CorD Magazine No. 161

NEW MEDIATOR FOR LASTING PEACE IN THE REGION

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER CHALLENGES

Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Serbia

MD, Ph.D., Rector of the University of Belgrade

VLADIMIR BUMBAŠIREVIĆ

SLAVOLJUB ĐUKIĆ

Journalist, Writer

www.cordmagazine.com

MARCH ’18 / ISSUE No. 161

H.E. MOHAMMED K. M. NABHAN

PEOPLE LIKE STRONG LEADERS, SERBS IN PARTICULAR

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Good Starting Point For Discussion COMMENT

Diplomacy At The 2018 Winter Olympics

CHRISTIAN DANIELSSON DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR ENLARGEMENT AT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Clear Perspective, But

E XC L U S I V E

NO SHORTCUTS ISSN1451-7833

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COMMENT

Diplomacy At THE 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS PAGE 6

The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is over and while people are still amazed, we should remember that the games have been affected by the ongoing tensions between South Korea and North Korea — including the ongoing missile crisis in the region. It was only in January 2018, after their first high-level talks in over two years that North Korea agreed to participate in the games

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CONTENTS

March 2018

CLEAR PERSPECTIVE, BUT NO SHORTCUTS

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Christian Danielsson, Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission

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NEW MEDIATOR FOR LASTING PEACE IN THE REGION H.E. Mohammed K. M. NABHAN, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Serbia

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GLOBAL DIARY

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GOOD STARTING POINT FOR DISCUSSION

Jasna Dimitrijević, Manager of Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment

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WHAT’S ON THE NEGOTIATING TABLE? The Brexit transition

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FACES & PLACES

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PRIVATE AND STATE EDUCATION

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PEOPLE LIKE STRONG LEADERS, SERBS IN PARTICULAR Slavoljub Ðukić, Journalist, Writer

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DESIGNER: Jasmina Laković j.lakovic@aim.rs CONTRIBUTORS: Rob Dugdale, Maja Vukadinović, Mirjana Jovanović, Miša Brkić, Radmila Stanković, Steve MacKenzie, Zorica Todorović Mirković, Sonja Ćirić EDITORIAL MANAGER: Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs PHOTOS: Zoran Petrović COPY EDITOR: Mark Pullen TRANSLATION & EDITING MRP EDITORIAL Halifax Translation Services PROJECT MANAGERS: Biljana Dević, b.devic@aim.rs Nataša Trifunović, n.trifunovic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović, v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Nevena Đurković, n.djurkovic@aim.rs OFFICE MANAGER: Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs FINANCE: Ajilon Solutions m.damjanovic@aim.rs

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CHILL OUT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs

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GET BACK IN SHAPE

GENERAL MANAGER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs

Fashion

THE BIG GAME

Super Bowl 2018

EMERGING ARTISTS TO FOLLOW IN 2018 Contemporary Art

Focus: Draft Law on Charges for the Utilisation of Public Goods

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CLEAR VISION OF PRESENT AND FUTURE

EDITOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs

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CULTURE CALENDAR

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AFTER WORK

PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

Segedinski put 72, Subotica CorD is published by: alliance international media Makenzijeva 67, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fax: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@aim.rs office@cordmagazine.com www.cordmagazine.com www.aim.rs ISSN no: 1451-7833 All rights reserved alliance international media 2018

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COMMENT

Diplomacy At The 2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is over and while people are still amazed, we should remember that the games have been affected by the ongoing tensions between South Korea and North Korea — including the ongoing missile crisis in the region.

It was only in January 2018, after their first high-level talks in over two years that North Korea agreed to participate in the games

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KIM JONG-UN took his place among dignitaries from around the world, including U.S. Vice-President MIKE PENCE

he fact that both Koreas entered together under a said that he chose to actively ignore Kim, saying that he Korean Unification flag is a huge step in decreasing “didn’t believe it was proper for the United States of America tensions between the two countries. South Koto give any countenance or attention in that form to somerean President Moon Jae-in has favored a peaceful one who’s not merely the sister of the dictator but is the reunification between the two Koreas and has repeatedly leader of the propaganda effort.” called on peace talks with North Korea. At the start of the Pence’s decision was affected by Pyeongyang’s alleged Olympics, Moon shook hands with Kim Yo-jong — the head human rights violations. Before arriving in South Korea, of the country’s propaganda department and sister of the Pence vowed more sanctions and more pressure on Pyongyang. He also brought along Fred Warmbier, the father of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un — which marks the first an American college student who died after brutal mistreattime since the Korean War where a member of the ruling Kim ment while imprisoned in North Korea — a move that has dynasty visited South Korea. been called a “defamation campaign” by the North Korean North Korea’s actions could, however, have been influenced by the sanctions. According to an Foreign Ministry’s Institute for American editorial in Chosun Ilbo, a major rightStudies.

