CorD Magazine, January 2020, issue no. 183

H.E. GILLES ARNOUT BESCHOOR PLUG

IVANKA POPOVIĆ PH.D.

High Expectations Of Serbia

Intelligent Evolution

Chancellor of the University of Belgrade

Violinist, musical pedagogue

The Artist Always Has A Choice

JANUARY 2020/ ISSUE NO. 183

www.cordmagazine.com

Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Serbia

STEFAN MILENKOVIĆ

interviews opinions news comments events

Exclusive

GARRY JACOBS

783002 771451 9

Stop Imitating And Start Innovating

ISSN1451-7833

PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE WORLD ACADEMY OF ART & SCIENCE, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD & CEO OF THE WORLD UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM

CONTENTS

COMMENT

ZORAN PANOVIĆ

THE MACRON PARADOX Deep Purple performed in Belgrade again this December, and it was an occasion to recall how much more relaxed the atmosphere in Serbia had been when this band last performed in Belgrade, in March 2014, and when the top stars among the audience were then Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, dressed in a tight, black, leather jacket, and First Lady Dragica, also dressed in rocker’s apparel

08 STOP IMITATING AND START INNOVATING

22 INTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF EGOVERNMENT SYSTEMS AND SERVICES MIHAILO JOVANOVIĆ (Associate Professor, Phd), Director Of The Office For Information Technology And E-Government

GARRY JACOBS President And Ceo Of The World Academy Of Art & Science, Chairman Of The Board & Ceo Of The World University Consortium

14 HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF SERBIA

DR MIROSLAV PERIŠIĆ Historian, Director Of The Archives Of Serbia

48 TRADITION OF VENETIAN CARNIVAL MASKS ART

52 FACES & PLACES

24 HOW TO RECOGNISE, CURB AND TURN AROUND BAD INFINITY?

55 THE ARTIST ALWAYS HAS A CHOICE

31 BUSINESS DIALOGUE

60 APRES SKI

44 FRESH-FACED BILLIONAIRE AT 22

62 CULTURE CALENDAR

FOCUS: What is your opinion on the waning 2019 and the coming 2020?

KYLIE JENNER Enterpreneur

STEFAN MILENKOVIĆ Violinist, musical pedagogue

FASHION

64 AFTER WORK

47 ARCHIVES ARE A BARRIER AGAINST THE FALSIFYING OF HISTORY

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H.E. GILLES ARNOUT BESCHOOR PLUG Ambassador Of The Kingdom Of The Netherlands To Serbia

20 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

The Macron Paradox

BY ZORAN PANOVIĆ XX

T

oma’s people aren’t even in politics any longer and, when it comes to the state of democracy, a certain nostalgia for Nikolić has emerged, to such an extent that he would be a welcome sight as a guest of the opposition Alliance for Serbia.

The Serbian year of sobriety (‘Junker’s date’ - 2025 - is no longer realistic when it comes to EU accession) was framed by Putin’s visit to Belgrade in January, only for Vučić to now, in December, to be in Sochi. Laconic and rational, Putin did not behave in Belgrade as was expected by a large section of pro-Russian Serbs – like his former ambassador to Belgrade, Konuzin, by at one point asking the people gathered in front of Saint Sava Temple - “Are there any Serbs here?” Surely the amassed crowd would have broken out with “We’re heading to Kosovo!”. The Sochi meeting followed an espionage affair in Serbia with a Russian element, which served to advance conspiratorial tales. Immediately before heading to Sochi, Vučić emphasised that there wouldn’t be a new 1948 – the symbolic year when Tito severed relations with Stalin. If he were to break ties with the Russians, Vučić would not receive even close to the the compensation that Tito got in the West.

Macron visited Serbia this summer and won over the sympathies of its citizens. The Macron phenomenon is also an attempt to seek a ‘subsequent Serbian Gensher’ (patron), while

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Deep Purple performed in Belgrade again this December, and it was an occasion to recall how much more relaxed the atmosphere in Serbia had been when this band last performed in Belgrade, in March 2014, and when the top stars among the audience were then Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, dressed in a tight, black, leather jacket, and First Lady Dragica, also dressed in rocker’s apparel the Macron paradox is that Serbia’s greatest friend in the West is a politician who most coldly tells the country to its face that nothing will come of EU accession prior to the internal reforming of the union.

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is an associate member of the European People’s Party. Vučić didn’t attend its congress in Zagreb this November, confirming that the politics of Serbia and Croatia remain crucially defined by wartime narratives, and not their common European future. If they missed out on the chance to be the France and Germany of the region, Croatia and Serbia are working hard to be the Pakistan and India of the region. By making a

The Macron phenomenon is an attempt to seek a ‘subsequent Serbian Gensher’ (patron), while the Macron paradox is that Serbia’s greatest friend in the West is a politician who most coldly tells the country to its face that nothing will come of EU accession prior to the internal reforming of the union

spectacle of foreign policy, Vučić compensates for the increasingly apparent shortcomings of domestic policy. Zagreb is no longer a place where the Serbian president can easily earn points, as he did in February last year. A new chance will be provided by the EU-Western Balkans summit in May 2020, when Croatia will preside over the EU. After a long initiation process, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić also became a member of SNS in 2019 and, by constantly proving herself, squeezed Dačić out of Vučić’s vision of ‘co-prime ministers’. Socialist Party of Serbia leader Dačić chief devoted himself to his foreign ministry and concentrated on lobbying for countries to revoke their recognition of Kosovo’s independence. When that was done

by Ghana, he was even praised by opposition figure and former foreign minister Vuk Jeremić, but in a country of paranoia that brought him into an uncomfortable position.

The opposition marked the anniversary of the demonstrations. They have gradually collapsed, with the focus of tactics having shifted to uncovering regime scandals and promoting a boycott (of elections) as the most expensive Serbian word (after Kosovo).

The opposition likes to compare Vučić to Orbán and Erdoğan, but in the dogmatism of boycott they don’t like to be reminded of the victories of opposition leaders Ekrem İmamoğlu in Istanbul or Gergel Karácsony in Budapest.

Interview Exclusive GARRY JACOBS

PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE WORLD ACADEMY OF ART & SCIENCE, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD & CEO OF THE WORLD UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM “We are on the cusp of a revolution in education that will shift from repetitive formal learning to student-centred, person-centred, trans-disciplinary education,” says Garry Jacobs, President and CEO of the World Academy of Art & Science, Chairman of the Board & CEO of the World University Consortium.

Jacobs, who recently became president of the World Academy, is known to the Serbian public.

In November he and other prominent speakers spoke about the future shape of knowledge at the fourth international conference on future education in Belgrade, organised by the Serbian Association of Economists in cooperation with the World Academy of Arts and Sciences and the World University Consortium, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and the Arts, the University of Belgrade and the Serbian Chapter of the Club of Rome, thanks to Nebojša Neskovic, a Trustee and the Secretary General of the World Academy of Art and Science and the President of the Serbian Chapter of the Club of Rome. It seems that we are on the cusp of a revolution in the way we organise the way

Stop Imitating And

Start Innovating Serbia, which has a very strong tradition in science and technology and a population with a proven capacity to excel in advanced fields of knowledge, should be striving to capitalise on these real strengths and invent new models of education that prepare the youth to become entrepreneurs instead of employees in other peoples’ companies. Don’t copy others, innovate 8

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INDIVIDUALITY

Conformity and obedience were highly esteemed in earlier periods. In contrast to that, society in the 21st century values individuality more than ever before

we think about education. What forces are behind that change?

Multiple factors compel us to reformulate our approach to education. First is the exponential growth in the amount of information and knowledge being generated compared to earlier times, when information was a scarce commodity. Five hundred years ago, Europeans learned their history from the theatre, e.g. Shakespeare’s histories.

No human being can absorb the huge and ever growing volume of what is known. Second is the increasing speed with which existing knowledge becomes outdated or obsolete. Knowledge in all fields is evolving so quickly that most of what is taught today will no longer be valid or sufficient a few years from now. Therefore learning must necessarily become a life-long process that occurs in parallel with employment, rather than a stage that precedes a formal career – the conception of a Double Helix. Third, as a result of these first two, there has been a fragmentation of disciplines to enable scholars to concentrate on narrower specialised fields. American universities now offer more than a 1,000 disciplines and subdisciplines.

The problem with specialisation is that specialists who become more and more expert in one narrow subject tend to become less knowledgeable about other subdisciplines and the wider context in which their work exists. Thus, as in-depth knowledge grows, so does ignorance of context and interdependence between fields. What is the new paradigm of education?

The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS) and World University Consortium (WUC) are calling for fundamental change in order to reorient education for the 21st century. This requires a shift in both pedagogy and content. The shift in pedagogy is from emphasis on the subject to development of the student, from focus on teaching information to learning how to learn, from passive transmission of knowledge by instructors and books to active seeking of knowledge based on the interest and curiosity of the student, from

HUMANITY

Machines may have much larger memories and faster processing speeds, but they will never be able to think with human comprehension, values and sympathy, creatively and intuitively

SHIFT

The shift in the content of education is from abstract concepts and theory to contextual knowledge presented in a real world context so that its relevance and significance is self-evident

competitive to collaborative, peer-to-peer learning in which students learn in teams and teach one another, from understanding what is taught to actively and independently thinking for oneself, from exclusive emphasis on analytical thinking skills to the development of systems thinking, synthesis, integrated and intuitive mental capacities. The new Technology High School in Napa, California, introduced peer-to-peer active learning classrooms in the mid 1990s

and that model has now spread to hundreds of school districts around the U.S. Ecole 42 software university in Paris has 3,000 students and only seven instructors who facilitate learning but do not teach classes. Learning is project based rather than by instruction. Students complete a three year course in anywhere from 18 months to 60, according to their interest and capacity. That model has already spread to Silicon Valley and a dozen other countries.

We are now working with the UN Office in Geneva on a project entitled Global Leadership in the 21st century, which should prepare government and business executives and educators to understand where humanity is headed

The shift in content is from abstract concepts and theory to contextual knowledge presented in a real world context, so its relevance and significance is self-evident, from fragmented discipline-specific knowledge to multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives. A glance at what is taught in Economics or Management today will make it clear that neither subject can be understood without considering its interconnections with law, political science, ecology, technology, society, culture, psychology and other fields. Students of artificial intelligence need to be proficient in at least four different

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Interview Exclusive fields – computer science, mathematics, psychology and neuro science. The same is true in the biological sciences.

How does this revolution in education correspond to past changes in education?

Were there similarly comprehensive shifts like the one we are witnessing today?

Who has to lead the change and how will it be communicated?

Education underwent a major shift 150 years ago in North America, during the Industrial Revolution. Prior to that, higher education was considered a luxury for the leisure class, the clergy and the governing class. In America it

This is the toughest question, because educational institutions are much better at studying and teaching the past than preparing youth for

that, science and technology were relatively independent. Scholars studied. Inventors invented. But then the two fields became increasingly unified and inventors required more and more scientific knowledge in order to deal with the advances in every field. This made education essential for industry. Then, in the 1960s, management began to emerge as a science in its own right.

Businesspeople hadn’t required any education prior to that. Entrepreneurs then began to seek higher education as essential. Another shift came with the introduction of the community college system in the U.S., which plays a very important role. Unlike most of Europe, the choice of careers in the U.S. can be postponed until well into the higher levels of college education, because the early years are dedicated to general rather than subject specific knowledge. Community colleges enable late maturing students who perform poorly during schooling to make up for what they’ve missed by seeking a two-year associates degree to get job-specific vocational skills or go on to enter college in the third year and emerge with degrees from world class institutions without being penalised for their late start. What is the role of technology in this process? Is it a tool and connector or it is in the driving seat?

the future. Because of the emphasis on preserving and perpetuating past knowledge, they are inherently conservative and resistant to change.

Because teachers study subjects at the beginning of their career often taught by instructors late in their own careers, the time warp between what is taught and what is relevant continues to grow.

That is why non-formal education - through online courses, corporate training and other means - has become increasingly important. The best way to facilitate and accelerate change will be to separate certification from instruction. Students should be encouraged to acquire knowledge from whatever source they find most accessible, affordable and effective – be it public or private, formal or informal, classroom or online. Then they can apply for certification based on what they know rather than where they studied. This one change will compel universities to become much more open and progressive, and will liberate students from the enormous competitive pressures for admission driven by the need for a formal degree.

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Students should be encouraged to acquire knowledge from whatever source they find most accessible, affordable and effective – be it public or private, formal or informal, classroom or online. broke out of that box. People sought education for its practical value. Every newly founded state in America first founded an agricultural college to educate farmers, which later transformed into the well-known state university systems. Professional education became prominent to fill the need for physicians, lawyers and engineers. That occurred again early in the 20th century. Before

Technology is only a tool. It cannot replace learning. It can of course eliminate the need for people to learn to do things that can now be done by computers. That’s the rightful role of technology.

It’s what enabled human beings to stop ploughing fields by hand and start letting machines do the heavy lifting. Why should students learn how to calculate square roots when their mobile phones can do it infinitely faster? Why should we memorise information that is accessible at our fingertips?

Technology will help us shift the emphasis of education from memorisation to understanding, independent thinking and creativity. It will help us differentiate ourselves from machines and become more truly and uniquely human. And I should add that, in speaking with most AI specialists, they completely agree that machine intelligence is a very different and far more limited thing than human intelligence. Machines may have much larger memories and faster processing speeds, but they will never be able to think with human comprehension, values and sympathy, creatively and intuitively, as human beings.

Technology certainly has an important role to play in education making information accessible, converting mechanical learning into interesting games, enabling distance and collaborative learning.

Advanced learners, especially in specialised technical fields, may find technology-based education fully sufficient. But real education is a human process and it thrives on human interaction and relationships. This is especially true at higher levels.

Thinking is a creative act that needs the stimulus of a meeting of minds. So, it’s unlikely that the most important educational functions can ever be taken over by machines. Even in early childhood education, the interest and attention of the parent and teacher is a powerful motivating force for children to learn. That is why we learn fastest at a very early age and everyone learns their first language before going to school.

in Pondicherry, India, reported on the use of advanced methods for early childhood learning.

Just last week they reported that KG and 1st grade students have dramatically accelerated the speed of learning how to read in English through the adoption of simple, innovate methods. What is the role of your institution in furthering this change?

entitled Global Leadership in the 21st century.

One aim of this project is to develop an original masters programme in global leadership in collaboration with an international network of universities. The aim is to develop a course that will prepare UN and national government officials, diplomats, business executives, educators, social entrepreneurs and world citizens to understand where humanity is headed and how they can act

How do conferences like those that you have in Serbia and around the globe inform the process of change?

We have completed four international conferences on future education at the University of California, Berkeley, my own alma mater; at Roma Tre University in Rome; in Rio and last month in Belgrade. The purpose of these conferences is two-fold. Second, to challenge mainstream educators to recognise the enormous importance of fostering rapid, substantial innovation at all levels and in all fields of education. Second, to bring together practitioners who have already adopted innovative approaches to share their knowledge and experiences to convince others that change is not only possible, but is already underway.

It’s important to recognise that changing the education system at any level is a difficult and challenging task. But that is no excuse for not trying. And there is abundant evidence that it can be done. For example, one speaker at the Belgrade conference is the founder of the Global Institute for Integral Management Studies, a vocational business college based in Kerala, India.

Eighteen months ago, the GIIMS overhauled its entire syllabus in a few months, virtually threw out the text books and radically altered its pedagogy.

It is now regarded as a model for other colleges to emulate. The improvement in education is so great that companies are lining up to hire their graduates and even other colleges are recruiting them to be instructors in their own colleges.

Two other speakers, from Primrose School

It’s important to recognise that changing the education system at any level is a difficult and challenging task, but that is no excuse not to try. And there is abundant evidence that it can be done Our role until now has primarily been to research existing and innovative practises and formulate what we call a paradigm shift in education. Over the past five years, we have conducted more than a dozen curriculum development programmes focusing on the integration of subjects in the social sciences. We are now working with the United Nations Office in Geneva on a project

effectively foster our smooth transition to a more peaceful, prosperous and harmonious future. How is your initiative complemented by other initiatives at the global and European levels?

WUC is an open network which has always welcomed collaboration with other organisations. The International Association of University Presidents is one of our founding charter members. Educators from many countries have participated in our conferences to exchange ideas. But now we are entering a more formal stage of collaboration, where we hope to establish relations with networks of universities around the world so we can share our findings and help them make a rapid transition to a new paradigm. In fact, we extend an invitation to interested universities and governments to collaborate. To what extent do governments around the world understood the need for change?

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Interview Exclusive There are well known examples of governments taking progressive positions on education. South Korea has made remarkable efforts in recent decades to raise college graduate rates to the highest level in the world. But the pedagogy and content belongs to the 20th century, not the 21st.

They may be teaching leading edge science and technology, but they are not preparing youth with the understanding of society, global evolution or the kind of creativity needed to come up with entirely new perspectives and solutions. It may keep their companies abreast of the competition for awhile, but it cannot prepare them to fully emerge in the political, economic and social leadership position they are capable of attaining. Finland is the best example of a real shift in paradigm to student-centred, person-centred, trans-disciplinary education at both higher and lower levels. They are an outstanding example with many admirers, but few other nations are willing to follow. What do you see as the biggest challenges for emerging countries?

The biggest challenge is to stop imitating and start innovating. The whole world looks up to the mainstream Western universities as the model to emulate. Foreign students pay upwards of $20 billion annually for admission to American colleges and universities.

But countries striving to catch up with the West can only do so by overcoming the disadvantages of the market leaders. How did Amazon overtake huge competitors to become the leading bookseller and online retailer in the world? They took advantage of the fact that they were not invested in the outmoded existing model of retailing.They adopted a new model capitalising on the value of speed, customer service and product variety. Countries like Serbia, with a very strong tradition in science and technology and a population with a proven capacity to excel in advanced fields of knowledge, should be striving to capitalise on these real strengths and innovate new models that prepare the youth to become entrepreneurs instead of employees in other peoples’ companies. Transformation in education can become a powerful lever for the transformation of the whole economy and society. If tiny Finland can make such a mark in and through education, how much greater is the potential for Serbia to do so?

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Society in the 21st century values individuality more than ever before. In earlier periods, conformity and obedience were highly esteemed. Now, increasingly, it is the person who really is a unique individual What capabilities do young people need to have in order to join the world of work as we speak?

Research confirms that, in the global marketplace, personality is more important than subject knowledge, which is constantly changing and needs to be acquired according to the needs of the specific field and workplace. It is now widely recognised that business employees place greater emphasis on social and communication skills than on specialised knowledge for most occupations. But social skills are not enough at higher levels. There the focus shifts from social capacities to the development of personality.

