experts, every Thursday, at 15h00.

Among these HR experts, Mrs. Jovana Uzelac, Head of HR SEM (South East Market) – NESTLÉ ADRIATIC S D.O.O., also participated in these webinars.

March, 2020 SSCC MEMBERS REUNION

April 2020 SSCC/SKY EXPRESS WEBINAR- COVID-19 AND CYBER-CRIME

SSCC and Sky Express organised this online event with the aim to equipping member-companies with vital information on how criminal gangs are exploiting the current, pandemics situation and how to stay cyber-safe while working from home. In light of COVID-19, it’s important to share with everyone how to keep employees safe while working from home. About 90% of successful network breaches were caused by user error, meaning the employees! No industry is safe from cyber security threats – even experts are targeted by cyber criminals, even now, in the COVID-19 Pandemic era.

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SSCC Members’ Reunion was held on March 10, 2020 in the premises of a member-company ’’Mokgrogorska škola menadžmenta’’. On this occasion, the following corporate presentations were held: ’’Codetribe’’ , ’’IT Werke’’ and ’’Mokra Gora School of Mangement’’. The presentations were followed by a working breakfast.

BUSINESS PARTNER

February 2020 SSCC GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SSCC General Assembly was held on February 26, 2020 in the premises of Nestle Adriatic. On this occasion, Mr. Nikola Milosavljević, Sales Director Adriatic, Adecco, was re-elected for the Board member. Also, Ms. Grujović, SSCC Executive Director, presented the activity plan for Y2020, together with the planned budget both approved by the General Assembly.

than 130 years, ABB has four customer-focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by the ABB Ability™ digital platform.

November 2019 SSCC SWISS BUSINESS NETWORKING

January 2020 SWISS RACLETTE EVENING

SSCC’ traditional ’’Swiss Raclette Evening’’ took place on January 31, 2020 in the Swiss Residence in Belgrade.

The event was hosted by the Ambassador of Switzerland to the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro, H.E. Philippe Guex. On this occasion, SSCC members had the opportunity to network while enjoying Swiss cheese specialties.

December 2019 SSCC VISITS MEMBER-COMPANY ABB SERBIA SSCC members visited the company ABB Serbia. Mr. Aleksandar Cosic, ABB General Manager, welcomed the guests and presented the company. ABB is a technology leader that is driving the digital transformation of industries. With a history of innovation spanning more

The SSCC Swiss Business Networking event was held on November 14, 2019 in the Swiss Residence and was hosted by H.E. Ambassador Guex. Besides SSCC members, representatives of other foreign, bilateral chambers of commerce in Belgrade also attended this event, such as representatives of AHK Serbia, French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Belgian Business Association in Serbia, Japanese business club. The overall purpose of the event was to create more networking opportunities not only within the Swiss business community, but with other business associations as well.

November 2019 CONFIDA WORKING BREAKFAST The annual Autumn Business Breakfast is organized

by Confida Consulting d.o.o. and supported by SSCC, German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia) and Commercial Section of the Austrian Embassy. The presentation and panel discussion on the topic “Changes in tax regulations – what can we expect in 2020?” were 29

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held by members of the Tax team of CONFIDA Consulting.

Within this topic, the following aspects were addressed: the most important amendments to the Law on VAT and other novelties in tax regulations, tax treatment for lump sums entrepreneurs, tax relief for new employees, as well as the New Accounting Law and Audit Law, which will be in force from 2020. The event was attended by over 100 guests.

capability to recognize the critical points for the further development of bilateral relations between Switzerland and Serbia by organizing the second Conference on the topic of dual education. This Conference is gathering all relevant stakeholders: private company representatives of both countries, members of the diplomatic core, business associations and public administration. The Swiss VET system provided significant instructions for the development of the Serbian model of the dual education system by enabling the synchronization of the demands of the national economy with capacities of the education system and interests of young people in our country. The awareness about the intense market changes, technology development and digital era has been raised, and the local society can now better recognize the need for qualified and adequate labor force., said Majo Mićović, SSCC President.