The Olympics may leaning South Korean news publication, As athletes from the Koreas marched be a step toward North Korea may see a drop in exports of into the stadium during the opening up to 90 per cent this year. North Korea’s ceremony and their leaders applauded, the right direction participation may be influenced by the Pence remained in his seat. If Pence was in preventing need to weaken the impact of the sancrepresenting the Trump administration, international conflict, then his actions show blatant disrespect. tions. Moon should be careful not to fall but what should be a If Pence really wanted to denuclearize into any traps in North Korea’s recent diplomatic actions.

North Korea, then he should have appreciconcern is what will ated the effort put in to bringing a unified Top officials from several countries sat happen after Korean team together. Even so, Pence has together for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics recently signaled a willingness to hold the 2018 Winter Olympics. They watched preliminary talks with North Korea withathletes of both North and South Korea out dropping Washington’s “maximum security campaign,” march together under the white and blue “unification flag.” but some form of goodwill towards the North has to be seen The South Korean leader greeted the North Korean representatives. Also present were U.S. Vice President Mike Pence from U.S. representatives if they want to hold talks. and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. German President The Olympics may be a step toward the right direction Joachim Gauk also was there. in preventing international conflict, but what should be a But according to a senior diplomatic source close to concern is what happens after the Olympics. There may be North Korea, the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s trip was “a some relaxed tensions between the two Koreas right now, missed opportunity.” During the opening ceremony, Pence but some of it should remain if they want to hold talks. ■ 6 |

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INTERVIEW

Clear Perspective, But

NO SHORTCUTS EXCLUSIVE CHRISTIAN DANIELSSON DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR ENLARGEMENT AT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

A legally binding agreement with Pristina will have to be negotiated, agreed and concluded several years ahead of accession. The EU will also want to see full implementation of this agreement before Serbia can join – Christian Danielsson

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he new European Strategy for the Western Balkans gives a clear, unequivocal and credible perspective for the EU integration of each Western Balkan country, says Christina Danielsson, Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission, in this interview for CorD. At the same time, he stresses, the Strategy leaves no doubt that there are no shortcuts to membership and that progress on reforms will be key. The rule of law, combatting corruption and organised crime, economic reforms and regional reconciliation remain at the top of the list for Balkan countries wishing to join the EU club.

PERSPECTIVE

PROGRESS

FREEDOM

The enlargement perspective of the Western Balkans is first and foremost in the hands of the countries themselves

We have been very clear from the beginning that progress on the European paths of both Serbia and Kosovo is firmly linked to progress on the normalisation of their relations

Freedom of expression is one of the EU’s fundamental values and one of the core elements of Serbia’s European integration process

■ Mr Danielsson, what do you consider the most important elements of the EU’s strategy for the Western Balkans, which was adopted in February?

- With this new Strategy, adopted on 6th February, the Commission is reaffirming that the European future of the Western Balkans is a geostrategic investment in a stable, strong and united Europe based on common values.

The Strategy aims to generate a renewed reform momentum in the region, in order to address the specific key challenges faced by the Western Balkans. It also enhances EU support to the efforts of the Western Balkan countries on their European paths, including through additional funding.

■ Was it easy to reach consensus on the Western Balkan strategy among Member States and given that it has been accepted by all members, how much weight does the strategy carry in a legal-formal sense?

- The Western Balkans Strategy is a political document adopted by the Commission, in which the Commission presents its views on future EU relations with the Western Balkans and clearly points to the issues that are crucial to their enlargement perspective becoming a reality.

An EU-Western Balkans Summit will take place in Sofia on 17th May, at which EU-Leaders and their Western Balkan counterparts will discuss relations between the EU and the region. The Strategy will provide a good foundation for these discussions.

address vital reforms and complete their political, economic and social transformation.

■ Your partners in Belgrade have expressed their concern over Commission President Juncker’s recent statement

The overall pace of its accession negotiations depends on Serbia’s ability to implement reforms across the board and, in particular, in the area of the rule of law.

Member States expect to see real, substantive progress on the rule of law – not only on paper, but on the ground

■ Does the strategy for the Western Balkans see the region as a group of country that will join the EU together, or will it respect the principle of the countries that meet all criteria acceding first, which would make Serbia and Montenegro the front runners?

- The Strategy specifically mentions Serbia and Montenegro as current negotiating countries in the Western Balkans. But the EU perspective on offer, and the instruments to achieve it, are valid for the region as a whole. Other countries can catch up, and present frontrunners can fall behind if they don’t deliver.

The enlargement perspective of the Western Balkans is first and foremost in the hands of the countries themselves. They must act with determination and urgently redouble their efforts,

that the countries of the Western Balkans will join the EU “when they satisfy all the criteria”. Can Serbia satisfy all the criteria by 2025; and has any candidate country joined the Union under such conditions?