Employers look for the capacity to think independently and differently, to take responsibility, to embody higher values and to aspire for higher performance. At the highest level, companies look for real individuality. Society in the 21st

century values individuality more than ever before. In earlier periods, conformity and obedience were highly esteemed. Now, increasingly, it is the person who really is a unique individual. This does not imply someone who simply thinks and cares about himself and no one or nothing else.

That is individualism. The real individual, what renowned humanitarian psychologists refer to as self-actualised individuals, value other people, understand their place in the wider society, are conscious of all they receive from the wider collective and all they owe back to it. The greatest gift that education can give to anyone is to help them discover and develop their own unique capacities and to value that uniqueness wherever they find it in others. This quality explains why now and then a single person comes forward to change the world in one way or another. Centuries ago, French socialist Charles Fourier foresaw a time when there would be 37 million geometricians equal to Newton and another 37 million with the literary capacity of Homer and Moliere. I believe what he really foresaw was a time when, through advances in education, every human being would have the opportunity to fully develop their own unique capacities as an individual, which no AI machine can ever match. How can teachers, as the spine of every educational process, catch up with the process?

This question touches one of the critical knots of transforming education, but it is not the only one. Teachers are often accused of preventing the evolution of the educational system by resisting change, and there is truth in that accusation, as there is in every generalisation. But there are millions, perhaps tens of millions of teachers around the world who love teaching and are dedicated to their profession. Given an opportunity and a changed environment, a good number will come forward to embrace a new paradigm. But that will depend on achieving a sea change in the values and policies by which educational institutions function and national governments seek to control and direct public policies for their own purposes and according to their own understanding. A first step would come when teaching is recognised as one of the most important professions of all and teachers are compensated far better than they are today, in order to attract the best of society’s talent to one of its most precious cultural endowments.

Interview H.E. GILLES ARNOUT BESCHOOR PLUG AMBASSADOR OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS TO SERBIA

The Netherlands supports Serbia’s European integration process and the opening of new negotiation chapters, says Ambassador Gilles Arnout Beschoor Plug. Denying the public perception that the Netherlands belongs to the bloc of EU countries that have the greatest reservations about enlargement, he says that “the Netherlands is a strict, fair and committed partner that judges progress in the accession process on its merits”. In this process, adds CorD Magazine’s interlocutor, it is not only important to adopt laws, rather it is more important to put them into practise, thereby showing genuine adherence

High Expectations Of Serbia

Every effort is necessary to ensure elections where parties feel they can participate on an equal footing and all voters can cast their vote freely based on readily available information. The Netherlands welcomes the fact that the European Parliament has stepped forward to mediate and bring the political dialogue forward. We urge both government and members of the opposition to remain involved with the interest of Serbia’s democracy at heart - Gilles Arnout Beschoor Plug 14

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MESSAGE

I have often said that Serbia is part of the European family and I will continue to repeat that message

to fundamental EU values, such as democracy, judicial independence, freedom of the media or the fight against corruption. Your Excellency, what could you say about the start and initial period of your term in Serbia?

INVESTMENT

I am very proud that Dutch companies and products are part of the economic heartbeat of Serbia and part of the daily lives of its citizens

balances, and freedom of the press. For me, integration into the European Union will provide the best means of countering these challenges and providing a space of peace and prosperity, just as it has done for existing members.

CONDITIONS

We are in favour of opening new negotiation chapters if the necessary conditions have been met

You have announced that the priority during your term will be furthering Serbia’s accession to the European Union. What would you say to those in Serbia who, following the latest message from European members, like

I have had an intensive start. The Western Balkans are new territory for me and I had to – and still have to – learn a lot. I have the impression that people here are looking forward as much as they look back, and that this is an integral part of one’s identity as well. So a detailed knowledge of history is required – and not only of recent history. Yet everyone I meet is willing to share and to explain, so I feel very welcome. The Embassy team is wonderful and very experienced, so I rely on them a lot. I haven’t yet travelled much and look forward to exploring the country.

Belgrade is a real surprise: a lively, modern, youthful city with a broad cultural agenda. You arrived in Belgrade from Tel Aviv, where you served as ambassador, so you are a connoisseur of the Middle East. How do you experience this Western Balkan region, which some European officials still see as a potential conflict zone?

I know some experts see a comparison between the Middle East and the Western Balkans. I’m not too sure about that. It is always difficult to compare regions and people. The Middle East is pretty much a region on its own and there is much difference between, for example, the Mediterranean countries and the Gulf states.

On the other hand, the Western Balkans is definitely a part of Europe and the region seems more or less homogeneous. That also means the Balkan countries face more or less identical challenges, be they external – migration for example – or domestic questions like the rule of law: independence of the judiciary, a state structure with effective checks and

The Netherlands is a strict, fair and committed partner that judges progress in the accession process on its merits. That also means that drafting the right laws alone is not enough. Their implementation is equally important

France, believe ever less that there will be a new EU enlargement?

I have often said that Serbia is part of the European family and I will continue to repeat that message. It is important that Serbian citizens know there is a clear path towards EU membership. The Netherlands is a strict, fair and committed partner that judges progress in the accession process on its merits. That also means that drafting the right laws alone is not enough. Their implementation is equally important. There has to be a clear acceptance of the values that the laws aim to protect.

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Interview independent, responsible and pluralistic media are part of the necessary checks and balances in a society. They are crucial to maintaining open and free democracies.

Individual media outlets have reported that the Netherlands is among the countries with plenty of reservations regarding the possibility of Serbia continuing to open new negotiation chapters. Is that true and, if so, what is the reason?

Do you believe that political dialogue within Serbia, which is being conducted with the help of European parliamentarians, can help create the conditions for free, fair and democratic elections?

During his recent visit to Serbia, our minister for foreign affairs confirmed that The Netherlands remains committed to Serbia’s EU perspective. We are in favour of opening new negotiation chapters if the necessary conditions have been met. This means that Serbia should be ready to, and capable of, adopt legislation related to a specific chapter, and – more generally – there should be sufficient and sustained progress in strengthening the rule of law. When it comes to Serbia’s path towards EU integration, the Netherlands is not only a critical partner, but also a constructive partner that gives strong support.

For example, one of our longest running assistance programmes is the Netherlands’ Fund for Regional Partnership – MATRA, which we implement in all candidate countries, including Serbia. Projects under this programme are focused on strengthening civil society, democracy and the rule of law. Since the beginning of the European integration process, Serbia has received messages from the Netherlands that reforms will be monitored with particular attention in the area of the rule of law.

How would you evaluate this process to date?

Sustained progress on the rule of law is essential, because it reflects a political commitment to the basic principles that unite EU member states and are so much part and parcel of our societies. These are principles like democracy, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the media, the fight against corruption and organised crime etc. These are considered of paramount importance not only by the Netherlands but by all member states – and we seriously keep examining ourselves as well. In fact, there is a complete new initiative in the EU to reinforce the rule of law among present member states.

As to Serbia, there has definitely been some progress in some areas, but there are serious

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Every effort is necessary to ensure elections where parties feel they can participate on an equal footing and all voters can cast their vote freely, based on readily available information.

In that light, the Netherlands welcomes the fact that the European Parliament has stepped forward to mediate and bring the political dialogue forward. We urge both the government and members of the opposition to remain involved with the interest of Serbia’s democracy at heart. According to the statistics of the National Bank of Serbia, the Netherlands has a high ranking when it comes to total investments in the Serbian economy. Do you see opportunities to further expand that cooperation and, if so, in which areas?

Many of these (Dutch) companies are united in the Dutch-Serbian Business Association, last year’s founding of which was a significant step forward in our economic relationship delays and concerns in other areas. Generally speaking, legislation is being enacted, but isn’t always fully implemented. Serbia is a frontrunner in the accession process, so our expectations are high and we look forward to the sustained impact of reforms.

We always emphasise in particular the importance of freedom of expression – there is no democratic society without the right to form your own opinion and to express it freely. Media freedom is a priority, because

I am very proud that Dutch companies and products are part of the economic heartbeat of Serbia and part of the daily lives of its citizens. In fact, they include household names, such as the largest supermarket chain in the country, one of the largest web portals in Serbia and the most popular beer brands in the country. Dutch companies are also active in shipbuilding, IT, consumer goods, public lighting, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, renewable energy, and the list goes on. Moreover, these are all responsible, modern Dutch employers that invest heavily in their workforce and in the local communities where they work and on which they depend.

Many of these companies are united in the Dutch-Serbian Business Association, last year’s founding of which was a significant step forward in our economic relationship.

Having said all that, of course, we can always do better and expand further. We recently organised a trade mission focusing on exploring the enormous potential for cooperation between Serbian and Dutch companies in the

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Interview a new reality. The Netherlands is one of the first countries to make a Circular Economy Roadmap, alongside Finland and Slovenia.

Five strategies towards a circular economy were presented in January last year covering five key areas - biomass and food, plastics, the manufacturing industry, construction and consumer goods.

However, the transition to a circular economy is not a task for government alone.

It requires social transformation. That is why, in the Netherlands, public authorities, companies, knowledge institutions and civil society are working together towards concrete targets – to reduce carbon emissions by 49 per cent by 2030 and to cut raw material use by 50 per cent. It’s an ambitious target, but it’s important to take this challenge head-on and to set an example, as well as to support other countries by exporting our knowledge and expertise. Dutch experts participated in this year’s Mikser Festival in order to share the Dutch experience in this process and assist Serbia in moving towards a similar approach.

soft fruit sector. We are currently working on exploring opportunities for enhanced cooperation in water management, something that the Netherlands was quite literally built on.

We are also working on organising a ‘Balkan Business Dialogue’ event in the Netherlands, in order to present the many opportunities of this region to Dutch companies. Several other events and initiatives are in the works for next year, so we are looking forward to an even closer economic relationship with Serbia in 2020! The Serbian-Dutch Business Forum that was held last spring saw business leaders from the two countries discuss cooperation in the area of the so-called circular economy. The Netherlands has set itself the goal of becoming a circular economy by 2050. What does this mean in practical terms?

We are a small yet densely populated country.

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Do you believe that environmental issues will become important conditions for the progress of candidate countries, including Serbia, towards EU membership?

We are currently working on exploring opportunities for enhanced cooperation in water management, something that the Netherlands was quite literally built on Our history, culture and economy are built on making the most out of limited resources.

By looking ahead, we have been able to overcome many challenges and turn them into advantages. We know that the global economy is growing, but that the planet is not. That means that we need to rethink how our industries work and how we live.

In the Netherlands, we have decided to take action sooner rather than later, and adapt to

They already are. Chapter 27 is a key step in the EU integration process and entails the implementation of EU legislation in the field of environmental protection. That is by no means an easy task. In fact, it is a very challenging one that we in the Netherlands also struggle with. Achieving and maintaining EU environmental standards requires a comprehensive approach, involving businesses, education, government institutions, local governments and significant amounts of investment across a wide range of issues. It might prove to be one of the most challenging chapters for Serbia and other candidate countries to close. That’s why I’m glad that Serbia now has a Ministry of Environment that can prioritise and implement the work that’s needed to ensure that this beautiful country can protect its phenomenal nature and provide healthy living conditions for all of its citizens and their children.

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GLOBAL DIARY

Love

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are.

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” – PAULO COELHO DE SOUZA, BRAZILIAN LYRICIST AND NOVELIST

ANGELA MERKEL – WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL WOMAN German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named the world’s most powerful woman by Forbes in the 2019 list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. She has won the title for the consecutive ninth year running. She is followed by the European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde from France, and US Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and new president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

She was praised for her steely reserve as she stood up for the US President Donald Trump. She has opened the door to refugee policy. The policy saw more than a million Syrian refugees enter the country amid the 2015 migrant crisis.

MELANIA TRUMP HANDS OUT CHRISTMAS PRESENTS TO LONDON’S CHILDREN U.S. First Lady Melania Trump was greeted by dozens of school children in northeast London, when she attended a Salvation Army event to hand out Christmas presents and decorate the tree.

The first lady, who attended the centre

with Suzanne Johnson, wife of the U.S. ambassador to Britain, also presented the children with baubles after they sang the Christmas hit “All I want for Christmas”.

Maria Rashid, a pupil who met Melania, told the local Evening Standard newspaper she had asked the first lady if she ever got lost inside the White House.

“She was friendly,” she said. “I knew who she was already but she was very chatty.”

THE MOST LAVISH ROYAL CHRISTMAS TREES As much as we love looking at the incredible Christmas trees and installations created by our favourite celebrities, no one does Christmas quite like the royals! Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s London residence, Clarence House, was decorated with the help of a group of children at Camilla’s annual party to support Marvellous Children’s Charity. Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece shared a look at the towering tree she had put up in her New York townhouse with the help of her daughter Princess Olympia. The exterior of Princess Madeleine of Sweden home has been given a festive makeover with lights trimming a tree outside. The Queen Elizabeth II kicked off proceedings on 29 November when her Windsor Castle residence was transformed for the festive season, with a huge 3.5 meters Nordmann Fir tree installed in St. George’s Hall.

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Guardian Angels

“In a sense, the mentally deranged and feebleminded were my guardian angels, and when I hadn’t seen any of them in a long time, the sight of an idiot gave me a sudden burst of health and strength.” – PETER HANDKE, NOVELIST AND PLAYWRIGHT, 2019 NOBEL LAUREATE IN LITERATURE

JOHNSON’S CONSERVATIVE PARTY WINS UK ELECTION The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stunned political pundits by leading his Conservative Party to score one of the country’s most dramatic electoral victories in decades.

By early Friday morning (13th December), the Conservatives had secured 364 of the 650 seats in the House of Parliament, well ahead of Labour’s 203 seats.

The Liberal Democrats have 11 seats, while the Scottish National Party posted big gains in Scotland, with 48 seats.

That would give Johnson a comfortable majority in the House of Commons and paves the way for Brexit to take place at the end of January.

“We did it,” Johnson said at a victory rally. “We broke the deadlock, we smashed the roadblock,” he told a cheering room. “A new dawn rises on a new day.”

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Feature

Intensive Development Of eGovernment Systems And Services MIHAILO JOVANOVIĆ (ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, PHD), DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND E-GOVERNMENT

This year was marked by the continuation of intensive work on the development of information systems and e-administration services

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hanks to the great support of Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and the dedicated work of the experts of the Office for IT and eGovernment, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Coordination Council for eGovernment, more than 100 million electronic services have been provided so far. The public sector data exchange system (eZUP) has enabled the exchange of more than six million electronic documents between government departments, which means that six million times citizens have not been couriers carrying documents from counter to counter. Many other electronic systems have been introduced or upgraded: Welcome to the World, Baby, eCadastre, ePrescription, eRegistration of Seasonal Workers, eCourt, Single Information System for Local Tax Administrations, Automatic

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Health Card Verification, eInspector, eRegistration, eKindergarden, eSchoolDiary, eForiegner, eCertificate of (Clean) Criminal Record. The National Open Data Portal was upgraded, the obligation to use stamps was abolished for companies, electronic payments at POS terminals were enabled. After the new Portal and Customer Relations Management of the Government of Serbia, we also released the first Government mobile application My Local Tax Administration, enabled the delivery of driver’s licenses to the home and began the formation of an address register. Finally, it is important that the introduction of such a large number of information systems was accompanied by a systematic approach to building modern eGovernment infrastructure. In July, we began construction of the State Data Centre in Kragujevac, a centre of regional importance in

terms of capacity and technical specifications, which will have sufficient space for equipment and data for both state authorities and local governments, as well as commercial users.

The results of the work of the Government of Serbia on the digitalisation of the public administration have been confirmed by reputable international institutions, in whose independent reports Serbia has been positively evaluated. A report by SIGMA, a joint body of the European Commission and the OECD, confirmed that since 2017 Serbia has progressed in five out of seven indicators concerning service provision to its people. The SIGMA report points out that Serbia is a regional leader in this field with great ambitions to compete with the best in the world.

Another important report is one by the USAID Economic Development Program, which covered 1,000 small and medium enterprises.

According to the results, as many as 72% of businesses operating in Serbia say that transparency and predictability of business operations have increased over last year. As many as 74% of respondents from SMEs say that the public administration is more efficient today than it was a year ago. Furthermore, the latest opinion poll conducted by the Swiss program “SWISS PRO” shows that almost every second citizen of central Serbia (about 45 per cent) today considers that local government takes care of citizens, compared to only 22 per cent nine years ago. All of these reports indicate that progress in public administra-

tion reform in Serbia has above all been achieved through the introduction of eGovernment.

The progress we have achieved in reforming the public administration through the digital transformation has aroused the interest of many Western Balkan countries and beyond. We are aware that much work remains to be done in developing eGovernment, while recognizing that we need to institutionalise potential knowledge transfer and use it as an instrument of foreign policy. That is why the Government of Serbia has launched the digital transformation knowledge transition programme “Serbia Digitalises�. This programme is an instrument of cooperation of the Republic of Serbia with partner countries in the field of digital transformation. Its goal is to strengthen the capacities necessary for performing professional and technical tasks to support the implementation of eGovernment, and to establish an additional basis for improving economic and political cooperation. Providing this type of service to other partner countries is also an important segment of development cooperation with foreign countries.

A report by SIGMA, a joint body of the European Commission and the OECD, confirmed that since 2017 Serbia has progressed in five out of seven indicators concerning service provision to its people. The SIGMA report points out that Serbia is a regional leader in this field, with great ambitions to compete with the best in the world

The aim of the Programme is to establish new and enhance existing forms of partnership, based on the dissemination of knowledge and mutual empowerment required for digital transformation and support for the development of eGovernment.

Programme information is available at ite.gov.rs.

So far, an Agreement on Digital Transformation has been signed with the Republic of Northern Macedonia. We have provided them with expert assistance in the development of a new two-way government website. An agreement with Republika Srpska is under preparation.

We will be working hard towards the New Year as the final stages of activities are underway to implement new systems: the Central Catering and Tourism Information System – e-Tourist, the new eGovernment Portal, two-factor electronic user identification and a single point of authentication (single sign-on), but also beginning the rollout of the Central population register.

All this indicates that 2020 will be marked by further intensive development of eGovernment systems and services.

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Focus

Revolution or Routine: What is your opinion on the waning 2019 and the coming 2020?

How to Recognise,

Curb and Turn Around Bad Infinity?

During the times in which we live, it is sometimes difficult to read whether we’ve just witnessed something that will later prove to be the embryonic start of a major change – in the fight against climate change, in the launching of economic wars, or in an attempt to establish political dialogue and set boundaries between the honourable and the dishonourable – or we routinely bowed our heads. Here’s what our interlocutors think about that

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lthough it essentially boils down to turning a page on a calendar, the end of one year and the beginning of the next gives us reason to reflect on what is almost behind us and what awaits us.

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Judging by the answers of our interlocutors, there are numerous questions we are unable think beyond – from our own doorstep to the planet as our common home. And none of them are routine.