October 2019 SSCC CONFERENCE ON DUAL EDUCATION 2019

Over 6.100 students and approx. 900 companies are involved in the dual education system in Serbia, not only in Belgrade and Novi Sad, but in over 50 cities in Serbia, said Majo Mićović, President of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, in his opening speech of the Conference “Dual Education Serbia 2019: the role of the private sector”. The Conference was sponsored by SSCC members “Adecco” and “Standard Furniture Serbia”. The conference was part of the ”Week of dual education in Serbia’‘ which took place from October 21-25, 2019 in Belgrade, in organization of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Serbia (PKS) and the Ministry for Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, and in partnership with the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO), Austrian Development Agency (ADA), Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SSCC) and the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK). ‘’For the second time, SSCC is demonstrating its 30

Jean-Luc Oesch, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Switzerland, Embassy of Switzerland to the Republic of Serbia and to Montenegro stressed that the topic of dual education is very important for bilateral relations between Switzerland and Serbia.: ‘’Today, education is one of the most essential factors for securing technological progress and innovation, thus it is most important to ensure that the standard of education develops alongside technological progress. This is particularly true when it comes to digitalization, a sector where Serbia has a brilliant future, and so relevant for the world of tomorrow. “

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Dr Ursula Renold, Head of Division Comparative Education System Research, ETH Zurich, is the only international honorary member participating in the Serbian Government Commission for dual education.

“CCIS, SSCC and its member companies are the most important stakeholders to help improving the productivity of the companies and train the next generation of talents. Furthermore, research shows that companies are facing a fast change of qualification requirements due to digital transformation. Therefore, all countries that invest in dual education may have a comparative advantage in the future.“, said dr Renold

corporate services and innovative solutions in data protection and information security.

During B2B meetings, participants presented their products and services to potential business partners through 8-minute meetings, exchanged their experiences and expanded the business network.

August 2019 SWISS NATIONAL DAY

The event provided a platform for the public-private discussion about the role of the private sector companies in developing and implementing the dual education system.

October 2019 SPEED BUSINESS MEETING

Hotel Royal Inn in Belgrade welcomed over 40 member-companies of four bilateral business associations: Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Croatian Business Club and Belgian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The event was sponsored by SSCC member-company Sky Express, regional leader in data protection, which recognized the importance of this event and supported the initiative.

After Ms. Grujovic’s welcoming speech, Sky Express representatives held a presentation about the company’s 31

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ECONOMY

One Of The World's

WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES

For centuries Switzerland has adhered to a policy of armed neutrality in global affairs, which has given it the access and political stability to become one of the world's wealthiest countries, with an efficient market economy

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ts standard of living, industrial productivity and quality of education and health care systems are among the highest in Europe. Economic growth slowed to 0.9% in 2019 (IMF estimates), due to a global economic slowdown, especially an economic downturn in Germany, its biggest trading partner, and weak domestic consumption. The biggest risks for the Swiss economy stem from Italy’s fiscal policy, a significant cooling of the European economy and the possibility of a global trade war, which could impact Switzerland’s externally-oriented economy, appreciating the franc and eroding competitiveness in less-productive sectors. According to the updated IMF forecasts from 14th April 2020, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, GDP growth is expected to fall to -6% in 2020 and pick up to 3.8% in 2021, subject to the post-pandemic global economic recovery.

Public debt continues to drop (38.6% of GDP in 2019) and is expected to follow a declining trend in the coming years.

However, budget surplus decreased slightly to 1% in 2019 and is expected to drop to 0.4% in 2020 and 2021. Price inflation is estimated by IMF at 0.4% in 2019 and should remain modest over the next two years (-0.4% and 0.6% respectively), which are well below the Swiss National Bank objective of 2% and influenced by the outbreak of the COVID-19. Household consumption is gradually picking up (1.2% in 2019 and 1.5% in 2020, according to OECD estimates).

Switzerland remains high atop the list of preferred tax havens due to its low taxation of foreign corporations and individuals.