- The new Strategy gives a clear, unequivocal and credible perspective for EU integration, for each and every one of our six Western Balkan partners. At the same time, it leaves no doubt that there are no shortcuts to membership and that progress on reforms will be key. So, we expect these countries – including Serbia – to tackle the existing challenges forcefully and with a clearer commitment. The rule of law must be strong, and corruption must be rooted out. We must see concrete results in the fight against organised crime. Economic reforms are needed to MARCH

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reduce unemployment and improve employment opportunities for young people. Leaders must make reconciliation and good neighbourly relations a true part of their political agenda.

Regarding Serbia, we have been very clear from the beginning that progress on the European paths of both Serbia and Kosovo is firmly linked to progress on the normalisation of their relations. The Strategy is also clear on this. It is urgent now to reach such a legally binding agreement on comprehensive nor-

malisation. A legally binding agreement with Pristina will have to be negotiated, agreed and concluded several years ahead of accession. The EU will also want to see full implementation of this agreement before Serbia can join.

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■ It is already being interpreted that the strategy envisages resolving the issue of relations between Belgrade Pristina by 2019! If this is true, does the strategy contradict the EU’s earlier position that, along with chapters 23 and 24, the last chapter to be closed would be Chapter 35, which addresses this issue?

- There is no contradiction. We have been very clear from the beginning that progress on the European paths of both Serbia and Kosovo is firmly linked to progress on the normalisation of their relations.

The EU-Serbia Negotiating Framework requires a comprehensive normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo in the form of a legally binding agreement. Progress on the normalisation of relations is also essential for Kosovo to advance on its European path.

The strategy is also clear on this. A comprehensive, legally binding agreement on normalisation of relations will have to be concluded if the accession perspective for Serbia is to be achieved. The EU will want to see irreversible implementation of this agreement before Serbia can join.

A legally binding agreement with Pristina will have to be negotiated, agreed and concluded several years ahead of accession. The EU will also want to see full implementation of this agreement before Serbia can join

■ The strategy also allegedly insists that all regional issues be resolved prior to EU accession. Does this create room for bilateral issues to become obstacles to the EU accession process, which has not been supported by the EU to date?

- Indeed, the Strategy is very clear that all remaining bilateral disputes between countries in the region need to be resolved before EU accession. The EU will not accept the importing of these disputes and the instability they could entail. Therefore, definitive and binding solutions must be found and implemented before a country accedes. All countries must 161

refrain from misusing outstanding issues in the EU accession process. As a matter of principle, the frontrunners on the EU path have a strategic interest in being advocates, not spoilers, of the aspirations of their neighbours. The countries of the region are interdependent and will progress faster if they help each other along the way.

■ Are you concerned that a strategy formulated in such a way could be perceived as exerting pressure on Serbia?

- We are not concerned about exerting pressure.

Instead, we hope that the strategy will open a window of opportunity for Serbia and Kosovo to resolve this matter once and for all. The time to do this is now.

■ Considering that Serbia’s EU accession process is inextricably linked to negotiations on the normalisation of relations between Belgrade-Pristina, how would you evaluate the current status of that process?

- Let me reiterate that we consider progress on the normalisation of relations as ultimately for the benefit of citizens in both Serbia and Kosovo. It is also key to progress and the stability of the entire region.

A significant number of agreements are already widely implemented, but both sides need to take the necessary steps on the implementation of all agreements reached.

■ Given that Kosovo also aspires to join the EU, do you consider that the EU has utilised all opportunities to compel Pristina to fulfil the obligations it accepted under the Brussels Agreement, particularly those concerning the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities?

- In August 2015, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to accelerate implementation of important agreements. We have seen progress on some of them, while implementation has been lagging behind in other areas. High-Representative/ Vice-President Mogherini has repeatedly urged both sides to implement all agreements reached.

The Dialogue serves the interests of both Kosovo and Serbia. As a facilitator, the EU would like to see an acceleration of agreeing, implementing and showing concrete results. Yet, it is the political will of the two parties that determines the pace and eventual success of the Dialogue.

■ The EU seems to be paying very close attention to announcements of the so-called “internal dialogue on Kosovo”, initiated by Serbian President Vučić. In this regard, it can be heard that the expected ultimate end result of the normalisation of relations would be for Serbia to accept Kosovo becoming a member of the UN. Do you share that view?

- I believe that the internal debate in Serbia on Kosovo will contribute to establishing an environment that is conducive to finding a solution to a comprehensive normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The exact parameters and elements for such a comprehensive normalisation are for both sides to identify and ultimately agree upon. High-Representative/Vice-President Mogherini is currently facilitating this.

EU facilitated Dialogue. We have so far been encouraged by the commitment and engagement of the two presidents.