IVANKA POPOVIĆ PH.D. CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

INTELLIGENT EVOLUTION WE WILL REMEMBER THE YEAR BEHIND US FOR THE CREATION OF VERY SIGNIFICANT NEW INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS, FOR THE SETTING OF STANDARDS IN CASES OF POSSIBLE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND THE ADOPTION OF LAWS THAT SHOULD IMPROVE THE STATE OF SCIENCE IN SERBIA AND ADVANCE THE WORK OF RESEARCHERS. I EXPECT US TO ALSO CONTINUE ADVANCING IN 2020

The year that’s coming to end certainly hasn’t been a routine one, while it remains to be seen whether it was a revolutionary one. I’d rather talk about evolution than revolution. The past year has been significant for the University of Belgrade for many reasons.

The Republic of Serbia beWE JOINED THE came a programme country of the ALLIANCE OF RESEARCH Erasmus+ programme, and the University of Belgrade, along with UNIVERSITIES, WHICH several other higher education STRIVES TO CREATE institutions in Serbia, received ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIPS the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. Transitioning from the DEDICATED TO TOP status of partner country to proQUALITY IN TEACHING AND gramme country has created opRESEARCH. THIS IS portunities to increase the number AN EXCEPTIONAL of students, teachers, researchers and associates who will particiOPPORTUNITY FOR THE pate in international exchanges UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE with foreign universities. The Law on the Science Fund and the Law on Science and Research have been adopted, which provide an opportunity to improve the state of science in Serbia and to ensure the work of researchers under more dynamic conditions.

The University of Belgrade has been accepted, following an invitation, into the prestigious CESAER academic network, which is dedicated to excellence and collaboration in the technical and natural sciences. Of particular importance is the fact that the University of Belgrade became a member of Circle U, the European university alli-

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Focus

Revolution or Routine: What is your opinion on the waning 2019 and the coming 2020?

ance. In addition to us, its members also include the University of Oslo, Aarhus University, the University of Paris, the Catholic University of Leuven, Kings College London and Humboldt University in Berlin (https: // www.circle-u.eu/). This alliance of research universities strives to create academic partnerships dedicated to top quality in teaching and research. This is an exceptional opportunity for the University of Belgrade to advance all aspects of its work.

During this year we’ve continued negotiations with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, in order to finally resolve adequately the spatial problems of several UB faculties. I believe that during 2020 we will see the launch of the construction of new facilities. Preparations are underway for the European University

MILAN ANTONIJEVIĆ DIRECTOR OF THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION SERBIA

THREE POINTS – LARGE ONES THREE IMPORTANT JUNCTURES THAT WILL DETERMINE OUR FUTURE ARE – THE CHOICE FOR US TO CASUALLY ACCEPT INVASIONS INTO OUR PRIVACY, THE ABILITY TO CLEARLY DEFINE OURSELVES ACCORDING TO OUR EUROPEAN DESTINY AND WINNING SPACE FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE The first, global point - The Routine Revolution. I believe that could be remembered by many at the mention 2of 019. The routine revolution is seen in the field of the media, with the inseparable linking of politics and populism, new technologies, artificial intelligence and everything that’s being prepared for us in the coming years. This is also in short an answer to what lies ahead of us. The extent to which Serbia will be in the midst of this revolution can also be seen in the fact that we so easily accepting giving up part of our privacy to huge companies, such as Huawei, without much mindfulness for privacy, with thousands of cameras happily watching us around cities all over Serbia. Populism to the max.

What somehow fails to gain real significance are human rights, which must necessarily be return to all of those mentioned, both in politics and in the media, and in the future of artificial intelligence. With the great opportunities given to us by new technologies, there must also be a strong movement that understands technology, restrains it, and returns it into the framework of human rights.

The second, European point - Institutions of the European Union.

As we are still living under the cap of Europe, the previous year will be remembered, viewed from our navel, as the year in which the European Parliament was elected and, with major torment, the new European Commission was formed. The word enlargement was used in European politics

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Games in Belgrade, which we expect thousands of student athletes from all European countries to participate in during July 2020. This occasion will also see the University of Belgrade host the Chancellors’ Conference on University Sport, at which we host around 150 European university chancellors.

The previous period has seen the University of Belgrade devote a great deal of attention to developing procedures for cases of possible academic dishonesty. We finalised several such cases during this year, with which we demonstrated that UB can successfully address and overcome negative phenomena. In 2020 I expect UB to continue progressing and to use its activities to fulfil its role as a university of national importance.

either as a rude word or as an ideal to be aspired towards. In this light, 2020 must necessarily be a year in which messages are clearly sent to our region informing us about where we will be in the next decade. Will there be enough homework assignments and difficult decisions to make? One of those difficult decisions will also be to leave regional conflicts behind, conflicts with neighbours and all the other chicanery that easily get you votes in elections – perhaps not the most numerous votes, but definitely the loudest. It will also compel us to abandon sweet habits from the ‘90s, such as the one whereby laws and institutions don’t exist, while the rule of law is somewhere far away. Which topics we will turn to - whether a green new agreement, i.e. the Green New Deal that Europe is now also offering for us in the Western Balkans, or whether we’ll return to our old quarrels and hostilities - is up to us to decide, and to send that message to a Europe that’s slowly reforming.

The third, domestic point – The Battle for dialogue. In our society that is deeply polarised, conquering space for dialogue seems like an impossible mission, but we should SHALL WE TURN TO THE in no way give up. We launched a dialogue on 30th July at the GREEN NEW DEAL THAT Faculty of Political Science, an EUROPE IS NOW ALSO institution that’s expected to lead OFFERING FOR US IN THE discussions of the most important WESTERN BALKANS, OR processes in society. I remind you that the university is a constituWHETHER WE’LL RETURN tional category, hidden in Article TO OUR OLD QUARRELS 72. Upcoming elections in March, AND HOSTILITIES - IS UP April or May of 2020 will certainly provide an opportunity – together TO US TO DECIDE, AND TO with the professors of this faculty SEND THAT MESSAGE TO and organisations that have been A EUROPE THAT’S SLOWLY monitoring elections for years – to address topics that are important REFORMING to citizens, from the media, which I’ve already mentioned, to the pressure exerted on voters, and without listing what has been said openly in the National Assembly since the summer and to this day. Now, with the support of the European Parliament, MPs from the old parliament, but also new envoys for Serbia.

The battle for dialogue can also be transferred to the prosecution, with which there must be discussion of the cases that it will lead during the election campaign, but also now.

To conclude with a new notion that has entered our homes via the front, i.e. what the British would refer to as “our house”, which is the term Chatham House. Specifically, on 30th July, when we started our little campaign at the Faculty of Political Sciences, it was the exact centenary of the annual general meeting of this institution in London. Thus, any similarity to actual events is coincidental.

Focus

Revolution or Routine: What is your opinion on the waning 2019 and the coming 2020?

VIDA OGNJENOVIĆ

THEATRE DIRECTOR, PLAYWRIGHT, WRITER, DRAMA PROFESSOR AND DIPLOMAT

CREATIVITY IS THE GREATEST ENEMY OF ROUTINE I WILL REMEMBER THIS YEAR FOR THE ADHERENCE TO ROUTINE, AND I’M AFRAID I WILL BE ABLE TO EASILY REPEAT THIS TEXT FOR THE NEXT YEAR, ROUNDED OFF WITH TWO TWOS AND TWO ZEROS, OR TWO TWENTIES. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Year as years, all are one more and simultaneously one less in a person’s life. We remember them mainly for deliberate slippages from the routine course of life, or for unexpected deviations from that which is predicted. And those who try to stick uniformly to their life routine, either reduce everything down to the essentials, when they realise that the course of their life is not straight and fixed but rather meandering, with many intersections and abrupt turnarounds. But they nevertheless continue to seek for their lives to be a quiet haven for their inherited and acquired habits. But even when the flow of life is purposefully drawn towards a proven model, programmed according to recipes for success, we mostly sustain ourselves in life and in our memory we are left with our own willing and unwilling deviations from that planned composition. These deviations disrupt the routine, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, sometimes by the measure and effort of the individual, sometimes by the will and wants of the group, or the larger community, all the way to the state. And these personal and social

GORAN PEKEZ

PRESIDENT OF JBAS AND DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS AT JAPAN TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL

THE ESSENCE IS IN KAISEN OUR KEYWORD FOR 2019-2020 IS “KAIZEN”, AS A FORM OF CONSTANT PROGRESS AND EVOLUTION. AND THE 28

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deviations from the routine, these turnarounds that we cause, or suffer, that we advocate for, or deny, significantly mark the years, and even this one, which is quickly counting down to its end.

However, it seems to me that there is a paradox regarding routine and human behaviour towards it. Routines and revolutions are not two complete opposites. It is true that rebellion sometimes boils over and causes some important changes, but it sometimes happens that it also moves slightly into political routine. Not every change of government, or unionised revolt of workers, is a THOSE WHO RULE BY revolution. Not every coup changes the legal routine from the root.

ROUTINE ALSO, AS A RULE, Routine and creativity are much HAVE THE TRUST OF THE more mutually exclusive. In routine MAJORITY. CREATIVITY, IN a person seeks and finds stability and ease of choice. Routine is, by CONTRAST, IS VALUED ONLY definition, strict adherence to the

BY EXCEPTION, AND THAT accustomed (or inherited) order of CRITERION IS MOST OFTEN things, and is not afraid of stimulation. On the contrary, it endeavours USURPED BY POLITICS to take the proven path and in that sees personal and social maturity. In contrast, creativity creates afresh, tests and rearranges. That’s why routine has a mortal fear of imagination, of play and innovations. Routine mostly lives from repetition and from a way of thinking once adopted, building, living and enjoying.

Creativity brings all of this into question. And the paradox is in the fact that man knows all of this, and even though it is clear to him that routine is at the same time a self-satisfying reduction of the will for progress, he strives for it wholeheartedly. It is for him a synonym for mastery, for success in life, for order and peace, for an orderly state, for loyalty to roots.

Those who nonetheless rule by routine also, as a rule, have the trust of the majority. Creativity, in contrast, is valued only by exception, and that criterion is most often usurped by politics.

It is for this adherence to routine that I will remember this year, and I’m afraid that I will be able to easily repeat this text for the next one, rounded off by two twos and two zeros, or two twenties. I don’t know whether numerology relies on routine, or on creativity. What do you think?

And to look back again at the year that is breathing its last on our hands, because I can’t help but think of all the dear friends who we’ve said a final goodbye to this year. How cruel and unjust a fact is death, blind to all qualities, to all feelings, to all the opportunities that have ceased for these people. They will be kept deep in the memory.

GRADUAL BUT IMPORTANT ADVANCES MADE BY THE SERBIAN GOVERNMENT SHOW THAT THE KEY TO PROGRESS IS IMPROVEMENT AND PERSEVERANCE ON A DAILY BASIS I’m afraid that the question misses a third way: Kaizen. That’s the Japanese philosophy of daily advancements that happen through little, persistent steps in the long run. In many areas, 2019 was part of the gradual improvements taking place in Serbia.

The most important thing for our company is a stable business environment, as well as the fight against the grey economy. According to the FIC White Book, the pace of the adoption of reformist laws that aim to harmonise legislation with the EU and world standards accelerated by seven per cent, but we also expect this trend to accelerate

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Focus

Revolution or Routine: What is your opinion on the waning 2019 and the coming 2020?

further in 2020. Thanks to the decisive steps taken by the Government of Serbia, the scope of the grey economy is today at a lower level than it was five years ago - its share of GDP has been reduced, according to research conducted by Germany’s GIZ and NALED, from 21.2% to 15.4%. Contributions to reducing the grey economy have come through the improvement of the business environment and macroeconomic stability, growth of registered GDP, recovery of the labour market, as well as improvements to the work of inspections and the more efficient collection of tax revenue. So, this is one good example of Kaizen advancement.

A good example of cooperation between the economy and the state is certainly provided by the Japanese Business Alliance in

PROFESSOR ŽARKO KORAĆ, PH.D. PSYCHOLOGIST AND POLITICIAN

THE BATTLE IS WITHIN US CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE OUTBREAK OF NEW ECONOMIC WARS, ON THE ONE HAND, AND THE UNSTOPPABLE GLOBALISATION OF CULTURE ON THE OTHER, REMIND US AS WE STAND ON THE THRESHOLD OF 2020 THAT BOTH IMAGES OF MAN EXIST, OR PERHAPS MORE PRECISELY THAT THEY ARE TWO QUITE DIFFERENT PARTS OF HIS NATURE. WE WILL SEE WHICH OF THEM WILL PREVAIL The year that’s just coming to an end has been relatively calm from the standpoint of world peace, but quite dramatic from the standpoint of new problems that are emerging. The first of these is environmental.

It is quite obvious that global warming hints at dramatic changes to the global climate that is caused primarily by irresponsible human behaviour. All of that’s not really new, but it has started to worsen almost exponentially. The question is how much humanity is willing to partially limit economic growth for some time due to the worst pollutants, in order to switch to environmentally acceptable forms of industry and agriculture. I unfortunately think that awareness about that is only just starting to change and influence political decisions. The U.S. withdrawal from the so-called Paris Agreement is a blow to that effort, as it is a clear example of how the logic of profit counteracts efforts to secure the future of humanity. And of course this isn’t just about the U.S.

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Serbia, JBAS, as an association of all Japanese companies operating in Serbia and our traditional partners. Its basic objective is to explore the enormous potential of economic cooperation between Japan and Serbia, but also to use its experience to assist in advancing regulations in Serbia.

Thus, our key word for 2019-2020 is “kaizen”, as constant progress and evolution. That’s also the case with Japan Tobacco International.

This year we marked 20 years of doing business at the global level, and at the local level we’ve invested an additional three million dollars in the launching of a new production line at our Senta plant. With this investment, we enabled the production of new brands in Serbia, but also achieved a positive impact on Serbia’s trade exchange balance.

A second problem is the outbreak of more serious economic wars on the world market, the victims of which could easily be smaller countries and their economies. And that can lead to more serious political crises. This is unfortunately also happening in Europe, and the migration crisis has shook Europe and led to a new rise in xenophobia and nationalism. Who would have said that some of the countries behind the former “Iron Curtain” would fence themselves off from migrants with razor wire. Such wire was once directed against them, while now they use it against others.

There have been no major democratic changes in our region; the people who lead us are completely incapable of addressing the challenges of the times. Not a single serious problem was solved this year, and I doubt any will be solved during the next one. Nationalist rhetoric is on the rise and that’s all. We still remain the most backward region of Europe, despite huge propaganda suggesting that we are rapidly changing for the better.

Criminals are still heroes and IN OUR REGION CRIMINALS politicians are petty demagogues ARE STILL HEROES AND disinterested in change. The POLITICIANS ARE consequence is that young people are leaving and we are becoming PETTY DEMAGOGUES societies of the elderly that have an DISINTERESTED IN CHANGE. ever less capacity for change.

THE CONSEQUENCE IS THAT Of course, life always carries YOUNG PEOPLE ARE the potential for change, and for the better. Fortunately, science is one LEAVING AND WE ARE of the drivers of change, as is the BECOMING SOCIETIES OF internet and increasingly globalised THE ELDERLY THAT HAVE society, where information spreads rapidly and independently of naAN EVER LESS CAPACITY tional borders.

FOR CHANGE Culture and art can no longer be hindered nationally and they truly have global reach. Europe has been rejecting religious dogmas since the mid-17th century, and became increasingly strongly based on the idea of man who develops science and rationally considers the world. Society changed rapidly, only for the French revolution to bring the idea of complete human equality and fraternity. But at the very start of the 20th century, a great and initially isolated thinker emerged, who warned of the irrationality of man and his essentially instinctive nature. That was Sigmund Freud.

And thus on the threshold of 2020 both images of man exist, or perhaps the two starkly different parts of his nature. We’ll see what we will say picturesquely to prevail. I have the impression that next year will not differ much from this one.

Leaders’

MEETING POINT

ADIR EL AL, CEO, AFI Europe Serbia

Stability Will Bring Prosperity PAGE /32

ALEKSANDAR JAKOVLJEVIĆ Managing Director of Philip Morris for SouthEast Europe

Dedicated To Change PAGE /36

MLADEN ĆIRIĆ Sales Manager, Tonković Winery

Our Wines Are Even Served In The Vatican PAGE /37

ADIR EL AL, CEO, AFI EUROPE SERBIA

Stability Will Bring Prosperity After 16 years of activity in Serbia, I can say that - as AFI Europe - we are now leading the real estate market in many aspects. Not just as one of the biggest real estate developers in the country, but also as one trying to find the right path, pioneering and paving the way for many other developers and investors in the real estate segment, says Mr. Adir El Al, CEO of AFI Europe Serbia

reason we are raising and investing a lot of funds for each of our projects, trying to create value for the company as well as the country. Our shareholders proudly consider us here as a very successful operation.

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e began the development of mega projects, as well as the new concept of mixed-use projects, over 16 years ago with the globally-recognised Airport City. Next, we continued with Central Garden, lying in the heart of the Serbian capital. Central Garden has brought us great success, by selling-out all the apartments, and using the remaining area for leasing a modernised office building. Finally, our diamond mega project -- the state of the art landmark called Skyline Belgrade, is a momentous mixed-use project. Skyline is considered significant for our mother company, AFI Europe and AFI Properties, which emphasises the market importance of Serbia in relation to our other developments and activities in Eastern Europe. For this

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Did 2019 meet your expectations – personally and in business terms; and how would you assess the past decade?

Reflecting upon the past decade, I identify many accomplishments and overall success. Considering the infamous economic recession, we managed to overcome and advance from each obstacle that was in our way. Approaching the market professionally and conservatively, we strived (and continue to strive) to develop construction at the pace and magnitude that has solidified our status as the leader of the real estate market in Serbia. 2019 has also met the expectations and goals set at the start of the year, finishing the first tower of our mega-project, Skyline Belgrade, as well as new buildings and welcoming internationally-known companies in Airport City. In conclusion, we intend to continue our growth and to expand greatly in Serbia, as we see huge potential in this market.

If we sum up all the projects we have developed so far in Belgrade, we are reaching approximately a billion euros of investment, and I expect that investment to double over the next 5-10 years

How about the future; are the upcoming ‘twenties’ going to be exciting and ‘roaring’, and what challenges do you expect them to bring?

The future will definitely be very exciting for the market in Serbia. I think a few more investors have also recognised the potential, seeing as they are coming in, bringing money to invest, and are willing to develop the real estate sector. You can see cranes all over the city, which I think is one of the first indicators that an economy is growing. As an example, through our accomplishments and activity in Belgrade today, we are giving an opportunity to thousands of workers, suppliers and construction contractors by creating jobs and investing money. This is a very prominent indicator of market growth. I think that the years to come will be at least as challenging as the past few years, during which we contributed to the growth of the economy, and the real estate sector in particular.