The flow of overseas wealth to the country has come in for much criticism in past years, due to concerns over tax evasion, and in 2018, the Tax Justice Network, an international group campaigning for transparency, chose Switzerland as the capital of bank secrecy in the world. However, after signing an agreement on the automatic exchange of information with the European Union, Switzerland put an end to bank secrecy in 2019. Since then, Swiss banks are required to share their clients’ information with foreign tax authorities. Finally, Switzerland is one of the most environmental friendly countries in the world, and pledged to phase out nuclear power by 2034 and reduce energy consumption by 35%.

A weakening of the Swiss franc helped boost economic growth, creating more jobs. The Swiss unemployment rate fell to 2.3% in 2019 and is expected to maintain the similar low level in the coming years - 2.7% in 2020 and 2.6% in 2021 - despite the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020 World Economic Outlook IMF). According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), all of Switzerland’s French-speaking cantons saw unemployment decline, however the large difference with German-speaking Switzerland remained (3.6% vs 2.2%).

7.5% of the population suffers from income poverty, but only 0.9% experienced it for four years or more.

MAIN SECTORS OF INDUSTRY Switzerland is one of the most competitive economies in the world due to its strong added value services, its specialized industries and a motivated and highly skilled workforce of 4.9 million people out of a 8.5 million population. Agriculture represents 0.6% of GDP and employs 3% of the active population. The primary agricultural products are livestock and dairy products, though the country is also home to over 9,000 wineries. Swiss authorities grant numerous direct subsidies to farmers in order to meet strict ecological criteria, such as soil protection. The country has hardly any mineral resources.

Despite the small size of the overall agricultural industry, organic farming has experienced considerable growth (14.5% of farm land, according to Federal Statistical Office), but with big cantonal differences.

Industry employs 20.1% of the workforce and constitutes 25% of GDP. Switzerland is renowned worldwide for the high quality of its manufactured products, which include watches, motors, generators, turbines and diverse high-technology products. The strong industry sector is driven by large exporting groups. Basel, in particular, is home to a very dynamic and powerful chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Electricity is generated chiefly from hydraulic and nuclear power. Hydroelectric resources provide almost two-thirds of the country’s energy.

The service sector represents 71.3% of GDP and employs 76.8% of the workforce. The banking sector alone represents 9.1% of the GDP and is in a moderately good shape despite considerable headwinds. Well-developed and globally competitive sectors, such as banking, insurance, freight and transport, have contributed to the development of international trade across Switzerland. Tourism, which adds significantly to the economy (more than 21 million foreign visitors in 2018, according to Swiss Tourism Federation), helps to balance Switzerland’s trade deficit.

Switzerland is one of the most competitive economies in the world due to its strong added value services, its specialized industries and a motivated and highly skilled workforce of 4.9 million people out of a 8.5 million population

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SWISS ARCHITECTURE

Europe's Modern

ARCHITECTURE MECCA

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This Alpine nation has quietly collected dozens of innovative, eye-popping buildings by internationally renowned architects

PHOTO BY VALENTINA LOKUMCU, COURTESY OF MONTE GENEROSO

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rt Basel, the Alps, CERN, the Red Cross Museum, the trains, the lakes, Reichenbach Falls, chocolate, cheese, wine—all of these are excellent reasons to visit Switzerland. But a criminally overlooked one is the country’s wealth of modern architecture. Yes, it’s home to an impressive sweep of medieval buildings (the entire old city of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for Gott’s sake), but in contemporary times Switzerland has realized a world-class collection of major architectural projects. Herewith, some of our favorites—all open to the public.

Botta’s striking cylinder replaced this village’s 15th-century

PHOTO BY CHRISTOF SONDEREGGER, COURTESY OF SWITZERLAND TOURISM

church, which was destroyed by an avalanche in 1986. Two types of regional stone form stripes on the outside and checkerboard patterns inside, and you’re not mistaken if you think it all looks familiar. Botta’s San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, also designed in the mid-1990s, has a similar central tower.

Monte Generoso has been drawing tourists since 1890, when its cog railway (still running!) first chugged up the scenic peak. Botta used to come here himself as a teenager. His 2017 “Stone Flower”—named for the way its towers open and then close toward the top—houses two restaurants, a gallery, and 35

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTE GENEROSO

a video about the construction of the precariously perched building. Spoiler alert: To load in materials, they built a cableway.