■ Can you predict the pace at which negotiation chapters will be opened with Serbia in 2018?

- It is up to Serbia to set the pace of its accession negotiations.

The overall pace of its accession negotiations depends on Serbia’s ability to implement reforms across the board and, in

CHRISTIAN DANIELSSON (left), Minister JADRANKA JOKSIMOVIĆ and MICHAEL DAVENPORT, former EU Delegation to Serbia head

Judicial reform and the fight against corruption are important areas on which Serbia needs to make progress. For the EU, reforms on the rule of law are not a paper exercise. They are not only about laws, strategies or action plans, and Serbia needs to strengthen its efforts considerably

■ What would happen with relations between Serbia and the EU if President Vučić is proven right in his prediction that the chances of reaching a deal with Pristina are slim and no agreement on a lasting solution is reached?

- In general, I think it is important to be optimistic.

Of course, far-reaching reforms are not always easy or popular. Tough choices will have to be made.

But the goal of EU accession is clear. As already mentioned, progress on the European paths of both Serbia and Kosovo is firmly linked to progress on the normalisation of their relations. It is crucial to find a lasting solution to this issue. The EU therefore expects a constructive engagement for the full implementation of all agreements reached within the

particular, in the area of the rule of law. Member States expect to see real, substantive progress on the rule of law – not only on paper, but on the ground. This needs to become a political priority for the government.

■ During your last visit to Belgrade, you stated that you had the impression that Serbia is “determined on its European path” and that it is very good that is “keeping in mind” the path along which it is headed. In the context of the current story about Belgrade sitting on two chairs, is there actual pressure being applied by some EU members to open negotiations as soon as possible on Chapter 31, which covers the harmonisation of foreign policy with the EU, primarily in order for Serbia to align with sanctions against Russia?

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- Serbia has decided to move towards EU membership. In the area of foreign policy, Serbia already contributes to EU missions and operations, which we welcome. Serbia’s commitment to EU membership also implies that it progressively aligns with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy in the period up to accession. Serbia needs to exert additional efforts in this respect.

The EU Common Foreign and Security Policy leaves room for developing bilateral relationships with countries that are not EU members, as long as the common framework is respected.

freedom of expression and of the media. These are some of the key challenges that have a direct and tangible impact on citizens’ lives.

■ You have expressed interest in the state of freedom of the press in Serbia on several occasions. What is your conclusion regarding the situation at present?

- A free press is vital for having a democracy that works. Freedom of expression is one of the EU’s fundamental values and one of the core elements of Serbia’s European integration process.

Independent, pluralistic and strong media are the cornerstone of any democratic society. Their role is to hold governments accountable, promote good governance and transparency, and facilitate the free flow of quality and well-researched information on matters of public interest.

Any labelling or attacks on the integrity of journalists that can hinder their professional work go against the values of media freedom. The EU will continue to monitor the situation in this area in the context of Serbia’s accession negotiations.

Serbia needs to address the findings of the latest ODIHR election observation mission report relating to media, including extending the oversight of the media regulator to all aspects of media coverage of elections and by introducing more effective sanctions. It also needs to improve the transparency of media financing, particularly at the local level.

We believe strongly that ensuring freedom of expression needs to increasingly become a political priority in Serbia. This will have a direct and tangible impact on citizens’ lives, but also, we believe, in employment and business opportunities for the media sector. Furthermore, a pluralistic media landscape where citizens can be well informed Strategy represents and where open debate can take place is essential firm confirmation that for every modern democratic society.

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■ You have stated that, as part of the EU integration process, Serbia must addressing reforms in the resolve basic issues like judicial reform and the ■ How would you respond to the fairly widearea of the rule of law, spread belief in Serbia that the EU’s priorifight against corruption. fundamental rights and ties when it comes to Serbia are Kosovo and Many domestic stakeholdgood governance remains relations with Russia, such that everything ers note that there is no the most pressing issue progress in this area. What else – including the rule of law and media is your impression? for the Western Balkans freedom – remains a minor issue in dialogue - Judicial reform and the fight with the authorities? and Serbia against corruption are important - The direct answer to this short and simple: absolutely areas on which Serbia needs to not! In fact, the Strategy represents firm confirmation make progress. For the EU, reforms on the rule of law are not a that addressing reforms in the area of the rule of law, fundamental paper exercise. They are not only about laws, strategies or action rights and good governance remains the most pressing issue for plans, and Serbia needs to strengthen its efforts considerably. the Western Balkans and Serbia. It is a key benchmark against In fact, rule of law reforms are about deep, transformational which the prospects of these countries will be assessed by the changes: strengthening the independence, impartiality and efEU. These fundamental EU values must be embraced much more ficiency of the judiciary; stepping up the fight against corruption strongly and credibly. Strengthening the rule of law is not only an and organised crime; creating an environment that fully guarantees institutional issue; it requires societal transformation. ■ 161

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INTERVIEW

New Mediator For Lasting

PEACE IN THE REGION H.E. MOHAMMED K. M. NABHAN AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE TO SERBIA

U.S. President Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem violates more than eighty UN Security Council Resolutions and more than a thousand UN General Assembly resolutions in which the USA participated and with which it agreed.