ACB has become one of the major landmarks of not just New Belgrade, but our capital city as a whole. How difficult is to continue to be “new” and innovative in such a competitive and dynamic environment as commercial real estate in New Belgrade?

You touch on a very interesting point, as it is not easy to be innovative in a market that is usually very traditional.

Even though it is not easy, I believe that our accomplishments speak for themselves, as we manage to produce new and innovative ideas in this dynamic environment. I can credit a portion of

our success to our corporate policy of choosing the best and most fitting people to work with us. This allows us to generate creativity, and furthermore provides us with the understanding of our clients’ needs, as well as complying and satisfying their demands. We believe that our clients deserve a pleasant and gratifying experience when investing their money in apartments as well as companies for office space.

What is ACB’s future regarding development?

The future development of ACB is looking brighter than ever. We own a huge block of land around the existing buildings, on which we plan to continue developing office buildings. We are starting a new project in the coming weeks, which will feature a considerable new building in the western block. In addition to this, we are in the process of creating a new conceptual design for another plot that we purchased recently, also on the western part of ACB. This plan consists of building three more office buildings, sizing at approximately 70,000 to 80,000 square meters each.

Alongside this, in the eastern block (Omladniskih Brigada Street) we confirmed an urban project, which will allow us to build three more commercial buildings. We plan to develop this (eastern) side of the project in the coming 5-6 years, starting as of next year.

ACB is now in its ‘teens’... How is its Belgrade Skyline ‘offspring’ advancing?

We are remarkably satisfied with the Skyline project. Embarking upon it in 2016, and investing an immense amount of money in order to buy the land and create the optimal concept for it. We undertook this challenge with full confidence and an idea of what will potentially be a landmark in the capital of Serbia. We did this by relying mostly on our successful past experiences, knowledge, as well as complying with the national and city government bodies. I can clearly state that Skyline Belgrade is a mixed-use mega project on any scale. Under two years of hard work, we are thrilled to hand over the

first phase of the project -- with the first tenants moving into Tower A as of January 2020. We are overly-satisfied with this achievement, and have hence confirmed the continuation of the development of the project in the upcoming 2-3 years.

So many “powerful” brands and businesses have opted to choose ACB as their home, and I suppose that is itself the best advertisement for your offer. Are there any new and exciting partners on the horizon?

I completely agree that the most effective advertisement of ACB are the names of the tenants who choose to come here.

Recently, we welcomed several globallyknown companies to the new buildings, including Bosch, Siemens, Huawei, and Etihad Airways. ACB is truly a “City within a city,” as we aim to provide all the facilities to not only meet, but exceed our clients’ needs. Our well-known business park is surely a great concept, promptly being adopted all over the world over the last couple of years. We are very proud to recognise that many complexes are being built based on the concept we pioneered here at Airport City Belgrade.

Are you planning any other projects that

we can expect to emerge in Belgrade in the future?

As I mentioned, we are always searching for new development, and although I cannot reveal the specific plans or locations of the future projects, I can tell you that we will come out with information about a major new project very soon.

What would be your message to our readers as we welcome 2020?

Stability will bring prosperity. I wish stability for this country, as stability will establish the confidence that the people of Serbia can rely on and therefore stay

and develop their country by growing their businesses and raising their families here. Stability is the name of the game in the modern world. To prove this point, I can point out an example that even for us to raise funds abroad, one of the main factors that banks look for and analyse in the country of operation is its stability.

It is upon the combination of this factor with a couple of other important points of interest, that the banks calculate their confidence, leading to the interest rates, rate of returns, and so on.

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Tourism

LOCAL NEWS

“We will definitely exceed €1.4 bln of net foreign exchange revenue from tourism.

Chinese tourists hold the number one position by a huge margin. We had started off with just 18,000 visits, and this year visits by Chinese tourists will exceed 150,000.” – RASIM LJAJIC, SERBIAN DEPUTY PM AND MINISTER OF TRADE, TOURISM AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS JAT TEHNIKA

JAT TEHNIKA TO BE SOLD TO CZECH REPUBLIC’S AVIA PRIME

MORAVIAN CORRIDOR

SERBIA GETS A NEW HIGHWAY Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic has signed a commercial agreement with the representatives of the Bechtel-Enka consortium on the construction of the 112-km-long Moravian Corridor on the section of Pojate-Preljina.

The highway will connect Corridor 10 and Milos the Great highway, an area of about 500,000 people, namely the towns of Cacak, Kraljevo, Vrnjacka Banja, Trstenik, Krusevac, Stalac and Cicevac. In addition to the construction of the highway, the project also includes the regulation of the West Morava and its tributaries, as well as the construction of telecommunications infrastructure.

The only bid at the public tender for a strategic partner was submitted by the consortium of US and Turkish company Bechtel-Enka. The commercial agreement stipulates that the cost of the construction of 112.3 kilometers of the highway is €745mln and additional works and direct and indirect materials will cost 20 percent more.

Serbia’s economy ministry has decided to sell aircraft maintenance company JAT Tehnika to Czech company Avia Prime.

Prague-based Avia Prime was the sole bidder in the tender for the 99.38% stake in JAT Tehnika, the economy ministry said in a notice on Thursday without providing financial details.

Swiss-based company SR Technics has also purchased documents for participation in the tender earlier this month but did not place a bid by the November 12 deadline, the ministry said.

AZVIRT

CONSTRUCTION OF MOTORWAY RUMASABAC- LOZNICA Azeri civil engineering company Azvirt has started the construction of a €467.5 million motorway connecting Ruma via Sabac to Loznica.

The project envisages the construction of a 21 km motorway linking Ruma to Sabac, a 1.3 km-long bridge over the Sava river, and a 55 km expressway between Sabac and Loznica.

The Ruma-Sabac motorway will be built in three years, while the Sabac-Loznica expressway will be completed by the end of 2023.

THE FOREIGN INVESTORS

FURTHER GROWTH EXPECTED WITH THE NEW ELECTED MANAGEMENT

For the second time, this year, the “Committee of the Year Award” was rewarded, this time to the FIC Tax Committee, as the most active committee in 2019.

The new FIC Board of Directors consists of the following officials: Market Head – Nestlé South East Market Yana Mikhailova, Telenor d.o.o CEO Mike Michel, VIP Mobile d.o.o. CEO Dejan Turk, Ernst&Young d.o.o. Managing Partner and Head of Tax Ivan Rakic, G4S Secure Solutions d.o.o. Managing Director Aleksander Dawid Sold, Belgrade airport d.o.o. CEO Francois Berisot, FCA Serbia d.o.o. CEO Silvia Vernetti - Blina, Corporate Affairs and Communications Director at JTI Adriatica Goran Pekez, Raiffeisen banka a.d. Beograd Chairman of the Managing Board Zoran Petrović, Roche d.o.o. General Manager Ana Govedarica and SGS Beograd Managing Director Marinko Ukropina.

Newly elected FIC Board of Directors expressed gratefulness to FIC members for their votes and trust and pointed out that ‘’with a refreshed team, FIC will continue to even more vigorously advocate for acceleration of reforms, better implementation of laws and continuation of harmonization with EU regulation. We see the joint Task Force, formed with the Government, as an excellent tool to jointly achieve better progress in most important topics for investors”, concluded new FIC Board of Directors.

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Progress

“NALED had identified several key areas requiring major improvements to ensure more tangible progress towards better business conditions: curbing the grey economy, development of eGovernment, solving property issues, a health care system reform, digitalisation of agriculture and environmental protection.” – VLADIMIR NOVAKOVIC, NALED EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT AIRPORT CITY

SERBIA’S STATISTIC OFFICE

AIRPORT CITY AND SKYLINE BELGRADE

QUARTERLY BUSINESS ACTIVITIES OF ENTERPRISES, III QUARTER

The International Property Awards have been held in London for twenty years. At this event, awards are presented to professionals in investment and construction projects around the world. This year, AFI Europe-Serbia won 4 awards for its projects in Belgrade as part of the 2019 Award Winners European Contest. Skyline Belgrade won two awards in the categories for which it applied - for the best architectural solution in Residential High-rise Architecture and for the Mixed-use Development concept itself. Airport City Belgrade, the first business park in Serbia, won awards for the best project in the category of Office Architecture and for the project itself (Office Development) in Serbia.

According to the preliminary data, operating income in non-financial business economy in Serbia, in the 3rd quarter of 2019 increased by 8% relative to the same period of the previous year, while compared to the 2nd quarter of 2019, the increase of 3.4 % was noted. In the Information and Communication Sector operating income were increased by 5.3% relative to the second quarter of 2019.

Operating costs in non-financial business economy in the third quarter of 2019 increased by 8.5% relative to the same period of the previous year, while compared to the second quarter of 2019, the increase of 4.5 % was noted. In the Information and Communication Sector operating costs were increased by 5.6% relative to the second quarter of 2019.

TURKISH STREAM

THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH GAS FOR SERBIA? It is unlikely that the gas for Serbia and Hungary that will be supplied by the Turkish Stream pipeline will be enough, Bulgarian energy expert Hristo Kazandzhiev said.

“Second-hand deliveries seem to be very problematic. It is unlikely that ‘Balkan Stream’ natural gas deliveries will be realized in the near future. And in the distant future, I suppose”, Kazandzhiev said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has earlier reported that Bulgaria is deliberately delaying the construction of the Turkish Stream on its territory.

The Turkish Stream project involves the construction of a two-pipeline with a capacity of 15.57 billion cubic meters each.

The first arm is intended to supply gas to Turkish consumers, while the second arm is intended to supply southern and south-eastern European countries. The whole project should be completed in May 2021.

PLAYRIX

MOBILE GAME DEVELOPER COMING TO NOVI SAD

Playrix, European gaming giant and one of the world’s largest mobile game development studios, is coming to Novi Sad and the Eipix team, Serbian gaming industry companies and Vojvodina ICT cluster (VOICT) members will become a part of it, VOICT. Congratulating Eipix in a Twitter post, Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said this was a huge success and a great and important thing for Novi Sad and Serbia. “Thank you endlessly for staying in Serbia and for representing our country in this way,” Brnabic posted.

NCR SERBIA

NCR SERBIA WON THE “BELGRADE WINNER” AWARD NCR is this year’s laureate of the “Belgrade Winner” Award of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and Industry for outstanding business results achieved in 2018.

NCR is this year’s laureate of the “Belgrade Winner” Award of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and Industry for outstanding business results achieved in 2018.

At a ceremony organised at the City Hall of Belgrade, the award was received on behalf of NCR Serbia by its MD Stefan Lazarević, who underlined that in the past eight years NCR recorded significant growth in Serbia – from a customer support centre responding to client inquiries, to a strategic hub for further business transformation. The “Belgrade Winner” Award has been traditionally granted to the most successful legal entities with outstanding business results since 1985. So far, more than 200 companies and 80 entrepreneurs, individuals and institutions have received the award.

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ALEKSANDAR JAKOVLJEVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PHILIP MORRIS FOR SOUTH-EAST EUROPE

Dedicated To Change Photo: Đorđe Kojadinović, Nedeljnik

IQOS is currently used by around 12 million consumers in the world, eight million of whom have completely left their cigarettes and made this less harmful choice

T

he tobacco-heating appliance is available in 50 markets worldwide, including the US.

IQOS is part of a portfolio that is starting the move towards your vision of a smoke-free future. How does a traditional cigarette maker transform itself towards this goal?

We have transformed by setting ourselves a new vision ten years ago, and then adjusting each step towards that goal. We hire scientists, train our staff that work in the traditional business, engaged innovative people to help us with their ideas, invest billions of dollars in new, smokeless, less harmful choices than cigarettes... Years of scientific research prove to us that products like IQOS are better consumer health options than continuing to smoke, give us credibility and wind in our sails for the goal of one day replacing cigarettes with new tobacco-free products.

How do you respond to the statement that, while advocating a world without tobacco smoke, you do not stop producing traditional cigarettes?

According to the World Health Organization, right now there are 1.1 billion smokers in the world. These people smoke cigarettes despite bans, campaigns and high prices. It

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is clear, then, that if we stopped production tomorrow, the demand for cigarettes would not cease immediately but consumers would switch to the cigarettes available to them, which unfortunately often means black market products. It is therefore our obligation to constantly inform smokers about less harmful options – from quitting to smokeless products, which are based on comprehensive research and backed by scientific evidence. We are absolutely committed to a smoke-free future, but the more

To be ready to “change”, people must be free from the fear of innovation and scepticism towards scientifically proven, better alternatives

help we have from the professional public, media and regulatory, the faster cigarettes will become history.

IQOS is coming to the US market in the midst of an e-cigarette crisis. What is the similarity and what is the difference between IQOS and e-cigarettes?

Both products are better options than continuing to smoke cigarettes, if they are science-based and commercialized in responsible way of course. The main difference is that IQOS is a device that heats real tobacco sticks, especially processed to release up to 95% less harmful substances

than cigarette smoke. Electronic cigarettes, on the other hand, produce aerosol from liquid that contains nicotine. Another big and very important difference is that IQOS is the only device in both categories that has received approval to commercialize in USA from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The e-cigarette crisis has highlighted in a more difficult way the problem users are facing with the availability of the illegal market products which contained harmful substances. US regulators are now more strict than ever in demanding that to enter or remain on the market, all alternative products must pass rigorous controls and obtain authorization for commercialization from the FDA, which we have already successfully completed.

In 2019, you initiated the global “Unsmoke your world” campaign. What is the main goal of this campaign?

We believe that carrying out the message on which this campaign rests will eradicate the problem of smoking. “If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, quit.

If you don’t quit, change.” The first two parts of the message are clear and long known and recognized, the third is innovative and offers a solution for one billion smokers who are not ready to give up their habbit. To be ready to “change”, people must be free from the fear of innovation and scepticism towards scientifically proven, better alternatives. “Unsmoke” therefore encourages dialogue based on information and science, and invites smokers, non-smokers, their families and friends to become “unsmokers” together.

MLADEN ĆIRIĆ, SALES MANAGER, TONKOVIĆ WINERY

E

Our Wines Are Even Served In The Vatican

stablished in 2006, Tonković Winery cultivates the Kadarka, an old autochthonous variety, on all 10 hectares of its vineyards.

Tonković makes as many as six types of wine from just one grape variety, which makes it unique in the world.

Every 28th May since 2009, on Saint Urban’s Day, Tonković wines are served in the Vatican, and they receive excellent prizes in the Decanter, the largest competition in the world.

What has Tonković Winery been mentioned so much this year?

The demand for wines from domestic grape varieties has finally become a trend in Serbia. There are more and more foreign nationals here, tourists, businessmen trying to taste as many authentic flavours as possible during their stay in Serbia. In addition to ćevapi, ajvar, rakija, wine holds an important place.

In the whole 10 hectares of our vineyard, we have planted only Kadarka, an old autochthonous variety, and we make our wine exclusively from this. Kadarka produces elegant, sophisticated, lighter red wines, most similar to Pinot Noir, easy to blend with food, drinkable without food, even slightly chilled.

People have recognized the winery’s courage in studying the Kadarka so patiently all these years, working on the quality of the wine, letting the wines ripen first, and then putting them on the market after five years. Because of all this, Tonković wines are in high demand this year.

What have been your most notable awards so far?

Our Fantazija (Fantasy) is the first Serbian wine to be included in the largest wine museum in the world, La Cite du Vin in Bordeaux. Last year it received the Serbian best buy award. It is the best wine in Serbia in terms of price/quality.

Starting next year, we will be the only winery in the world that produces six kinds of wine – all sparkling wine – from Kadarka: rosé, basic red wine Fantazija, premium red wine Rapsodija (Rhapsody), dessert wine and blanc de noir, white wine made from red grapes - all from one indigenous grape variety, the only one in the vineyard.

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Conflicts

“I am not concern only for myself but for the stability of the entire Western Balkans. Nationalism and radicalism can rise again.

There is a risk to open conflicts inside of the countries again. Also to open conflicts between countries again.” – ZORAN ZAEV, PRIME MINISTER OF NORTH MACEDONIA

REGIONAL NEWS

BULGARIA

SEX MARKET IS GROWING There is a growth of the Bulgarian sex market, according to a report by the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CID). Expert Tihomir Bezlov explained: “The Bulgarian internal market for sex services, those who announced that they used sex services during the year, at least once, are about 13%. The big factor is the socalled “weekend tourists.” who started using low-budget airplanes and shared apartments, showed that we have a sharp rise in this revenue.

The whole problem cannot be calculated accurately yet, but we are making some efforts”.

HUNGARY

COMPETITION OFFICE LEVIES €3.6M FINE ON FACEBOOK Hungary’s competition office GVH announced that it levied a 1.2 billion forint (€3.6m) fine on Facebook. The fine is the biggest ever levied by the office in a consumer protection case, the office said. GVH found that Facebook Ireland breached the law when it advertised its services as free of charge on its website. The clients did not have to pay for using the services but they generated a business profit for the company through their user activities and data, paying, in fact for the services, GVH said.

GVH noted that similar decisions were made in the US and in Europe, and it took into account that Facebook, pressed by the European Commission and the consumer protection authorities of EU member states, has globally updated its users’ conditions and services in April 2019.

Source: MTI

ROMANIA

MEDLIFE BUYS ONCOCARD HOSPITAL MedLife private healthcare provider has announced the acquisition of the OncoCard Hospital in Brasov, one of the biggest and most modern oncology diagnosis and treatment centers in Romania and in Central and Eastern Europe.

Set up in 2012, OncoCard Hospital is based on an innovative concept of integrative medicine, starting from the diagnosing the patient suffering of cancer and covering the entire period of specific active therapies.

Since the opening until the present moment investments worth €24 million have been made. The transaction is pending the Competition Council’s go-ahead.

By this takeover, the group reaches a portfolio of 27 MIHAI MARCU, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MEDLIFE GROUP acquired companies.

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7 STEPS

TO START A BUSINESS WITH NO MONEY Many people are wondering how to start a business with no money. As you can imagine, this is NOT an easy thing to do.

However, there are many small business owners who did it.

How? They followed these 7 simple steps.

1. Brainstorm Business Ideas 2. Write a Business Plan 3. Find Ways to Fund Your New Business 4. Prepare All the Legal Documents 5. Create All the Necessary Business Assets 6. Launch Your Business 7. Get Out of the Building & Start Selling

Perspective

“If anything has been constant in the last two and a half decades in Montenegro, it’s our intention to be modern, open, safe and prosperous country, which is part of Europe with same qualities. The future of all of us is certain only if we have a common perspective.” – MILO DJUKANOVIC, PRESIDENT OF MONTENEGRO NORTH MACEDONIA

AWARDS FOR BEST CSR PRACTICE

MONTENEGRO

FIRST OIL WELL BETWEEN BAR AND ULCINJ The first oil well exploration in the Montenegrin submarine will be established in the spring between Bar and Ulcinj, about 26 kilometers offshore, Dragica Sekulić, Ministry of Economy confirmed.