Swiss-born Zumthor is renowned for many accomplishments: his thermal baths at Vals, his upcoming redesign of LACMA, and his Pritzker Prize, to name a few. But this intimate museum-like space is an underrated treasure. Out of the way in an industrial area, it’s accessible only by a special key. The key is available at the tourist information office, but you have to know to ask for it—and most people don’t.

This swooping, low-slung museum complex—honoring artist Paul Klee, who lived and is buried in Bern—seems to grow right out of the grassy field. Each of its three steeland-glass “hills” creates a space for the Zentrum’s three-part mission: art collection, education, and research. As far as Piano’s museum work in Switzerland goes, his Fondation

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHUR TOURISM 36

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHUR TOURISM

Beyeler near Basel gets more attention; in fact, it’s about to get an extension by Peter Zumthor. But this swooping, low-slung complex—honoring artist Paul Klee, who lived and is buried in Bern—is arguably a more impressive work.

It seems to grow right out of the grassy field, and its three steel-and-glass “hills” create spaces for the Zentrum’s three-part mission: art collection, education, and research.

Don’t overlook it.

Oscar-winning Alien-monster-maker H.R. Giger originally planned his immersive bar for NYC, but when vision overreached budget he moved it to his hometown of Chur.

Opened in 1992, it was the most Gigeresque bar you could’ve imagined . . . until he unveiled the Giger Museum Bar in Gruyères, where spines line the vaulted ceiling. Both locations crawl with all the spooky biomech you’d expect, including

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSOCIATION MAISON BLANCHE

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PHOTO BY HANS SCHARMANN

versions of the Harkonnen Capo Chair Giger designed for Jodorowsky’s failed Dune film.

Also in Chur, Barcelona architects Estudio Barozzi/ Veiga added an expansion to the Graubünden Museum of Fine Arts in 2012. The museum’s original building is an 1870s ivy-covered classical building in the Palladian style. The new one is a cement cube. From the outside, they look like a structural oxymoron, but underground they mesh into one fluid exhibition space.

Le Corbusier is Switzerland’s most famous architect—and fittingly, his first- and last-realized buildings are here. His first solo commission, the Maison Blanche, emerged right in his hometown (also known for its watchmaking and urban planning). He built it for his parents, and it’s now a museum restored to what it looked like when the family lived there.

PHOTO COURTESY OF H.R. GIGER MUSEUM

A 15-minute bus ride from Basel, Switzerland, delivers you to a design lover’s playground: the headquarters of Swiss-owned furniture company Vitra, an awesome collection of buildings

by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Tadao Ando, and other big names.

Take a tour, visit the Vitra Design Museum, or ogle a gallery of famous chairs (including Eames chairs, which Vitra is licensed to produce if you want to buy one). There’s even a slide.

Calatrava has a solid presence in Switzerland, including his Stadelhofen train station in Zurich and his Tabourettli theatre in Basel. But this library is a literally hidden gem—it’s completely embedded in another building. Anyone is welcome to visit the soaring academic space, where open floors face a central atrium topped by a glass dome, but you might have to ask a student to help you find it.

PHOTO BY THOMAS DIX, COURTESY OF VITRA

By Billie Cohen

PHOTO BY BILLIE COHEN 37

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JEAN TINGUELY, 1925 – 1991

THE MASTER

Of Kinetic Art & Nouveau Réalisme

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orn in 1925, in Fribourg, a city in Switzerland, Jean Tinguely grew up in Basel where he carried out an apprenticeship as a shop-window decorator in a department store during his teens. Aged fifteen, he enrolled in evening classes at the Art School (Kunstschule) where he studied under the tutelage of Julia Ris, who introduced Tinguely to the Dadaist collages of Kurt Schwitters, a German artist most commonly associated with the Dada movement. Schwitters’ Dadaist collages made of discarded ticket stubs, pieces of old newspapers and magazines, buttons, gears, and other objects assembled into compositions made a deep impression on Tinguely’s constructions. After World War II, he began painting in a Surrealist manner, but he soon abandoned painting to concentrate on sculpture made of junk.