All those resolutions consider Jerusalem an occupied territory – Mohammed K.M. Nabhan

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s long as no solution is found to the dispute between Palestine and Israel that is acceptable to both sides, the region remains unstable, says H.E. Mohammed K.M. Nabhan, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Serbia, commenting for this CorD Magazine interview on the latest tensions that have arisen following the U.S. administration’s decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem.

According to the ambassador, the peace process must receive a new main mediator, as this role cannot be played any longer by the United States, which has taken a stance in favour of Israel. Noting that the peace talks between Israel and Palestine have lasted for 24 years, Ambassador Nabhan adds that common comparisons with the crisis in relations between Belgrade and Pristina are inappropriate, “simply because Israel is an occupier and Serbia is not”.

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■ Your Excellency, you have been strongly critical of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Why do you consider that controversial?

- The answer to why we oppose U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is because the decision is in violation of more than eighty UN Security Council Resolutions and more than a thousand UN General Assembly resolutions, in which the U.S. participated and with which it agreed. All those resolutions consider Jerusalem as an occupied territory. The West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip are Palestinian territories occupied by the Israeli Army since 1967.

This move violates international law and ignores the history and legitimate rights of the Palestinian People.

■ On the whole, the international community did not support the U.S.’s move, as could be seen at the recent UN Security Council session. How do you expect developments to progress?

- In 1993, the Oslo Accords were signed by Palestinians and Israelis in the garden of the White House, with then U.S. President Clinton and 63 heads of state or foreign ministers in attendance. Since that time, the U.S. has served as the main mediator in negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, aimed at implementing this agreement.

Throughout this time, we have spoken with successive U.S. administrations, including the Trump administration, with which we had 26 official

JERUSALEM

RELATIONSHIP

HISTORY

Jerusalem is the beginning of all beginnings. Jerusalem is the main jewel of every crown. Jerusalem was established by the Canaanites, the ancestors of the Palestinians, in 3000 BC, before the emergence of all religions

The relationship between Palestine and Serbia is developing not only in the political field, but also in culture, the economy, tourism and all other fields

Historically, Palestinians are peacemakers. Palestine has always been a land of culture, creativity and civilisation

meetings. We were hopeful that this administration would mediate fairly.

Unfortunately, with this move and Trump’s decision, the American Administration a priori excludes any comprehensive and positive outputs of the negotiations process, so the Palestinian People no longer accept it as the main mediator in any negotiations with the Israeli side. We now look to other influential countries in the international community, in order to form a solid and acceptable framework for negotiations that will lead to a comprehensive and lasting peace

■ Could your second suggested option of Jerusalem becoming the capital of both countries prove problematic for those countries that have not yet recognised Palestine - and here we are talking about almost half of all UN members?

- First of all, on 29th November 2012, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to accord Palestine Non-Member State Status in the United Nations. A total of 138 countries voted in favour of the resolution. So, more than two thirds of UN Member States have recognised the

■ You consider one possible resolution of the conflict over Jerusalem could be to divide the city in two entities and for it to become the capital of both Israel and Palestine?

- Jerusalem is the beginning of all beginnings. Jerusalem is the main jewel of every crown. Jerusalem was established by the Canaanites, the ancestors of the Palestinians, in 3000 BC, before the emergence of all religions.

Jerusalem is the shrine of all believers in the world, especially East Jerusalem, which includes all the holy sites, the church of Holy Sepulchre, which is the world’s holiest shrine to Christians, and The Dome of Rock (Qubbat Al-Sakhra) and the famous Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Historically, the Palestinian people have considered Jerusalem an open city, and it should be such – not under any occupation, as it is now. Jerusalem could be a place that the whole of humanity can access and where they can come together. This is not the case at present. Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, from state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, are not granted acThe West Bank, cess to Jerusalem. Can you imagine needing military its capital. And there are very few states Jerusalem and the Gaza that are against recognising the Palestinian permission to move from Obrenovac or any place in Strip are Palestinian Serbia to Belgrade, something like how the situation state: the United States, Canada, Czechia, was in some parts of Europe under Nazi occupation? territories occupied by the the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, And, worse than that, Israel is building a racist dividPanama, Palau and Israel.