By the end of next year, it will also be known whether Montenegro has significant amounts of oil for commercial use, daily “Vijesti” writes.

Montenegro has granted concessions to foreign companies to seek oil.

The ministry recalled that, in accordance with the obligations under the concession contract for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, Eni-Novatek dealers completed 3D geophysical surveys of the Montenegrin submarine on blocks four, five, nine and ten in November and December 2018.

“The processing of the collected data is being executed in stages, it is still underway and it is expected that it will be completed by the end of the year,” the Ministry of Economy said.

The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of North Macedonia, at the AmCham ceremony of Social Responsibility of the enterprises, presented awards for the best CSR practice. The winners for the year 2019 are EVN, Makedonski Telekom, Pivara Skopje, SASA and TINEX in 2019. In the category: “Market relations – suppliers” for carrying out the project “Pokrov”, TINEX received award for the project that supports the social enterprise “Izbor” from Strumica, which provides re-socialization and reintegration of addicts to psychotropic substances, alcohol and gambling by using the work therapy “Pokrov”.

CROATIA

EXPORTS INCREASE BY 5%, IMPORTS BY 5.3% Croatia’s commodity exports reached 94.1 billion kuna (€13.4bln) in the first ten months of 2019, an increase of 5% over the same period in 2018, while imports increased by 5.3% to 155.4 billion kuna, initial data from the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) showed on Monday.

The foreign trade deficit in the first ten months of this year was 61.3 billion kuna, or 3.33 billion kuna higher than at the same time last year. Coverage of imports by exports was 60.5%, down from 60.7% in the first ten months of 2018.

Export to EU member states rose by 4% to 64 billion kuna and exports to non-EU countries went up by 7.2% to 30 billion kuna.

Imports from EU members increased by 9% to 125 billion kuna, while imports from non-EU countries fell by 7.5% to 30 billion kuna.

ALBANIA

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

ALBANIA AND KOSOVO TO JOINT POWER SYSTEM BLOCK

SARAJEVO CANTON TO INVEST €10MLN IN GONDOLA LIFT CONSTRUCTION

The Transmission System and Market Operator Company in Kosovo and Transmission System Operator of Albania (TSO), signed an agreement establishing a Kosovo-Albania Power System Regulatory Block (CA Block).

According to a KOSST statement, the regulatory block consisting of two regulatory areas (KOSTT and OST) aims to make the operation of two power systems easier both technically and economically. Moreover, this will enable easier operation and balancing of both systems, reducing costs and exchanging system reserves. The agreement is expected to enter into force in April 2020.

Bosnia’s Sarajevo Canton said it plans to invest 20 million marka €10.2 million) in the construction of a gondola lift in the Bjelasnica mountain.

The project is part of the Sarajevo Canton’s 2020-2022 programme for public investment of some 51 million marka in tourism facilities in the Bjelasnica and Igman mountains published on the website of the cantonal government. Other more significant projects include construction and reconstruction of ski slopes, hotel revamp, artificial snow project, the Source: SeeNews construction of a water supply system on Bjelasnica.

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Entrepreneurs

“I often say to entrepreneurs, ‘If Lehman Brothers were Lehman Brothers & Sisters, it wouldn’t have gone into bankruptcy.” – SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

WORLD NEWS US

HOME SALES WILL DROP IN 2020

CHINA

NINTENDO PARTNERS WITH TENCENT Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Nintendo Co. announced the launch of Nintendo’s signature Switch game console in China. The Nintendo Switch was on the market in China last month for 2,099 yuan ($297), about the same as elsewhere around the world.

Consumers now can preorder the device on JD.com and Alibaba Group’s Tmall.

The game console pre-installed a trial-version game of Super Mario Bros., and more games from the popular series went on sale at a retail price of 299 yuan each.

Tencent said Nintendo is also preparing to introduce Switch Lite ― a cheaper version of the console ― to China at a future date.

As the partner in the Chinese version of the device, Tencent will provide localisation services. For example, players will be able to use Tencent’s WeChat Pay to buy games on Nintendo’s e-store.

Sales of existing US homes will fall 1.8% from 2019, according to the forecast. Home prices will flatten nationally, increasing just 0.8% annually, but prices will fall in a quarter of the 100 largest metropolitan markets, including Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, St. Louis, Detroit and San Francisco.

As demand heats up in the spring, driven by the growing number of millennials entering the market, the supply of homes for sale could hit its lowest in history.

Home sales will drop, the housing shortage could become the worst in U.S. history, and home values will shrink in some cities. That’s the 2020 forecast from realtor.com, which holds one of the largest databases of housing statistics available.

SPAIN

OVER 90% OF FOREIGN COMPANIES EXPECT TO INCREASE THEIR INVESTMENTS Foreign companies’ assessment of the business climate in Spain has remained unchanged since 2018. Specifically, the business climate in Spain scored an average of three out of five.

Foreign investors’ forecasts are positive for the close of 2019 and the coming year. Foreign investment companies confirm their good performance in 2018 and continue to have favorable forecasts in all the aspects analysed, including investment, workforce, turnover and exports for 2020. This is one of the main conclusions of the “Barometer of the Business Climate in Spain from the Foreign Investor’s Perspective”. This publication was prepared jointly by ICEX-Invest in Spain, Foreign Multinationals for the Spain brand and the IESE International Center for Competitiveness.

The 2019 Barometer was presented last week at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, in a event that analysed its main results.

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NORWAY

NORWEGIAN AIR CUTS LONG-HAUL ROUTES Oslo-based Norwegian Air announced that it’s dropping its long-distance routes from Stockholm and Copenhagen to the US and Thailand. The move is part of the airline’s efforts to restore and sustain profitability.

The long-haul routes from both Sweden’s gateway airport Arlanda (ARN) and Denmark’s Kastrup (CPH) will be grounded after this year’s winter season, with the last flights from the two Scandinavian capitals taking off on 29th March.

Instead, Norwegian stressed that it’s adding new routes between several European and North American cities.

Norwegian Air has been hit hard over the past several years by trouble with the RollsRoyce engines on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets Norwegian ordered for its intercontinental routes. That has forced Norwegian Air to have too many aircraft on the ground, affecting the rest of its route program.

EUROPE

DELIVERY PLATFORMS BOOST RESTAURANT PROFITS Food delivery platforms are helping independent and chain restaurants in London, Paris, Madrid and Warsaw serve more meals every week, boosting the sector’s revenue and profit, according to a Deloitte report commissioned by Uber Eats. Uber Eats, a unit of the ride-hailing service, Britain’s Deliveroo and Spain’s Glovo expanded the market by supplying their own delivery to both independent and chain restaurants. The share of restaurants that reported an overall increase in sales after joining the Uber Eats was 69 per cent in London, 74 per cent in Paris, 67 per cent in Warsaw and 59 per cent in Madrid, according to the report. The biggest number of extra meals delivered as a result of third-party platforms was seen in London, where 606,000 servings were made by chain restaurants and 305,000 through independents weekly, resulting in a $414 million increase in annual revenue.

Relationship

“Now, I haven’t spoken to him [Chinese President Xi Jinping] recently, to be honest with you. I don’t think he likes me so much anymore, but that’s OK.” – DONALD TRUMP, US PRESIDENT

GREECE

PORT OF PIRAEUS STRATEGIC PILLAR OF COOPERATION WITH CHINA

ITALY

FIAT UNDERESTIMATED VALUE OF CHRYSLER Italian tax authorities believe that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles underestimated the value of its U.S. business by €5.1 billion following Fiat’s phased acquisition of Chrysler, according to a company filing and a source close to the matter. The audit, which concerns transactions dating back to 2014, could result in FCA having to pay back taxes for $1.5 billion, the source added, confirming a report by Bloomberg. FCA said in its third-quarter report that the tax authorities had issued to the company a final audit report in October this year “which, if confirmed in the final audit assessment, could result in a material proposed tax adjustment related to the October 12, 2014 merger of Fiat SpA into FCA NV.” A spokesman for Italy’s tax agency declined to comment.

GERMANY

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM FREEZES 5G DEALS WITH HUAWEI Deutsche Telekom has put all deals to buy 5G network equipment on hold, as it awaits the resolution of a debate in Germany over whether to bar Chinese vendor Huawei on security grounds. Europe’s largest telco finds itself in a tight spot after senior lawmakers in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition rebelled and called for a ban on Huawei, which is a key vendor for its existing mobile networks in Germany and Europe. At the same time in the U.S., a $26 billion deal for Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile unit to merge with Sprint hangs in the balance.

Washington imposed an export ban on Huawei in May and called on allies to follow suit, alleging the global network market leader’s gear was insecure and that it was beholden to Beijing - concerns highlighted by President Donald Trump on Wednesday at a NATO summit in England. A Berlin-based spokesman for Huawei declined to comment.

Source: Reuters

Greece will enhance bilateral cooperation with China in many sectors, including shipping, with Piraeus Port a pillar and example under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Greek Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Yiannis Plakiotakis has said.

Greece considers China a friend and strategic partner, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Greece in November shows that both sides value cooperation in Piraeus Port and other fields, the minister told Xinhua in an interview. “The presence of President Xi was of utmost importance in terms of our strategic relations, (and) in terms of our strategic cooperation,” Plakiotakis said.“The Port of Piraeus has always been the strategic pillar of our cooperation and both Greece and China are committed to transforming Piraeus Port into one of the three top main container ports in whole of Europe,” he said.

SAUDI ARABIA

SAUDI SABIC URGES MORE PARTNERSHIPS The petrochemical industry in the Middle East must invest collaboratively in winning-partnerships to sustain its future growth, said Yousef Al-Benyan, Saudi Arabia’s CEO of SABIC. He was addressing more than 2,100 industry leaders at the 14th Annual Forum of the Gulf Petrochemicals Association in Dubai.

YOUSEF AL-BENYAN, SAUDI “Strategic partnerships are a winning proposition,” he ARABIA’S CEO OF SABIC said. “In the Middle East, 55 per cent of total chemical capacities are run in partnership mode, significantly higher than the global average. But he added that industry players had been conservative in striking meaningful partnerships outside the region.

JAPAN

STIMULUS PACKAGE OF $120BN TO BOLSTER ECONOMY Japan is preparing an economic stimulus package worth $120 billion to support growth. The spending would be earmarked in a supplementary budget for this fiscal year to next March and an annual budget for the coming fiscal year from April. Both budgets will be compiled later this month, the sources told Reuters. The package would come to around 13 trillion yen ($120 billion), but that would rise to $230 billion when private-sector and other spending are included.

The 13 trillion yen includes more than 3 trillion yen from fiscal investment and loan programs, as the government seeks to take advantage of low borrowing costs under the Bank of Japan’s negative interest rate policy. The government will mobilise construction bonds, unused money from the previous fiscal year’s budget and fiscal investment and loan programs to secure necessary funding, the Nikkei reported.

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Feature

What EU “Geopolitical” Power Will Cost

Ursula Von der Leyen, the new president of the European Commission, has promised to position the European Union as a geopolitical power that is capable of holding its own against the United States and a rising China. But the EU may come to regret any attempt to parlay its economic strength into geopolitical clout.

W

ith former German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen assuming the presidency of the European Commission, the European Union now has a new executive.

Von der Leyen has promised to lead a “geopolitical” Commission, believing that Europe needs to be more assertive in its relations with other countries, and more hard-nosed in pursuing its own interests around the world, particularly vis-à-vis the other large powers.

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January

Because the EU lacks an army or a central secret service, it must use economic policies to achieve its geopolitical aims. But the way Europe’s policy toolkit works in practice suggests that it is not well suited for exercising power abroad.

The EU’s most important policy tool is trade, which is one of the few areas where the bloc acts as one. The EU has traditionally run its trade policy along conventional commercial lines, with the goal of maximizing

market access for European exporters and protecting certain domestic sectors (particularly agriculture). Could this policy be tweaked for geopolitical purposes?

A closer look at concrete examples suggests not. After all, the EU should be opening its markets to agricultural imports from northern Africa, to foster growth in that struggling region and stanch the flow of economic migrants into Europe. But opposition from Italian, Spanish, and other

By Daniel Gros, Project Syndicate

olive growers has blocked this option.

Similarly, the EU has long favored imports of bananas from key countries (mostly former colonies) that it wants to keep within its orbit.

But such a policy makes little economic sense – why restrict imports of bananas from countries that can produce them more cheaply? – and violates World Trade Organization rules.

As these and many other real-world examples show, bending commercial principles for geopolitical aims simply is not compatible with a rules-based multilateral trading system, not to mention the WTO’s principle of “non-discrimination.” In fact, subordinating trade policy to a broader geopolitical agenda would require the EU to disregard the very principles that it has repeatedly pledged to uphold and defend.

Another area for the potential (mis)use of economic levers concerns Europe’s “near abroad.” Many in Europe fear that by providing cheap finance for infrastructure projects across a wide range of countries, including some EU member states, China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) is gradually encroaching on the continent’s periphery. But, again, one must ask whether this challenge justifies setting aside good-governance principles.

Consider the case of the Balkans, where the EU itself supports many construction projects.

Each of these projects undergoes rigorous cost-benefit analysis, and in a mountainous region with weak local economies, the cost of building roads or railways is high. Proposals for new superhighways to connect relatively small population centers may have the support of local politicians, but they simply do not make economic sense. As such, the EU’s financing institutions – the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – generally counsel against such projects.

By contrast, the Chinese have proven more than willing to build “highways to nowhere.”

If the EU followed suit and started financing white elephants in the Balkans in order to keep those countries close by its side, whatever goodwill such projects initially generated would evaporate as soon as the costs of maintaining them and servicing their debts came due.

Many countries that have signed up to the BRI can already attest to this.

Moreover, one must remember that better connectivity in goods, services, capital, and people along the EU periphery is not always synonymous with faster local growth. By strengthening agglomeration effects, deeper economic integration can reinforce the ten-

Proposals for new superhighways to connect relatively small population centers (Balkan countries) may have the support of local politicians, but they simply do not make economic sense dency of talented, more educated people to leave their home country for opportunities elsewhere.

The one area where the EU could feasibly leverage economic means for geopolitical ends is development aid. The EU itself is the world’s fourth-largest aid donor, and its member states collectively spend three

times more on aid, accounting for more than half of the OECD’s official development assistance. The countries that receive the bulk of EU ODA – Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Somalia – also tend to be the sources of the most migrants.

The EU thus has a vital interest in helping these countries prosper.

But corruption and economic mismanagement, not a lack of aid funds, are holding these countries back. So, while Europe could channel ODA to a few favored countries in a bid for influence, it would risk propping up corrupt elites who have done nothing to foster development. Meanwhile, EU money could have a significant positive impact in other countries with less geopolitical importance.

If these countries miss out on funds they otherwise would have received, EU development assistance will have become less effective.

In economic terms, the EU is still of a comparable size to China or the US, which is why it is tempting to think that its economic strength could be parlayed into geopolitical power. The EU would have to abandon some of its core principles to go down this road.

Would it really be worth it?

The Author is Director of the Centre for European Policy Studies.

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Enterpreneur

KYLIE JENNER

Fresh-Faced 44

January

Billionaire At 22

Kylie Jenner is an American model, reality television star and cosmetics entrepreneur who has a net worth of a billion dollars. In any given year, Kylie earns around $40 million from her various endeavours. The vast majority of her net worth comes from her cosmetics company, Kylie Cosmetics. Kylie sold a 51% stake in her company to Coty Inc. in November 2019 for $600 million, with the company valued as a whole at $1.2 billion

Magazine article which claimed that Kylie’s make-up company was worth $800 million and that she was, thus, the world’s youngest billionaire.

The article also claimed that Kylie has a separate non-cosmetic fortune of $100 million and, voila, she had a net worth $900 million (which still didn’t make her a billionaire!).

The Forbes article claimed that the company generated revenue of $307 million in 2016 and $330 million in 2017, with net profits of $100 million. In order to be worth $1.2 billion, Kylie would need to sell for 12X profits/4X revenue.

Kylie Jenner (22) was born in Los Angeles and is the youngest daughter of businesswomen Kris Jenner and former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner (known today as Caitlyn Jenner). Kylie’s older sister is model Kendall Jenner and her half-siblings include Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian and Brody Jenner. Kylie was just 10 years old when the hit show Keeping Up with the Kardashians debuted on TV channel E!. KUWTK is today the longest-running reality series in the U.S., and during the early years of the show Kylie was a regular pre-teen who attended school and was a member of the cheerleading team. She left traditional school and began a home-school educational programme in 2012, earning her high school diploma in July 2015.

As of 8th November 2019, Kylie Jenner is officially a billionaire. She achieved billionaire status after it was announced that Coty Inc. had acquired 51% of her cosmetics company for $600 million, valuing the company as a whole at $1.2 billion. Coty Inc. is a recently-struggling beauty business that owns brands that include CoverGirl and MaxFactor. Kylie will remain the public face of the brand, while the deal valued her 49% stake at $588 million on paper. After paying taxes on the $600 million portion of the sale, Kylie will likely be left with around $300 million.

Nevertheless, when you combine this $300 million with her non-cosmetic $100 million separate fortune and the $588 million remaining paper stake, she has a current personal net worth of $988 million. This is a mere rounding-up error to a billion dollars for someone like Kylie, who earns $20-30 million per year from sources beyond Kylie Cosmetics.

But is Kylie really a billionaire? This whole debate started as a result of a July 2018 Forbes

That was an exceedingly high multiple, especially considering the fact that the revenue generated by Kylie Cosmetics has not been growing. In fact, its overall revenue grew just 7 per cent in 2017 and was $70 million lower than had been predicted in mid-2017. Furthermore, her lip-kit revenue was actually down 35 per cent year over year.

Rumours suggest that there’s no way a company would pay a 12x multiple for a brand that is clearly waning in popularity. A much more reasonable multiple would have been 4x profits, which would have valued the company as a whole at $400 million. As the 100 per cent owner, she would have received around $260 million from a sale after taxes. As such, the

Kylie Jenner officially became a billionaire as of 18th November 2019. She achieved billionaire status after it was announced that Coty Inc. had acquired 51 per cent of her cosmetics company for $600 million, with the company valued at $1.2 billion as a whole

January

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Enterpreneur

reality-based net worth figure for Kylie prior to the sale stood at $300-400 million.

But it could be the case that all of the aforementioned it actually wrong – it turns out that not only would a company pay a 12X multiple, Coty Inc. just paid more like a 25X multiple on profits, which is certifiably insane! This was known because Coty revealed that Kylie Cosmetics generated $177 million in total revenue over the last 12 months, marking a 40 per cent increase over 2018’s numbers.

That means that in 2018, when Forbes reported that the company had generated $360 million, it had actually only generated $126 million.