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One of the most important artists in the development of Kinetic art, as well as Nouveau réalisme, Jean Tinguely was a Swiss sculptor widely recognised for his thought-provoking and playful pieces that he liked to call metamechanics.

Using ordinary everyday objects, rusty iron and waste material, he created a wide range of intriguing artworks that make barbed satirical points both about technological development and modern society.

The leitmotif of his works is a movement that can be actively experienced both acoustically and visually

SCULPTURE BY JEAN TINGUELY Tinguely and his first wife, Swiss painter and sculptor Eva Aeppli, relocated to France in the early 1950s, where he became involved with the Parisian avant-garde movement, meeting artists such as Yves Klein, Arman, and Daniel Spoerri. They were part of the Nouveaux Réalisme (New Realism) which can be seen as a European counterpart to pop art. Subsequently, Tinguely began creating his most famous works - sculptural machines, known as metamechanics, which incorporated a vast array of materials, including wood, metal, fabric, gears, musical instruments, and found objects into moving or static constructions. Highly skeptical about the potential of technology to improve human life, he used his pieces made of industrial machinery to express an anarchic,

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JEAN TINGUELY HIPPOPOTAMUS 1991 PHOTO CREDITS MUSEUM TINGUELY

JEAN TINGUELY HEUREKA 1964 PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA

JEAN TINGUELY MENGELE TOTENTANZ 1986 PHOTO CREDITS MUSEUM TINGUELY

JEAN TINGUELY DRAWING MACHINE IMAGE VIA TAGES WOCHE

JEAN TINGUELY HOMAGE TO NEW YORK DETAIL 1960 PHOTO VIA STUDY BLUE

JEAN TINGUELY AND NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE STRAVINSKY FOUNTAIN 1983 PARIS

satirical attitude to machines and industrial development. Some of his pieces were designed to self-destruct and others were made in a way that predetermined a malfunction, culminating in an unpredictable finale.

META-MATICS - TINGUELY’S PAINTING MACHINES Tinguely was one of the pioneers in the field of art that engenders social engagement. In the late 1950s, he designed a series of automatic drawing machines, the Meta-Matics, which use chalk or markers to make abstract drawings through a mechanized process. These were portable machines with drawing arms that allowed the spectator to produce abstract works only by pushing the button. The “painting machines” were exhibited at the Biennale de Paris in 1959, resulting in almost 40,000 paintings produced by visitors in two weeks. However, not all of the Meta-matics functioned properly, and Tinguely destroyed some of them. He then began to incorporate electric motors into his works, taking as his models Marcel Duchamp’s Roto Reliefs.

HOMAGE TO NEW YORK Jean Tinguely is perhaps best known for his 23-foot high and 27-foot long conceptual piece Homage to New York that was supposed to destroy itself in the garden of The Museum of Modern Art. On 17th March 1960, several hundred of invited people attended the event which was unsuccessful as the complex assemblage of motors and wheels failed to operate properly and only partially completed its task—its flames were put out by the fire department. The machine paid homage to NYC’s ability to constantly

renew itself. Tinguely’s next two self-destroying pieces entitled Study for an End of the World detonated more successfully.

STRAVINSKY FOUNTAIN In 1955, Tinguely met French sculptor, painter, and filmmaker Niki de Saint Phalle whom he befriended before they decide to live together in the early 1960s. During the 1970s, he had embarked on a series of fountain projects, and, in collaboration with Niki, who became his wife in the meantime, created the notorious Stravinsky Fountain (La Fontaine Stravinsky, 1983) - a whimsical public fountain adorned with sixteen works of sculpture, moving and spraying water, representing the works of famous Russian composer, pianist and conductor Igor Stravinsky. Located between the Centre Pompidou and the Church of Saint-Merri, it is one of Paris’s most photographed fountains.

MASTER OF ART IN MOVEMENT This artist, who died in Bern on 30th August 1991, was one of the icons of kinetic art, widely recognised for his witty, humorous, and ironic moving sculptures of waste material that work as machines but don’t have any useful purpose. Since his first oneman show in Switzerland in 1962, his work has been included in numerous important exhibition throughout Europe, the United States and beyond. In 1996, the Museum Tinguely opened in Basel.