Israeli Army since 1967. ing wall, which is snaking its way through the West So that reflects the well of international This move violates Bank. It is a monstrous, eight-metre-high wall made community support based on internainternational law and tional law and resolutions of international of concrete; this wall is an entire regime composed of legitimacy. barbwire, trenches, watchtowers, electric fences and ignores the history and ditches, fractionating Palestinian towns and villages in legitimate rights of the ■ What does Slovenia’s announcea mercilessness way. Israel has erected more than 500 Palestinian People ment that it is to formally recognise checkpoints around and between Palestinian towns.

Palestine mean to you?

Israel continues its Settlement policy and the - This means a lot to us. This means that Slovenia, like all other countries Judaization of Jerusalem, attempting to change the Islamic and Christian that recognise The Palestinian State, contributes to the peace-making features of the city, and to destroy its Arabic identity. process which will end the Israeli occupation of the territories of the I would like to refer you to the latest EU report on Jerusalem, to Palestinian State, occupied since 1967. invite you to read it.

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■ Slovenia is set to become only the second EU member state to recognise Palestine. President Mahmoud Abbas recently called on the EU as a whole to recognise Palestine, but the Union remains neutral. How would you comment on such a low level of understanding with Europe?

- The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution which demands that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and do not recognise any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions. That was the response of the international community to Trump’s decision. The resolution was approved by 128 UN Member States. So, an overwhelming majority of the international

tifada insurrection. What are your predictions for the region?

- I understand your question is about the future of stability and security in the Middle East. If we look at the last seventy years, with a focus on the last 25 years, we see that U.S. has waged many wars in the Middle East, destroying many countries along the way, while Israel launched more than eight wars. Now, who is threatening the peace? My people, who seek dignity and freedom in their own state, a state that is recognised by the overwhelming majority of the international community? Or those who destroy many countries, killing millions of people? So, it is clear that the main problem in the region is the Israeli occupation. As long as the Palestinian issue remains without resolution, it will remain the main reason for instability.

■ You say that there should be a resumption of the negotiations that have lasted for decades and aim to normalise the relationship between the two peoples. How long, in your opinion, does such a peace process need in order to prove successful?

- We have always called for negotiations on clear grounds that lead to establishing a Palestinian State.

We believe that such a result is attainable. All that is needed is the will of the other side to end the occupation and respect the desire of our people for independence and freedom.

■ The previous question is relevant locally because Israel and Palestine are often mentioned in the context of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. In its strategy for the Western Balkans, the European Union expects Serbia to reach a binding agreement with Kosovo by 2019. There are those who argue that Historically, the resolving long-standing problems should be community rejects Trump’s decision. And Palestinian people have done quickly and result in the identifying of the majority of EU member states voted considered Jerusalem an final solutions, instead of processes lasting in favour of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution, and remarkably the open city, and it should be for many years. From the perspective of your country, how would you view such an approach?

UK also voted in favour of the resolution, such – not under any - We have been negotiating for more than 24 years, which means that they all reject Trump’s occupation, as it is now. with more than six Israeli governments. Our position is decision. The EU is on its way to recognisJerusalem could be a ing the Palestinian State. Israel is trying well known to them, and to the whole world. We have to stop that process, but we can see that discussed every sentence, comma and full stop. All place that the whole it has begun, and no one can stop it. And we need is the implementation of that which we have of humanity can access by the way we have a very high level of agreed upon. Throughout that time, the U.S. played and where they can understanding with Europe. Speaking at a the role of mediator and supervisor. Unfortunately, come together meeting in Brussels with EU foreign minisnothing was achieved, simply because Israel does not ters last month, President Mahmoud Abbas want to end the occupation and the U.S. did nothing urged EU governments to recognise the State of Palestine. The European to compel them to do so.

Union assured President Abbas that it supports the two-state solution According to the part of your question related to what the EU expects that includes the Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Serbia to do, I’m really not aware of that, but what I can tell you is that any comparison between the Palestinian issue and Kosovo is a completely ■ Following the U.S. administration’s decision to relocate its false comparison, simply because Israel is an occupier and Serbia is not. embassy to Jerusalem, a series of protests were staged against the policy. Analysis of research showed respondents fear the ■ Palestine voted against Kosovo’s admission into UNESCO. move could result in fresh conflicts and a wave of instability Will that remain your country’s policy in the period ahead? in the region, especially following Hamas’s call for a new in- Yes. 16 |

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■ You are among the longest-serving ambassadors in Serbia. by famed Serbian director Emir Kusturica, the prize for best How would you assess relations between the two countries? film by a young filmmaker went to Palestinian director Rakan - We have good relations with Serbia. That is obvious through mutual Mayasi for the film Bonboné. This work addresses the complexity of the political situation between Palestinians and support in international organisations. And really there is also great Israelis. Are you satisfied with the level sympathy between the two peoples, because of cooperation between Palestine and both peoples have been subjected to aggresThe United Nations sion and occupation, and a part of both peoples Serbia in the domain of culture?