Was that $360 million a lie? Or have revenues at Kylie Cosmetics actually dropped off a cliff since 2018? Either way, according to Coty’s filings, Kylie Cosmetics operates at a 25% margin. And she will therefore have earned $44 million in profit in 2019. In order for the company to be worth $1.2 billion, she somehow convinced Coty Inc. to pay a mind-boggling 27X multiple of profits.

It is worth noting that Facebook currently trades at 26X profits, Procter & Gamble trades at 24X and Coty itself trades at 18X profits.

Kylie’s modelling career took off with the Sears clothing line “Crush Your Style”, while she has also featured in various photo shoots for publications like OK! Magazine and Teen Vogue.

She made her catwalk debut at New York’s Fashion Week in September 2011, with family members in attendance, in front row, cheering on their little

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Kylie Kristen Jenner, 22, is an American media personality, socialite, businesswoman and model. She has starred in the E! reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians since 2007 sister through her nerve-wracking moment. She may have been nervous, but this little diva didn’t let it show, as she strutted down the catwalk rocking a black ballerina-style dress by Abbey Dawn. Following in the footsteps of her big sis Kendall, Jenner landed modelling gigs for various companies, including Australian swimwear designer White Sands. She was featured in People magazine’s beautiful people article in 2010, alongside her big sister, while Kylie and Kendall also co-hosted red-carpet events for Glee: the 3D Concert Movie and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 in Los Angeles.

They also did a joint interview in the Bing Box at The Hunger Games premiere on 12th March 2012. In 2013, Kylie and Kendall both earned $100,000 to endorse a line of nail polish called Nicole by OPI. Kylie and Kendall also released

a science fiction novel, Rebels: City of Indra, which is about two girls with superpowers who embark on a journey. When Kylie and Kendall co-hosted the 2014 Much Music Video Awards, Kylie finally made her acting debut in a promo for the show. Kylie launched a line of handbags for Steve Madden in 2014, then in March 2015 she became the brand ambassador for skincare company Nip + Fab and in June that same year Kylie and Kendall launched a clothing line with British fashion retailer Topshop. Kylie was announced as the new face of PUMA in 2016, and a year later she launched her own line of sunglasses with Australian company Quay Australia.

Kylie’s enormous personal fortune comes thanks to her cosmetics empire. She created her first product, a line of lipstick, in August 2015.

The “Kylie Lip Kit” was an instant success. She launched a personalised website and app in September 2015, then renamed the company Kylie Cosmetics in February 2016 – a company that reportedly generated more than $700 million in gross revenue last year.

Over the years, this youngest of the KardashianJenner sisters has bought and sold a number of houses around Southern California. Her current primary residence is an eight-bedroom, 11-bathroom Cape Cod style mansion in Hidden Hills, California, which she bought in 2016 for $12 million. Kylie has been in a relationship with rapper Travis Scott since 2017. They welcomed a daughter in February 2018, then started living apart in mid-2019. She had previously been in a relationship with rapper Tyga, between 2014 and 2017. Celebrity net worth first began tracking Kylie’s wealth in November 2011.The then 14-yearold had an estimated net worth of $300,000. By June 2013 that figure had grown to $2 million, and by mid-2014 her net worth had doubled to $4 million. She first crossed the $10 million mark in July 2016, but her net worth started sky rocketing around mid-2017 – totalling $50 million in July of that year. In July 2018 it had grown to $200 million and as of mid-2019 her personal fortune was estimated at $300-400 million, much of which was paper-wealth based on the value of Kylie Cosmetics.

Kylie Jenner’s fortune finally officially tipped her into billionaire status as of 18th November 2019, with all net worth figures calculated through the combination of a robust methodology and a proprietary algorithm.

PROFILE

Archives Are a Barrier Against The Falsifying Of History History is dangerous if not understood. The historian needs always to remind of this experience when, due to some contemporary crisis, there is increased interest in the past and simplified interpretations and light conclusions emerge in public in waves

DR MIROSLAV PERIŠIĆ, HISTORIAN, DIRECTOR OF THE ARCHIVES OF SERBIA

C

rises have been part of our lives for more than three decades: the breaking of an epoch on a global scale, with a particular dramatic impact on the Balkans, the collapse of the state, wars, political and economic crises, and then – almost inevitably, as though according to some legal rule – a spiritual and identity crises in which the orientation of the value system is lost. This is why spiritual and identity crises are the most dangerous to society and to the nation, because they have difficult and lasting consequences.

I was fortunate enough to spend my childhood in a small town with a long tradition of a civic spirit, in Ub, where I was born into a family of teachers.

I perceive one’s place of birth not as a destiny, but as a place where life’s paths converge, from where one can easily depart and easily return. Spiritually anxious places do not enable this. I enrolled in history studies with the sole ambition of becoming a high

school professor. However, the magnificent generation of professors of history in the late 1970s and early ‘80s influenced me to nonetheless see my future in researching history. At the university we were taught critical thinking, the roles of historians in society and science, the essential need to navigate long lists of literature, how to distinguish between good and bad books, a conceptual view of history, creative reading of historical sources; we were encouraged to read literature, follow art, analyse films, regularly visit cinemas and attend lectures at Kolarac Endowment Hall.

When viewing the effect of such an orientation today, then the number of published scientific and expert papers exceeds 150, including 20 books on topics from the history of the city and the civic life of Serbia, modernisation processes, the history of elites, the history of diplomacy, World War I, the culture of Serbs in Trieste, Serbs in Dubrovnik etc. After many years spent at the Institute for the Contemporary History of Serbia, at the request of the state, I took on the responsibility of being the director of the Archives of Serbia. In this work, which I still do today, I’m aided by my research experience and personal conceptual vision of Serbian history, which – viewed from a long historical vertical – ranged from Venice and Dubrovnik to Szentendre and Timisoara, from Trieste to Thessaloniki and Holy Mount Athos and between Vienna and Constantinople.

It was in that Mediterranean-Balkan-Central European cultural circle that the identity of the Serbian people was built, with all the characteristics of those territories, social and cultural history was shaped, with cultures permeating, touched or excluded, interests

colliding, and identical problems and similar fates shared. This is also about the spiritual and cultural centres of Serbs outside of Serbia, or centres of empires from which power expanded or diminished, impacting on the fate of the space in which history strongly expressed itself. And where there is history, there is an assumption that there are historical sources. Where it has manifested itself vigorously, these sources are ambiguous, but they are also more often decayed and disappeared. These facts have influenced the fact that at the Archives of Serbia we are establishing a strategic project to research documents that are relevant to the history of the Serbian people in the Venetian State Archives in Venice, the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul, the Dubrovnik Archives, archives in Moscow and London, while we are also working on protecting and arranging archival materials in Serbian Orthodox ecclesiastical municipalities in Trieste, Vienna, Dubrovnik, Szentendre etc. In addition to numerous other projects, a special project of major importance is the series of editions of collection of documents in the History of Serbian Diplomacy, of which 16 volumes have so far been published.

Why is it important that we know as much as possible about the archive and everything contained within it? Because nothing builds itself, rather it always stands on something that came before, springs forth from that or represents a consequence of it. Archives are a barrier against the falsifying of history, arbitrary interpretations, politically motivated revisions. Everything in archives is arranged according to the times, but archives have a timeless dimension.

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Art

Carnival Masks

Tradition Of

Venetian Carnival Masks 48

January

Every year, from February to March, Carnival in Venice is held. Hundreds of thousands visit Venice during Carnival, to admire the incredible Venetian costumes and masks that can be seen walking around in Venice

I

t started in 1168 as a celebration of victory of Republic of Venice against Ulrico, Patriarch of Aquileia, and became annual event until it was banned by King of Austria in 1797. It was again reestablished in 1979 and is again held annually. Carnivals in Venice is famous for its masks that everyone wears and are very specific.

Little is known about the reasons for wearing of the masks during the carnival.

It could be an act of defiance against one of the most rigid class hierarchical structures in all of history of Europe. First document that mentions use of masks in Venice is from 13th century. It bans masked men to throw eggshells full of rose water from roofs at women on the street. Same document bans masked men from gambling. Another law also forbade wearing disguises that are vulgar, visiting convents in those masks, painting faces and wearing false wings and beards. Idea of wearing a mask in Venice was not to hide identity but to hide a class.

Masks that are traditionally used during Venetian Carnival can be divided in to two groups: Commedia dell’ Arte masks and Carnival masks.

Commedia dell’ Arte was a type of improvisational theatre that was popular form the 16th to 18th centuries, but is played even today. Travelling artists and actors would set up a stage and perform juggling acts as well as improvisational plays with rough skeleton of a scenario into which was easy to insert topi-

cal themes, which made them very popular.

Some Venetian carnival masks are taken from these plays and they carry the names of the characters that wore them. “Arlecchino” is a half-mask with a short, wide nose, arching eyebrows and a bump or a boil on a forehead.

“Brighella” is a half-mask too, often painted green with a pointed nose and somber eyes.

“Capitan Scaramouche” - also a half-mask that only covers the eyes, white, with a very long nose. “Colombina” half-mask decorated with feathers, silver, and gold. It covers eyes and cheeks. Pierrot is a full mask, white, with vertical lines bellow and above the eyes and a teardrop.

Carnival masks have their names too and are more popular. “Bauta” is probably the most famous of masks. It covers the whole face and has no mouth but it has beak-like chin that allows wearer to talk, eat and drink without taking it off. With it goes red or black cloak and a tricorn hat. “Dama” is a full mask of a female face, heavily gilded. “Gatto” is a halfmask in a shape of cat’s head. Cats were rare in Venice and this is probably one of the reasons for choosing that shape for a mask.

“Dottore Peste” or “Medico della Peste” is a strange looking mask. Venice was a victim of a plague several times in its history. This carnival mask is a copy of a historical masks that were worn by doctors that treated patients that had plague. They were made from leather with a long “beak” in which herbs were placed and had opening for seeing covered with crystals.

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Art

Carnival Masks

Masks that are traditionally used during Venetian Carnival can be divided in to two groups: Commedia dell’ Arte masks and Carnival masks Women, instead, frequently wore a costume called moretta, consisting of a dark velvet mask that was held in place by a button in the mouth. Since the wearer was unable to speak, this mask was also called moretta muta, meaning mute.

Costumes and masks are still the major attraction of the carnival, and Venice becomes the stage of a unique endless parade of traditional 18th century-style masks as well as more original and modern varieties.

Visitors are conquered by their charm, and they usually buy a mask as soon as they get in the city, so as to fully feel part of the festival.

You can easily get one for even a few euros in any of the small stands or shops that have

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By author

When Carnival was rediscovered back in 1979, teen- Sergio Boldrin and his friends decided to have fun and start creating some mask for this “new” event: this choice led Sergio to become a promoter of the Venetian Carnival

colonized each corner of the streets. However, in the city center, ancient shops or ateliers still produce masks according to the ancient art.

Here, papier-mâché and ribbons have not been replaced by plastic, and each product is a true masterpiece, created with patience and attention to details.

When Carnival was re-discovered back in 1979, teen- Sergio Boldrin and his friends decided to have fun and start creating some mask for this “new” event: this choice led Sergio to become a promoter of the Venetian Carnival and his works to be appreciated and exported worldwide, making him a renown mask artist and a favourite of the movie industry.

Innovative yet faithful to the Venetian

mask making tradition, Sergio has always opted for papier-mache and entirely handmade processes. The combination of ancient techniques, passion, and his expertise both as a mask maker and a painter, deliver outstanding results that make his crafts truly unique.

Faithful to the Venetian mask making tradition, all Sergio’s masks and decorations are high quality and entirely handmade, going counter trend to what souvenirs shops offer in town.

In a time when mass produced plastic masks are killing the traditions, Sergio chose instead to work even more and to teach his relatives in order to preserve the knowledge of an art that dates back to the13th century.

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&FACES PLACES 2/12/2019

National Day of United Arab Emirates The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Serbia celebrated country’s National Day, the 48th anniversary of the establishment of the Union.

H.E. Dr Mubarak Saeed Ahmed Al Dhaheri, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Serbia, addressed the guests and said that he is honoured that cooperation between the Emirates and Serbia has continued to strengthen and improve during 2019.

AMBASSADOR OANA-CRISTINA POPA

3/12/2019

National Day Of Romania Marked

AMBASSADOR MUBARAK SAEED AHMED AL DHAHERI

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Ambassador of Romania to Serbia H.E. Oana-Cristina Popa hosted the reception marking the National day of Romania.

The event highlighted the strengthening of the stable relations between Romania and Serbia, as well as deepening of the friendship and closeness of the two nations.

The reception was attended by ministers, representatives of public and cultural life, diplomatic corps, high military officials, church dignitaries and others.

Romania celebrates its National Day, the Day of Romanian Unity, in memory of 1st December 1918, when Transylvania united with the Kingdom of Romania, while Bessarabia and Bukovina returned to its borders.

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

6/12/2019

EU Ambassador Welcomes First EU Military Attaché Head of the EU in Serbia, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi hosted a reception welcoming first Military Attaché of the European Union Delegation, Colonel Pietro Mostardi.

Ambassador Fabrizi addressed guests pointing out that security and defence have become an integral component of EU policy. “I am proud to introduce to military and diplomatic community the first EU Military Attaché. For its role Serbia is the first of the 142 EU Delegations in the world to accredit this new key role to strengthen the cooperation,” said Ambassador.

AMBASSADOR KIMMO LÄHDEVIRTA AND MRS PIA KAIKONEN

5/12/2019

Independence Day Of Finland On the occasion of 102nd anniversary of Finnish independence, Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta and Mrs Pia Kaikonen hosted a reception at the residence.

Ambassador of Finland H.E. Kimmo Lähdevirta in his speech welcomed the attendees, emphasized the fact that Finland fully supports the process of European integration of Serbia, as well as the enlargement of the European Union to the countries of the Western Balkans.

The reception was attended by representatives of public and cultural life, members of the diplomatic community and other public figures.

Finland has been under the rule of Sweden for over 700 years and the country celebrates its Independence Day in memory of 6 December 1917, when independence from the Russian Empire was declared.

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SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

&FACES PLACES 6/12/2019

National Day Of Ukraine Embassy of Ukraine in Serbia, headed by the Ambassador H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych, marked the 101 years of the Ukrainian Revolution and the 28th anniversary of the referendum on the independence of this country.

Ambassador Oleksandr Aleksandrovych in his speech reminded that vast majority of Ukrainian citizens voted for independence in the referendum on 1 December 1991.

The reception was held at the Belgrade’s Courtyard Hotel and was attended the representatives of public and social life, members of the diplomatic corps, military officials and others.

11/12/2019

Swedish Embassy Marks Saint Lucy’s Day With Projections on the Old Palace

AMBASSADOR OLEKSANDR ALEKSANDROVYCH (LEFT)

AMBASSADOR SHEIKH MUBARAK BIN FAHAD AL THANI

9/12/2019

Qatar National Day At the marking of the National Day of Qatar, Ambassador of Qatar in Serbia, H.E. Sheikh Mubarak Bin Fahad Al Thani in his welcoming speech emphasized the importance of friendly relations between Serbia and Qatar.

The main contributors to the excellent relations are Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, said Ambassador.

Qatar is marking its national day as a remembrance of 18 December 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani founded the State of Qatar.

It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

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Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia H.E. Jan Lundin hosted the marking of Saint Lucy’s Day with projections on the façade of the Old Palace in Belgrade.

“The Feast of Saint Lucy’s Day is about of light and hope that is symbolically celebrated in the darkest time of the year. This year we celebrate this day with a unique interpretation of this holiday on the walls of the Old Palace.

In addition to the screening, visitors will have the opportunity to try Swedish specialities that are associated with Christmas,” said Ambassador Lundin.

The event was attended by Crown Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic and Princess Katherine, as well as numerous representatives of the diplomatic community.

My life

Stefan Milenković, violinist, musical pedagogue

By Radmila Stanković

THE ARTIST ALWAYS HAS A CHOICE As a child he was celebrated by the country that was called Yugoslavia.

In fact, he was a child prodigy who played the violin easier than he could compose sentences. He graduated from the prestigious Julliard School and taught there for 10 years. He has spent the past 12 years lecturing in Illinois, while holding more than 80 concerts around the world annually. He practises yoga and does specific breathing exercises combined with cold water. He doesn’t like altitude, yet has made close to 600 parachute jumps January

55

My life

Stefan Milenković, violinist, musical pedagogue

S

tefan Milenković, 43, ended 2019 in Slovenia, where his album of violin concerts by Ludwig van Beethoven and Max Bruch was released in December. He recorded it with the Slovenian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and under the conductor’s baton of Vladimir Kulenović. Following a major promotion of the album at Cankar Memorial House in Ljubljana on 5th December, he embarked on a tour of Italy. He also held a three-day violin masterclass in Ljubljana, another New Year’s concert in the Slovenian capital, and began 2020 with a concert on 1st January at the beautiful Verdi Theatre in Trieste. Next comes two concerts in Milan – on 9th and 11th January – and February is already fully booked. He will first head to America, then tour Italy again with the Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra, with the programmes From Bach to Queen and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. He has New York concerts coming up again in March…

This celebrated violinist says in jest that even today he sometimes finds it is easier to express himself with a violin in his hands rather than through words. His father was his first violin teacher, while his mother accompanied him on piano from the beginning.

Although he tried to play the piano first, it didn’t go well for him. Trying not to be heard by pianists, he claims that he chose the violin because it is harder to play than the piano, more demanding and because it somehow suits him better!

His Serbian-Italian roots afforded him an abundance of charm, which emanated from him on stage when he was still a child.

And he first stepped on stage when he was only three, only to become the winner of a competition in Czechoslovakia when he was only six! And to repeat for the thousandth time that he played as a 10-year-old to the then presidents of the U.S. and USSR, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. A few years later, he played at the summer residence of the then Pope...

How he survived the glory that he received as a child is the most common question he has been asked during his lifetime, and he still answers it in the same way today: “I wasn’t aware of that. I knew that part

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I had a good balance between that abnormal life for a child and the very normal life that I enjoyed.

Of course, my parents were the only ones worthy of the credit for me growing up as a healthy and normal child, despite everything that followed me and in which I was involved of the day was set aside for the violin and for practise, and everything else was the life of a kid who has his own toys and likes to play with his younger brother, but also to fight. I had a good balance between that abnormal life for a child and the very normal life that I enjoyed. Of course, my parents were the only ones worthy of the credit for me grow-

ing up as a healthy and normal child, despite everything that followed me and in which I was involved. Back then I was unaware of the importance of this behaviour of my parents, only to be convinced of it later, especially when I was lecturing at Julliard. It is sad how the blind ambition of parents when it comes to their children can turn out to be bad, even fatal, when it comes to their children. Thanks to my father and mother, I loved music and managed to identify with music. That was a good foundation for me to continue working; to work constantly. The problem with children acquiring the epithet of a child prodigy is that they quickly become famous, which somehow comes easily to them, and they fail to embrace a life in which they have to work constantly, to perfect themselves. I was brought up in such a way that working and practising were not a problem for me.”