His unpredictable mechanised sculpture-machines that often included music recordings and performances left an indelible mark on 20th-century art.

By Bojan Zlatkov 39

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WELLNESS

COURTESY OF CLINIQUE LA PRAIRIE

The Best

LUXURY WELLNESS RETREATS When you picture a holiday in Switzerland, chalets in the alps and cosy fireplaces tend to spring to mind. But the country’s wellness offerings go above and beyond a simple ski break

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COURTESY OF GRAND RESORT BAD RAGAZ

COURTESY OF ALPINA GSTAAD

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rom luxury spas to leading medical resorts, there’s something for every type of wellness traveller to enjoy. Struggling to narrow down your search? We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite luxury wellness retreats in Switzerland to help you on your way.

CLINIQUE LA PRAIRIE Since opening its doors in 1931, Clinique la Prairie has developed a reputation as one of the best luxury wellness retreats in Switzerland and one of the world’s leading medical spas. Housed in the Alpine village of Verbier, the resort counts more than 50 doctors among its staff, ensuring wellness visitors receive the best care possible.

Its five-night Revitalisation programmes are inclusive of accommodation, nutritious meals and limousine service,

COURTESY OF LA RESERVE GENEVE

while the key aim of the programme is to boost your immune system, improve both physical and emotional wellbeing and to leave you feeling like your youthful self.

GRAND RESORT BAD RAGAZ Built around the ancient Tamina Gorge in the 200-yearold spa town of Ragaz, the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz is renowned as one of the top luxury wellness retreats in Switzerland. A comprehensive medical health centre and spa, the retreat focuses on holistic healing using clinical, science-backed therapies in its 80,000-square-foot facility, the largest in Switzerland. Specialising in therapeutic thermal spa treatments, like thalassotherapy and beauty rituals using the natural detoxifying and purifying qualities of the thermal spring water.

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COURTESY OF THE DOLDER GRAND

ALPINA GSTAAD Alpina Gstaad is a boutique luxury property overlooking a small ski village in Gstaad, Switzerland. With just 56 rooms and suites, intimacy and privacy are of the utmost importance here. The hotels on-site Six Senses spa offers a wide range of relaxing, restorative retreats. Its five-day Mountain Detox programme is inclusive of accommodation and select meals, numerous detoxifying massages and treatments, a pampering experience in the hotel’s traditional Hammam and a colonic cleanse.

LA RESERVE GENEVA This five-star hotel and spa on Lake Geneva is housed on 10-acres of private property, granting it a unique sense of privacy and intimacy despite its central location. Each month, it hosts yoga retreats led by acclaimed yoga teacher and life coach Jeff Grant. Two-night retreats are inclusive of accommodation, sound baths, yoga and meditation workshops and guided walks, all with the aim of providing relief from your daily stresses and pressures.

THE DOLDER GRAND Perched on a hill overlooking Zurich, The Dolder Grand is a regal looking property that has a history dating back 42

COURTESY OF TSCHUGGEN GRAND HOTEL

over a century. Known to have been frequented by royals in the 1950s and ‘60s, it has since undergone a large-scale restoration and reopened in 2008. Today, it retains its oldworld charm while proving itself to be an innovative facility, boasting a Michelin two-star restaurant and a new wing designed by renowned pioneering architect Lord Norman Foster. The resort holds seasonal retreats ranging from restorative yoga to mindful running and more, with guest retreat leaders from around the world.

TSCHUGGEN GRAND HOTEL The Tschuggen Grand Hotel offers a range of spa and wellness-focused retreats, but its Spa Week retreat offers visitors a sampling of everything on offer. Sevennight retreats are inclusive of accommodation and select meals, a facial, massage, manicure and pedicure, and the piece-de-resistance: access to the Tschuggen Bergoase.

The resort’s 5,000-square-metre wellness facility was designed by acclaimed architect Mario Botta. Featuring glass sails flooded with light, dedicated relaxation spaces, an outdoor pool and terrace, plus access to a wide range of sport and fitness programming, you’re guaranteed to leave feeling restored.

By Amanda Sheppard

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