General Assembly has was forcibly displaced and became refugees.

- Historically, Palestinians are peacemakers. approved a resolution The relationship between Palestine and Palestine has always been a land of culture, Serbia is developing not only in the political creativity and civilisation. Palestinians are which demands that all field, but also in culture, the economy, tourism magnificent individuals and have amassed a States comply with and all other fields. large number of international prizes in all fields, Security Council Furthermore, thousands of Palestinians despite the terrible circumstances imposed by resolutions regarding studied in Serbia and there are a large number the Israeli occupation. of mixed families.

We have a good level of cultural relations the Holy City of Don’t forget that Saint Sava visited Palestine with Serbia. Many publishing houses have pubJerusalem, and do not lished books by Palestinian authors translated twice and lived there for around three years. recognise any actions into Serbian.

You see how old the relations are between the or measures contrary to The prize for best film that went to Palestintwo peoples. ian filmmaker Rakan Mayasi at the Kustendorf At the official level, we have always been those resolutions Film Festival is not the first to be won by a Palkeen to renew relations constantly, and we also estinian filmmaker in Serbia. I remember, for example, that Palestinian see the same concern from Serbia. filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel won a prize for his film “A World Not Ours” in Serbia five years ago. ■ ■ At the recent edition of the Kustendorf Film Festival, founded

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SADNESS

GLOBAL DIARY

“No society has been able to abolish human sadness, no political system can deliver us from the pain of living, from our fear of death, our thirst for the absolute. It is the human condition that directs the social condition, not vice versa.” - Eugene Ionesco, French dramatist

ELON MUSK SENDS TESLA CAR TO MARS ▶ The SpaceX founder Elon Musk made history with his company last month when he sent the most powerful rocket on Earth up into space – where it dropped off his own car, before coming back down to land on the ground again.

A cherry red Tesla car was launched into with David Bowie’s song Life on Mars playing on repeat.

Mr Musk used a super rocket – the Falcon Heavy vehicle – to send the car into orbit around Mars, deploying technology with twice the launching power of any existing rocket, which is designed to lift the equivalent weight of five double-decker London buses - 64 tons - into space. The South African-born entrepreneur has promised “epic views” of space from cameras strapped to the vehicle.

If this maiden voyage is successful, it raises interesting possibilities for future innovation, including larger US satellites and also the realisation of Mr Musk’s dream to launch hundreds of satellites into space in order to give broadband internet access to the developing world.

MANCHESTER UNITED MARK 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MUNICH AIR DISASTER

▶ Manchester United’s players, staff

and supporters showed their solidarity as they came together to pay tribute on the 60th anniversary of the Munich air disaster which occurred on February 6, 1958 Sir Matt Busby’s team — christened the Busby Babes — were returning from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade when their plane crashed as it took off in snow and eight United players lost their lives.

United players Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Coleman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan and Duncan Edwards were the eight Reds who died as a result of the disaster. Nine players including Sir Bobby Charlton, Harry Gregg and manager Busby survived.

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ADRENALINE VENTURE FROM BANJA LUKA

PRINCESS MAKO’S MARRIAGE TO BE POSTPONED

▶ A video about a unique adrenaline

venture, which was achieved 200 meters above the ground in Tijesno Canyon in Banja Luka, was recently published on the official Facebook page of the “National Geographic Adventur”.

A video in which fans of climbing sport had the opportunity to enjoy in specially made hammocks, which are hanging in the air above the canyon, recorded more than 26,000 “likes” on the aforementioned social network.

Secretary of climbing club “Extreme” from Banja Luka, Zelimir Rnjak, said that everything happened back in 2016 within the “Drill and Chill Climbing and Highlining Festival”.

The same event will be organized this festival again this year.

▶ The Imperial Household Agency

said that the formal engagement and marriage of Princess Mako — the eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito — and her fiance, Kei Komuro, will be postponed until 2020 due to “lack of preparation.”

The couple, both 26, were supposed to be formally engaged in a traditional court ceremony called

KEI KOMURO AND PRINCESS MAKO

Nosai no Gi on March 4, ahead of their planned wedding on Nov. 4. But the princess said that she “came to recognize the lack of time to make sufficient preparations.” The agency denied any link between the postponement

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 2018! ▶ Unlike our New Year celebrations, Chinese New Year is never on a

fixed date – and the festivities for 2018 have kicked off on February 16 and lasted until the end of February. But, Chinese New Year is a movable celebration, dictated by the lunar cycle, which can fall anytime between January 21 and February 20.

One of the world’s most colourful and exuberant events is triggering celebrations across the globe. The global celebrations are an explosion of light and sound, involving bell ringing, lighting firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances.

Chinese families gather together for a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, and clean their houses to sweep away bad fortune on New Year’s Day. Traditionally, kids would be given red envelopes stuffed with ‘lucky money’ and positive wishes on New Year’s Day.