He never said that the violin took away part of his childhood, because the violin was always an integral part of his day. He went to a discotheque for the first time at the age of 15, in Italy, and to this day he can count the number of times he’s been to a disco on

By Radmila Stanković

I’m a musical omnivore.

I eat everything musical.

Sometimes I like good jazz, sometimes ethno music, sometimes Indian music, while sometimes I like ethno music linked to mantras, I like modern pop and rock, the odd hit here and there. I like Sting, who is already a classic, but also Beyonce... I have loved the band Queen for the longest time and that love has never left me

the fingers of one hand. He found it so loud that when he returned home everything was buzzing in his ears. He said to himself, “Man, this can’t be useful. This is damaging.” That wasn’t his form of relaxing fun. However, when he was training kick boxing he found that to be a direct vent. He was invited to many parties during his studies in New York, but for him the right to have fun came after practising, after everything that considered more important before he would go out to have fun. He almost felt a sense of remorse if he ended up staying out all night. He always considered that his profession is such that he constantly expresses himself through one instrument, which is difficult, and that fitness must be constantly maintained.

Milenković turns 43 on 25 th January 2019, and he was 15 when it was impossible in the Serbia of 1992 to continue the path on which he had already earned a name and glory. He went with his parents to Italy, because his mother is of Italian origin from Rovinj, Croatia, and because they had friends there, because up until then he’d performed in that country the most. Five years later, in

1997, he moved to New York and remained there for the next ten years. He graduated from the prestigious Julliard School, where he also lectured. When he talks about his life in New York, he mentions various stages: “I was initially nervous, because that’s a city where an hour passes like a second.

That panicked pace at which time passes makes a man nervous. Fortunately, with me that nervousness lasted only a few months, until I was settled in, until I managed to find inner peace and balance. I was then able to understand this city of 20 million inhabitants. Because it actually isn’t a city, isn’t a nationality. New York is a mindset, and if you understand it you can become a New Yorker instantly. And that’s what’s good about this city. Because all other major cities in the world have, first and foremost, the national identity of the country in which they exist, while New York represents the world and in that sense has no nationality. He belongs to everyone who can feel him.”

And no matter how much he came to know America from all angles, how much he loves and appreciates the benefits offered to

an artist on that continent, he is still willing to mourn for good old Europe: “Nothing can replace the tradition and spirit of Europe. It is irreplaceable. In Europe culture is something that is lived, something that represents an integral part of everyday life. I increasingly consider that, in the future, I could conclude my American dream and return to Europe.”

For a long time, the last 12 years to be specific, Milenković has been teaching at the University of Illinois in Champaign, a suburb of Chicago. He succeeds in balancing his concerts and teaching work, because – as he says – he knew from a young age how to practise, how to train. He considers the most important factor as being the good organisation of time with physical preparation, without which his life would be unimaginable. He does yoga, specific breathing exercises in combination with cold water, goes swimming with his wife Gorica or they run together.

Together they ride large and powerful motorbikes with which they’ve toured America.

He says that he didn’t like heights, yet he’s done close to 600 parachute jumps: “I still don’t like heights, I don’t like heights that are tied to the ground. I don’t like ladders, I don’t like scaffolding, God forbid that I’m on something that sways in

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My life

Stefan Milenković, violinist, musical pedagogue

the wind. Many of my parachuting friends started doing parachute jumps precisely due to a fear of heights. I spent five years training sambo, the Russian martial art and military system. Yoga is obligatory for me, because I don’t need a gym and can do it wherever I am. Everything I do is in the service of one point, and that’s the concert.”

It could be said that he really does a great deal in order to be as ready and as good as possible when he takes violin in his hands.

Today that’s an instrument that was made in 1783 by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (17111786), who was among the greatest violin masters, alongside Stradivari and Guarneri.

More specifically, Stefan was given that violin to protect, for an indefinite period.

This violinist has to plan his life, well because he lives on several fronts simultaneously: “One thing is life on tour, while life when I teach is different. I’m on the road for almost 200 days a year, and during that time I have more than 80 concerts. I’m not home from May until the end of August. And I’m accustomed to often referring to a hotel as home. It happens that we sit together after a concert, and I’m just exhausted and tell the company - tomorrow I have a concert again, so I’m going home to sleep. And in that case home is a hotel room. That’s why I’m able to appreciate it when I’m in my own home, and then I prefer not to do anything. And I don’t go anywhere. Then I make my own coffee, using my own machine.”

“Itzhak Perlman, the greatest living violinist, said that a concert is actually the easiest part of our job. Everything else is more complicated and everything else takes away a great part of our time. ” It should be noted here that Stefan began teaching at Julliard at the age of 22, first as an assistant to Dorothy DeLay and then to Itzhak Perlman, after which he received his own class.

As we speak for CorD, we get to know this artist who is kind and measured, easygoing and easy to communicate with. There are many connoisseurs who believe that two athletes and two artists celebrated the glory Yugoslavia and Serbia in their own time: Vlade Divac, Novak Đoković, Emir Kusturica and Stefan Milenković. This is usually accompanied by the story of how difficult it is to come from a

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There are those who placed their art at the service of some ideology of the moment, but I was never interested in that. I’m convinced that everyone has a choice in every situation. Here I’m primarily referring to artists. Situations in which a person really has no choice are rare small country, from a country in the Balkans that has always been somewhere between East and West, and to succeed. Asked how he perceived that, Stefan replies: “At first I didn’t notice that, I didn’t understand it. But in the early 1990s, when things started going badly here and I stopped being a child prodigy, I had to go to numerous competitions around the world to prove myself again. I practised for eight hours a day, because that was a fresh start, and I entered each of those competitions with a new name of the country that I represented. It was either the ex-Yugoslavia,

or Serbia & Montenegro, then Serbia… And the organisers didn’t know which flag to use.

In 1994 the Americans wrote that I was a representative of the former Yugoslavia, and the flag was the formerly Yugoslav one, with the five-pointed star! That was the last time I saw that flag. Unfortunately, that was a time when the country I come from hampered me more than it supported me. Of course, that’s wasn’t on purpose, but world circumstances were such, with travel restrictions due to the introduction of visa regimes, various blockades etc. Our country’s reputation was at a very low ebb and I often felt very uncomfortable because of that. However, that often also provided me with extra motivation. I’m not a supporter of doing something out of spite, but in some situations, like in the 1990s, I competed with great desire and with plenty of defiance. Others put you in a situation where you are powerless and have nothing left to do but use spite to defend yourself against humiliation.”

This artist subjectively shifts the scale according to which he measures success, regardless of how his art is valued objectively. For him it is important to be aware of where he is, what he can do, how much he can do, what he is striving to achieve. He cites examples of great artists or individual athletes who have a team of people around them to help them remain firmly on the ground, to view what is happening around them realistically, not to live in a dream world:

By Radmila Stanković

“Today I know for certain where I am, how much I can do, where I can progress and - most importantly – I am capable of achieving a balance. A career is a process and not a destination. I can give a hundred per cent every time, but I can’t guarantee that this will ensure every note is ideal. I also convey this idea to my students, because they need to be aware of what is possible, what is realistic, and not just what they would like.”

As an educator, Stefan says that it’s not difficult for him to recognise a particular talent when such a student emerges, but it is much harder for him to recognise a person, a personality. Because talent in itself is not decisive if it is not shaped, directed. What matters is what a person gifted with talent is like: “I never told any student that they don’t have talent. That’s harsh and unnecessary, and can’t change anything. There is no need to condemn something that cannot be changed, no matter how true it is. My job is to oversee that students find their way and do what they love, and what they are passionate about. Whether that’s a violin or not isn’t so important. My task is to help them. First you work with the person, and only then with the violinist. The rest depends on their motivation.”

Asked if he recognises his young self in some young people today, CorD’s interviewee admits: “It is interesting when a young person appears for whom I was a source of inspiration

and imitation. I’m often surprised when I see how they perceive me, because I’m not aware of the impression I leave on them. I’m used to the fact that this can be quite different from what I think about myself.”

It’s logical to ask him which music he likes, or what he listens to when he isn’t practising: “I’m a musical omnivore. I eat everything musical. Sometimes I like good jazz, sometimes ethno music, sometimes Indian music, while sometimes I like ethno music linked to mantras, I like modern pop and rock, the odd hit here and there. I like Sting, who is already a classic, but also Beyoncé... I have loved the band Queen for the longest time and that love has never left me.”

When our artists achieve success around the world, the appetites of their compatriots here and expectations of them grow. There is no one who hasn’t experienced that as pressure, but also as granting oneself the right to seek and demand something from such a personality. Stefan also hasn’t been spared from this way of thinking and behaving, but he clearly determined his stance on this phenomenon long ago: “Music is my religion, the violin is my temple, and everything else is subordinated to that. I’m dedicated only to the arts. Like many other artists in the past, and today, of course. There have been various moments of turmoil and problems in the history of every

nation, there have been terrible times, but artists and art have endured. Of course, there are those who placed their art at the service of some ideology of the moment, but I was never interested in that. I’m convinced that everyone has a choice in every situation. Here I’m primarily referring to artists. Situations in which a person really has no choice are rare.”

He wouldn’t change anything in his life, because he’s satisfied with the way he has led his career. And he would repeat everything again, if that was possible.

He believes that education is the most important substance of a person’s life and that it keeps a person awake. He is happy in his second marriage to graduate guitarist Gorica Grozdanić, who shares most of his artistic and sporting affinities with him. He likes to visit his brother Filip in Italy, who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts there and deals in graphic design and animation. In recent years he has done numerous multimedia works in museums. When he comes to Belgrade, his mother Lidija fulfils his culinary wishes, and he says that the Reform Cake has been on that menu throughout his life. He is happy every moment he spends with his family, though he can’t understand why people still smoke so much in the taverns of Belgrade. However, he gets over that, because for him Belgrade is the embodiment of the spirit with which he was endowed as a child and which endures to this day.

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Apres Alanui

Belted fringed cashmere-jacquard cardigan €2,900

Loro Piana

Repossi

Rougemont crocheted cashmere beanie €320

Serti Sur Vide 18-karat rose gold diamond ring €6,600

Moncler Genius

Grenoble belted fringed quilted down ski jacket €1,800

Ski

Many believe that the apres-ski culture originates from Norway in the mid-1800s, where grog or aquavit was consumed among friends at skiers’ homes. Today, however, skiers are greeted with much more than a small gathering around a friend’s house – apres-ski has scaled new heights! And it is seen as an essential factor for skiers even long before they book their holidays.

Balmain jacket

Fendi fox fur earmuffs

Combining practicality and style €1,100

Button-embellished houndstooth quilted shell down jacket €2,500

De Grisogono

Christian Louboutin

Yeti Donna shearling-trimmed studded leather ankle boots €1,700

Moncler Genius

1952 Valextra Dado shell down and leather shoulder bag €1,900

Allegra 18-karat rose gold diamond earrings €13,000

Loro Piana cape Twelve fringed striped cashmere cape €3,000

SEE by CHLOE

Shearling-lined suede ankle boots €490

Chloe

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January

Bella shearlinglined lizard-effect leather ankle boots €930

Cartier

Panthère de Cartier 20mm small 18-karat gold watch €36,000

Roger Dubuis

Excalibur Huracán Performante watch €48,000

Alexander Mcqueen

Striped cable-knit cashmere scarf €700

Ralph Lauren Purple Label

Kingston Leather Bomber Jacket €5,500

Saint Laurent

Shaun Leane

Shearling Jacket €4,000

Triple Arc Sterling Silver Cuff €750

BEGG&CO

Colour-Block Ribbed Cashmere Beanie €130

Dita

Men’s Grandmaster-Five 18K Gold Fashion Pilot Titanium Sunglasses €900

Maison Margiela

Full-Grain Leather Tote Bag €2,000

Valentino

Intarsia Virgin Wool and CashmereBlend Sweater €1,150

Moncler Genius gloves

3 Grenoble Leather-Trimmed Shell Tasselled Gloves €730

Ralph Lauren Purple Label RLX Graphic Down Parka coat €3,600

Gucci

Fria Horsebit LogoPrint Wool Loafers €497

Gucci

OFF-WHITE

Odsy-1000 Suede, Mesh and Rubber Sneakers €550

Leon Leather Chelsea Boots €850

Prada sweater Intarsia Virgin Wool Sweater €2,800

January

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Culture

calendar

The Street of the Open Heart 1 - Belgrade city centre

Kanda Kodža i Nebojša

1 - SubBeerni Centar – 22.00

For the fifteenth consecutive year, KKN is launching the new years’ concert with a performance in Belgrade, as always on the very first night of the year.

This tradition began with a concert at the Pazi škola Club on the first night of 2006 and continued in the following years at Akademija, Gun Club, the club Peron and Mikser House. Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša is a very well know Serbian band that started performing since 1991 and have to date recorded seven albums and one DVD edition (Prekid stvarnosti (Break in reality)). During a three decade long career, the band has left an indelible mark on the local rock culture while testifying to their quality is the fact that KKN is one of the few bands whose concerts are always attended by new generations who join the band’s army of admirers and fans each year.

Opera “La Cenerentola” by Gioachino Rossini 4 – Belgrade National Theatre – 19.30

Belgrade’s Street of the Open Heart is a traditional urban manifestation of a humanitarian character. Visitors are greeted precisely at noon on the first day of the year by Belgrade Mayor, after which follows a firework display and a carnival procession of entertainers.

Alongside Svetogorska Street and part of Makedonska Street (from Takovska to the Belgrade Youth Centre building), the Open Heart Street will this year also include Skadarska Street.

Visitors will enjoy a variety of entertainment programmes on the small plaza in front of theatre Atelje 212, in Srpska Kafana tavern, in front of the building of Stari Grad Municipality, at Radio Belgrade, the House of Djura Jakšić in the Skadarlija Bohemian Quarter and at the Familija bistro.

As in previous years, apart from enjoying numerous performances, concerts and other entertaining contents, visitors to the Open Heart Street will also be able to join the humanitarian activities and help those most in need. The humanitarian activities of this year’s Open Heart Street will be dedicated to children and the construction of a new facility of the Belgrade Shelter and larger space for children at the existing facility. The funds will be collected from sales of festive greeting cards/postcards, which will also be the main symbols of this year’s Open Heart Street.

Music Awards Ceremony 27 – Stark Arena

Everyone is familiar with the story of Cinderella, immortalised by Charles Perrault and the brothers Grimm. Yet this is not quite the story of La Cenerentola, even though Jacopo Ferretti was inspired by it when he wrote the libretto. There are very few references to magic. There is no fairy, pumpkin or glass slipper! This drama giocoso, whose full title is Cinderella or Goodness Triumphant, focuses on the adventures of Angelina, a frail and brilliant heroin for whom Rossini has reserved his most tender melodies, deliciously interwoven with those of Prince Ramiro. Suddenly the voices sparkle, flow forth and mingle in arias and ensembles punctuated with clever puns and witticisms: this is Rossini’s vis comica at its finest. The latter was indeed proud of this highly successful piece, which he wrote when he was only 24 in just three weeks. There is certainly some magic in that!

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As the organisers announced after the first event, the MAC will expand, and in 2020 Slovenia will participate in it, in addition to Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro. This means that Slovenian performers and bands will also be on the nominees list, and it goes without saying that the most famous Slovenian musicians will perform in the MAC show. In addition, the event will be broadcast on Slovenian television as well as on television in other countries...

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

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AFTER WORK 28 SWISS EMBASSY NOV HOSTS EXHIBITION “2 B” Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia H.E. Philippe Guex hosted an exhibition “2 B” featuring drawings by Dragan Zdravkovic and Peter Aerschmann.

“The audience will discover a coherent and subtle dialogue between the two artists, whose approaches vary greatly. While Zdravkovic portrays normality in a dehumanized world surrounded by a lunar atmosphere, Aerschmann focuses on the daily routine of human life,” said Swiss Ambassador to Belgrade Philippe Guex and added “Promoting cultural ties is at the heart of the embassy’s mission, because it contributes to greater understanding among people.”

MILICA LUNDIN

01 DEC IWC HOSTS CHARITY BAZAAR 2019 The Charity Bazaar, organised for the 18th time by the International Women’s Club, this year dedicated to supporting the elderly, raised € 25,000. This year’s Bazaar recorded around two thousand visitors.

“I am pleased that every year more and more citizens recognise the Charity Bazaar as a place they must visit. This year, we have dedicated Bazaar to helping the elderly in Serbia because we have noticed that they are underrepresented and in need of support. That is why this year we have focused on helping the elderly.

They deserve it,” said Milica Lundin, president of the International Club of Women and wife of Sweden’s Ambassador to Serbia.

She added that she is particularly pleased that 30 countries have participated in the Bazaar, offering products that are specific to the country they represent.

30 NOV BELHOSPICE ANNUAL CHARITY BALL The BELhospice Center raised € 131,000 at this year’s Charity Ball held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

“These funds will greatly enable the BELhospice team to continue providing free services to oncology patients at home and the first Hospice Day Care Center as well as their family members to overcome the difficult, challenging situation they are undergoing,” said Vera Madžgalj, CEO of BELhospice.

The event was attended by over 340 representatives of the corporate sector, diplomatic corps, representatives from culture, arts and sports.

05 GALA EVENING OF THE ITALIANDEC SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce hosted the traditional Gala Evening at the residence of the Italian Ambassador H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, attended by 250 associates and friends.

Ambassador Carlo Lo Cascio warmly welcomed all those present. He emphasised the importance of the Chamber and its members, Italian and Serbian companies, for contributing to the strengthening of economic relations between Italy and Serbia.

The President of the Chamber of Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce Giorgio Ambrogio Marchegiani announced Chamber’s initiatives in 2020.

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SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

09 EMBASSY OF CANADA AND CANSEE DEC HOST CHRISTMAS RECEPTION

AMBASSADOR NIKOLAUS LUTTEROTTI

Ambassador of Canada H.E. Kati Csaba and Canadian-Serbian Business AssociationCANSEE hosted traditional Christmas reception at Canadian Residency.

CANSEE Managing Director Mirjana Dončić Beaton welcomed the guests and said that 2019 was very successful for CANSEE. She proudly announced that the successful cooperation with the prestigious Canadian Ivey School of Business of the University of Western Ontario will continue in 2020 and that Belgrade will host the 5th LEADER project from 4th-15th May 2019. She also announced the upcoming, and second in a row, Serbian Ministerial delegation from the Ministry of Mining and Energy visit to PDAC 2020 in March – the world’s premier mineral exploration & mining convention. Ms Dončić stressed that Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts and, in that spirit, CANSEE has decided to support a unique project Naše Selo by CANSEE valuable member Delta Holding.

09 AUSTRIAN EMBASSY HOSTS DEC ARCHAEOLOGY LECTURE The Austrian Embassy in Belgrade hosted the lecture “Archaeology of the Modern Age”.

The lecture discussed the relations between the Balkans and Europe since the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire after the First World War. Ambassador of Austria H.E. Nikolaus Lutterotti opened the lecture addressing attendees.

Prof. By Oliver Jens Schmitt, Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna and Prof.

Dubravko Stojanovic, University of Belgrade were the lecturers of “Post-Imperial History of the Balkans in the 20th Century”.

10 JAPANESE EMBASSY DEC MAKES DONATION The signing ceremony for three projects for the basic needs of the population was held on Friday, 6th December 2019, at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Serbia.

Government of Japan will provide Varvarin Medical Center with 76,000 euros for X-ray equipment, Gadzin Han Medical Center with 76,170 euros for X-ray equipment and aprons for radiation protection, while JP „Vilin Lug“ Crna Trava will receive € 76,305 for procurement of a combined machine and accessories.

The agreements were signed by H.E. Ambassador of Japan Junichi Maruyama, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Serbia.

AMBASSADOR BOTSAN-KHARCHENKO AND MINISTER VUKOSAVLJEVIC

09 AMBASSADOR KHARCHENKO DEC UNVEILS MONUMENT OF PROMINENT RUSSIAN ARCHITECT Ambassador of Russia to Serbia H.E. Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko unveiled a monument of prominent Russian Yugoslav architect and painter Nikolay Krasnov for his contribution to the architectural development of the Serbian capital.

On the day that marks the 80th anniversary of Krasnov’s death, Belgrade street was also named in honour of one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, who found refuge and another homeland in Yugoslavia after the October Revolution.

In 2016, a memorial plaque was opened within Moscow Day in Belgrade.

The unvailing was attended by Serbian Culture Minister Vladan Vukosavljevic.

AMBASSADOR MARUYAMA (CENTRE)

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AFTER WORK

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

11 DEC AHK CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION German-Serbien Chamber of Commerce (AHK) held its traditional Christmas Party, this year at the Just Lobby venue.

President of the AHK, Ronald Seeliger, greeted representatives of the German companies and associates and invited them to enjoy the party after a very successful year.

The event was attended by the Ambassador of Germany to Serbia H.E. Thomas Schieb and many friends of the AHK.

12 DEC JBAS PRE-HOLIDAY SEASON COCKTAIL

AHK PRESIDENT SEELIGER AND AMBASSADOR SCHIEB

Japanese Business Alliance in Serbia held a Pre-holiday Season Cocktail. Hosts Goran Pekez, JBAS President, and Danijela Cabarkapa, JBAS Director, greeted guests that included the representatives of the member companies, associates and friends.

JBAS members and friends were also addressed by the general manager of the Belgrade Hilton Hotel Nicolaas Houwert.

Guests had the opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere of the Two Kings Restaurant at the Hilton Hotel.

12 DEC BSBA END OF YEAR RECEPTION Belgian Serbian Business Association (BSBA), headed by its President Mr Hugo van Veghel, hosted End of Year Reception.

The event was held at the Embassy of Belgium in Belgrade, with the attendance of the Ambassador H.E. Koenraad Adam.

Representatives of the Belgian companies in Serbia enjoyed Ambassador’s kind hospitality and words of support to continue successful business operations in 2020.

SPK PRESIDENT DANIJELA FISAKOV

12 DEC SPK HOST END OF THE YEAR PARTY Slovenian Business Club (SPK), headed by President Danijela Fisakov, gathered members and friends at its last event of the year, the New Year’s Party.

Danijela Fisakov welcomed guests and in her speech congratulated all representatives of the Slovenian companies operating in Serbia on the completion of another successful year.

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2019:

SERBIA THE YEAR AS IT WAS

WHICH EVENTS MADE

Perhaps We Are Yet To See What The Most Meaningful Events Were Although we have attempted to conclude the year by compiling a list of the most memorable events of the last 12-month period, and to place them in a historical perspective, we are sometimes blind to the most important events that shape our destiny. When it comes to 2019, some hope is provided by the fact that it wasn’t just another year during which we wasted our precious time

W

hat makes a year memorable or just one of many that are unworthy of occupying a specific and indelible place in our hearts and minds? Obviously, disasters like the 2008 financial crisis end up being carved into the memories of almost every country and all people. We measure our days between those before and after the crisis that resulted in us losing a job or barely escaping personal financial collapse. But what about a year that saw your country attract nearly 12 times as much FDI as other economies of equivalent size? It sounds like a good one, but the real gains – major or modest – will probably only be properly measurable in years to come. Or how about the year that saw the first ever cargo train depart from China bound for Serbia? Would that represent a milestone in Serbia-Sino relations, a watershed event signalling a shift of the Serbian economy towards the Chinese market, or just an episode with no additional value?

Each year we delve into the calendar behind us, and the one ahead of us, in an attempt to make sense of the events that seemed only momentarily important and/or those that set the stage for events that are yet to come. Indeed, some events seem to be important on a large scale – like if Serbia and Kosovo had reached a final agreement on their relations in 2019, it would mark the resolving of a problem that has hung over the Western Balkans for years. However, we already know that 2019 is one of the many years in which nothing important happened in that respect, or during which some things made the eventual reaching of a solution even harder. And 2020, at least for now, doesn’t promise to be any different.

Some years are important because they mark anniversaries of decades, centuries or even longer periods since something relevant happen. For example, it was on 22nd December 2009 that Serbia officially applied for European Union membership,

2019 A MEMORABLE YEAR FOR SERBIA?

which was considered an important milestone in our mutual relations. From today’s perspective, this anniversary may also cause bitterness, given that not as much as we hoped for has happened since.

Some events will probably dissipate from our collective memory. One of them is the huge queues in front of the first ever Starbucks coffee shop in Belgrade, which opened at the Rajićeva Shopping Centre in April 2019. After all, it is hard to beat a new McDonalds in that respect.

For some years, we only discover that they were historical long after they’ve passed. For example, perhaps one of the Belgrade Mathematical Grammar School’s winners of the three gold medals, one silver and two bronzes at the 60th International Mathematical Olympiad, held in the UK in July 2019, will one day become a Nobel Prize winner in mathematics.

Perhaps the beauty is precisely in that which is unknown.

MORE ON EACH OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS IS AVAILABLE ON WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

JANUARY

PUTIN VISITS SERBIA, ANNOUNCES $1.4 BILLION INVESTMENTS AND THE RETURN OF A 166TH MISSING PAGE FROM “MIROSLAV’S GOSPEL”, ONE OF THE OLDEST SURVIVING DOCUMENTS WRITTEN IN THE SERBIAN RECENSION OF CHURCH SLAVIC

ETIHAD CANCELS ORDER OF 10 AIRBUS AIRCRAFT FOR AIR SERBIA PROTESTS “ONE OF FIVE MILLION” 4 |

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SERBIA IN PICTURES

JANUARY

NOVAK ĐOKOVIĆ SETS RECORD WITH SEVENTH AUSTRALIAN OPEN TITLE

RECORD COMPETITION FOR NIN AWARD, VLADIMIR TABAŠEVIĆ WINNER WITH THE NOVEL “SAINT SEBASTIAN’S DELUSION”

SERBIA RECORDED SOLID ECONOMIC GROWTH IN PREVIOUS YEAR, BUT FACE A LARGER TRADE DEFICIT AND BRAIN DRAIN SERBIA’S POPULATION WILL HAVE REDUCED BY 21 PER CENT BY 2060 COMPARED TO 2015 GOVERNMENT DECIDES TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO AIRLINES OF PUBLIC INTEREST SERBIA IN PICTURES

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FEBRUARY

SERBIA BECOMES FULL MEMBER OF ERASMUS+

RALF FIENNES GUEST OF THE 47TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (FEST)

COCA COLA BUYS BAMBI 6 |

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SERBIA IN PICTURES

FEBRUARY

38,000 PEOPLE VISITED EXHIBITION OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS 20TH CENTURY SERBIAN PAINTERS MARKO ČELEBONOVIĆ

VINCI TAKES OVER BELGRADE NIKOLA TESLA AIRPORT

SERBIA PROGRESSES 11 PLACES ON THE LIST OF ECONOMIC FREEDOMS SERBIA IN PICTURES

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MARCH

RESTORED GOLUBAC FORTRESS OFFICIALLY OPENS

SERBIA MAKES PROGRESS ON PREVENTION OF MONEY LAUNDERING

ONE OF THE GREATEST BALLET ARTIST IN THE WORLD TODAY, POLUNIN, MADE A GUEST PERFORMANCE AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE IN BELGRADE

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MARCH

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE VISITS BELGRADE, HIS FIRST VISIT TO THE WESTERN BALKANS SINCE COMING TO OFFICE

IVANA ŠPANOVIĆ DEFENDS GOLD MEDAL WITH 6.99M JUMP AT THE GLASGOW 2019 EUROPEAN ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

SERBIAN-RUSSIAN FILM ‘THE BALKAN LINE’ (BALKANSKA MEDJA) SEEN BY AROUND TWO MILLION VIEWERS IN SERBIA AND RUSSIA

SERBIA IN PICTURES

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APRIL

NBS STARTS MONITORING BANK ADVERTS AS OF 1ST APRIL

GORENJE TO RELOCATE ALL PRODUCTION TO SERBIA

SERBIA POSTS €100M LOSS AFTER 100 DAYS OF TARIFFS IMPOSED BY KOSOVO

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APRIL

SERBIA’S FIRST STARBUCKS OPENS IN BELGRADE’S KNEZ MIHAILOVA STREET

30 YEARS OF BITEF THEATRE MARKED WITH THE GUEST APPEARANCE OF FAMOUS ITALIAN THEATRE DIRECTOR ROBERTO CIULLI

SERBIA IN PICTURES

DURING THE WESTERN BALKANS DIGITAL SUMMIT HELD IN BELGRADE THE AGREEMENT WAS REACHED FOR THE WB COUNTRIES TO ABOLISH ROAMING CHARGES BY 2021

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APRIL

THE 32ND BELGRADE MARATHON & CORD CHARITY MASTERS

SERBIA BECOMES A MEMBER OF CERN

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SERBIA IN PICTURES

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M AY

AMBASSADOR FABRIZI OFFICIALLY SUBMITS 2019 EU REPORT TO PM BRNABIĆ

MERGING OF VOJVOĐANSKA AND OTP BANKS FINALISED

SERBIA INTRODUCES LIFE IMPRISONMENT, INITIATED BY IGOR JURIĆ, A MAN WHO LOST HIS DAUGHTER TIJANA (14) WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED

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PARLIAMENT ADOPTS LEX SPECIALIS FOR LOANS IN SWISS FRANCS

SERBIA IN PICTURES

M AY

NIKOLA JOKIĆ NAMED ONE OF THE NBA TOP FIVE BEST CENTRES

SERBIA AMONG WORLD’S TOP 54 COUNTRIES FOR DIGITAL START-UPS 54TH STERIJINO POZORJE HELD UNDER THE SLOGAN “REBELLION - FEMALE GENDER” 12TH BELDOCS OPENS WITH THE SCREENING OF “LINE OF LIFE” SERBIA IN PICTURES

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JUNE

SERBIA WINS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE WATER POLO WORLD LEAGUE TITLE

VILENICA INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PRIZE GOES TO DRAGAN VELIKIĆ 16 |

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JUNE

MORAVA AIRPORT BECOMES SERBIA’S THIRD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

TELENOR OPENS FIRST 5G BASE STATION IN SERBIA

SERBIA ISSUES FIRST STATE BONDS IN EUROS SERBIA IN PICTURES

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JUNE

DUŠAN TADIĆ AMONG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE’S TOP 20 PLAYERS

IMPOSING TARIFFS BRINGS NO BENEFIT TO KOSOVO ACCORDING TO GAP INSTITUTE REPORT

AFTER 70 YEARS OF OPERATIONS, THE FUTURE OF GRAFIČKI KOLEKTIV IS UNCERTAIN 18 |

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SERBIA IN PICTURES

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J U LY

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON VISITS SERBIA DURING THE YEAR THAT MARKS THE 180TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHING OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN SERBIA AND FRANCE

SERBIA’S YOUNG MATHEMATICAL TEAM AMONG THE WORLD’S TOP TEN AT 60TH INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD

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SERBIA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM WINS BRONZE MEDAL AT THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BELGRADE

SERBIA IN PICTURES

J U LY

RECORD-BREAKING NUMBERS ATTEND THIS YEAR’S EXIT FESTIVAL

INTERNET ROAMING IN THE WESTERN BALKANS BECOMES 87 PER CENT CHEAPER IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, MORE THAN 51,000 PEOPLE LEFT SERBIA FOR GERMANY

NOVAK ĐOKOVIĆ IS CROWNED WIMBLEDON CHAMPION SERBIA IN PICTURES

IMF WARNS SERBIA THAT IT WILL LOSE A FIFTH OF ITS WORKERS

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AUGUST

PRIME MINISTER OF SLOVENIA MARJAN Å AREC ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO SERBIA, SAID SERBIA IS THE SECOND LARGEST RECIPIENT OF SLOVENIAN INVESTMENTS

YOUNG SERBIAN CHEMISTS SECOND IN THE WORLD (ICHTO, MOSCOW)

SERBIA OFFICIALLY BECAME THE 73RD NON-REGIONAL MEMBER OF THE ASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT BANK 22 |

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AUGUST

SERBIAN CANOEIST STRAHINJA STEFANOVIĆ WON SILVER AT THE 2019 ICF CANOE SPRINT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS, A THEATRE PLAY FROM SERBIA PARTICIPATED IN THE DUBROVNIK SUMMER FESTIVAL IN CROATIA WITH THE BALKAN SPY EPOCHAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY FROM THE VINČA CULTURE IN VITKOVAČKO POLJE, DATING FROM BETWEEN 4,500 AND 3,500 BC

SERBIA IN PICTURES

BELGRADE-BASED COMPANY CARGO AMONG THE WORLD’S TOP TEN COMPANIES ON THE FORBES LIST WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING INDUSTRY

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AUGUST

MILOÅ THE GREAT HIGHWAY CEREMONIOUSLY OPENED

RED STAR QUALIFIES FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

SERBIA AMONG TOP 50 COUNTRIES FOR MEDICINE SAFETY 24 |

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SEPTEMBER

MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ EXHIBITS IN SERBIA AGAIN AFTER 40 YEARS

SERBIA STORMS TO TOP OF FDI LIST

MOODY’S HAS IMPROVED THE CHANCES OF INCREASING SERBIA’S CREDIT RATING FROM “STABLE” TO “POSITIVE”

SERBIA IN PICTURES

LARGEST WIND FARM IN SERBIA, ČIBUK 1, LAUNCHES OPERATIONS

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SEPTEMBER

HEADQUARTERS OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED WESTERN BALKAN TRANSPORT COMMUNITY OPENS IN BELGRADE

SERBIA WINS 2019 WOMEN’S EUROPEAN VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

OTP GROUP ACQUIRES SOCIETE GENERALE SERBIA

REPUBLIC SQUARE OPENED AFTER THE RENOVATION

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SEPTEMBER

53RD BITEF HELD UNDER THE SLOGAN “LET’S START LOVE OVER”

FIRST CARGO TRAIN DEPARTS FROM CHINA TO SERBIA

MATE NEMEŠ AND MIKHEIL KAJAIA WIN BRONZE MEDALS AT THE WORLD WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS SERBIAN COMMUNICATIONS MARKET WORTH 200 BILLION DINARS SERBIA IN PICTURES

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OCTOBER

KALEMEGDAN’S VICTOR TRANSFERRED TO SMEDEREVO FOR RESTORATION

PROCREDIT BECOMES FIRST BANK IN SERBIA WITH AN INVESTMENT RATING

EU REMOVES SERBIA FROM “GREY LIST” OF TAX HAVENS 28 |

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OCTOBER

TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN DURING HIS VISIT TO SERBIA SAID THAT TRADE BETWEEN SERBIA AND TURKEY HAS INCREASED BY 200 PER CENT SINCE 2010

GOOGLE PLAY MERCHANT ACCOUNT ALSO AVAILABLE IN SERBIA

SERBIA ADVANCES TO 44TH ON DOING BUSINESS LIST

SERBIA IN PICTURES

RICH CULTURAL LIFE OF BELGRADE IN OCTOBER WITH THE BELGRADE JAZZ FESTIVAL, BEMUS AND BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

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OCTOBER

FIC WHITE BOOK: STEADY BUT MODERATE PROGRESS ON REFORMS IN SERBIA

SERBIA SIGNS FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH THE EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION

NEW LAW ON ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT FUNDS ADOPTED

SERBIA RANKED IN THE MIDDLE OF GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS LIST

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SERBIA IN PICTURES

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NOVEMBER

NOVAK ĐOKOVIĆ SECURES 5TH PARIS MASTERS TITLE

INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OPENS IN BELGRADE

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BAN ON HIRING IN PUBLIC SECTOR SET TO REMAIN UNTIL YEAR’S END 2020 SERBIA IN PICTURES

NOVEMBER

SINIŠA MALI’S DOCTORAL DISSERTATION PROVED TO BE PLAGIARISED

CITIZENS OF SERBIA RATE THEIR FINANCIAL SITUATION AS 4.4 OUT OF 10

ALBANIA, NORTH MACEDONIA AND SERBIA FORM SO-CALLED “MINI-SCHENGEN”

POLICE SEIZE FOUR TONNES OF ILLEGAL CANNABIS FROM JOVANJICA ORGANIC FARM EASTERN ARM OF CORRIDOR 10 PUT INTO SERVICE SERBIA IN PICTURES

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DECEMBER

TIJANA BOGDANOVIĆ WINS GOLD, BECOMES EUROPEAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPION

46 SERBIAN ATHLETES QUALIFY FOR TOKYO 2020

FAKE SALE OF MEGATREND UNIVERSITY SERBIA OPENS CHAPTER 4 IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH EU Photo source: Zoran Petrovic, Spanovic/Archieve, NIN/Archieve, Serbian Government, BUNT, Airbus Archieve, EU Delegation, Russian Government, Nikola Tesla Airport Archieve, Coca Cola Archieve, Fest/ Archieve, Gallery Rima/Archieve, Polunin/Archieve, Golubac Fortress Archieve, NBS Archieve, ilovezrenjanin.com, Sterijino Pozorje, Beldocs, Graficki Kolektiv, Serbian Water Polo Federation, EXIT/Archieve, Basketball federation Serbia, Dubrovacke igre, Canoe Federation of Serbia, blic.rs, Bojana Janjic / MSUB, Jerris Madison, Envato, FK Red Star Archieve, Cultural Monument Protection Institute.

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SERBIA IN PICTURES

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