NEIGHBOUR

“Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers. But first they have to understand that their neighbour is, in the end, just like them, with the same problems, the same questions.” - Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist

PYEONGCHANG ENDS THE 2018 WINTER GAMES ▶ The Winter Olympics 2018 in South Korea has finally come to an end with the closing ceremony concluding the games in Pyeongchang. With the ceremony showcasing cutting-edge South Korean technology and a remarkable drone show that dotted out the image of the Games mascot Soohorang, a white tiger, in the night sky, athletes marched into the stadium, many wearing their medals. ”You have shown how sport brings people together in our fragile world; you have shown how sport builds bridges,“ Bach said. ”The IOC will continue this Olympic dialogue, even after we extinguish the Olympic flame,” said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee Norway, nation of only 5 million people, has delivered the greatest performance in the history of the Winter Games, winning a total of 38 medals, 13 of them gold.

and a recent weekly magazine report of a financial dispute — between Komuro’s mother and her former fiance — over her son’s education expenses of about ¥4 million (€30,000), which were reportedly shouldered by the mother’s former partner.

PREPARATION FOR A FUTURE TRIP TO MARS ▶ On 18th February a team of six

Israeli researchers ended a four-day Mars habitat experiment in Israel’s

Negev desert where they simulated living conditions on the Red Planet, Israel’s Science and Technology Ministry said.

The experiment was held near the isolated Israeli township of Mitzpe Ramon, whose surroundings resemble the Martian environment in its geology, aridity, appearance and desolation, according to the ministry.

Participants were investigating various fields relevant to a future Mars mission, including satellite communications, the psychological

effects of isolation, radiation measurements and searching for life signs in soil.

The ‘D-Mars’ project was being held in Israel for the first time in cooperation with the Israel Space Agency. It is one of a number of Mars simulation projects taking place worldwide.

collection of 2,000 works, many of which were inherited from her mother Jacqueline Roque. Most of the works have never been exhibited before and the breadth of the collection will beat that of the Picasso museums in Paris, Antibes, Barcelona and Malaga together. Until recently Picasso was ranked the most-expensive artist (he only lost the title to Leonardo Da Vinci last year) and he remains the most prolific painter in the world, so the Musée Jacqueline et Pablo Picasso will be a welcome addition when it opens in 2021.

NEW GALLERY DEDICATED TO PABLO PICASSO ▶ A new museum is coming to Aix-en-

Provence in southern France. Pablo Picasso’s stepdaughter, Catherine Hutin-Blay, has announced plans to convert a former convent into a gallery dedicated to the late Spanish artist.

The museum, to open near Picasso’s burial site, will showcase Hutin-Blay’s

COLLEGE OF PREACHERS IN AIX-EN-PROVENCE

The new museum will be built inside the former convent College of Preachers in Aix-en-Provence Picasso also happens to be the most stolen artist in the world – let’s hope Hutin-Blay installs a bulletproof security system.

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FOCUS DRAFT LAW ON CHARGES FOR THE UTILISATION OF PUBLIC GOODS

Good Starting Point

FOR DISCUSSION

Finalisation of the Draft Law on Charges for the Utilisation of Public Goods within expected comprehensive reforms of parafiscal charges is welcomed by the business community as a step in the right direction when it comes to the clarity and predictability of business dealings. However, certain provisions seem to be worrisome as they are neither precise enough nor fiscally neutral

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he clarity and predictability of parafiscal charges has been one of the most debated topics within the business community and in their communication with the government for some time. After a period considering the topic, the Ministry of Finance recently presented the Draft Law on Charges for the Utilisation of Public Goods, which represents one of several steps being taken by the government to address the comprehensive reform of parafiscal charges and fees.

This topic is complex from both the legal perspective, as the current parafiscal charges and fees are scattered across many different laws, and from the fiscal perspective, as such charges have been used to finance many different needs in local communities. When it comes to the investment climate, unpredictable changes in the nature and type of charges and fees create instability and even threaten to halt the development of 20 |

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business strategies beneficial to less-developed communities.

We asked businesspeople and associations to comment on the draft Law on Charges for the Utilisation of Public Goods and to tell us whether the bill meets their expectations. Our interlocutors assessed the draft Law as an important step that will lead to the removal of legal uncertainty, but also offered some valuable suggestions for the improvement of some proposed legal provisions.

The question: To what extent does the unpredictability of parafiscal charges create problems in your operations; and what would you include in the new law on fees and charges with the aim of reducing the level of dissatisfaction and the complaints of investors to date relating to these parafiscal charges? â–

Good Basis For Reforming The Charges System Preparation of the law on charges for the use of public goods represents good news for the economy and indicates ALEKSANDAR RUŽEVIĆ that the state has accepted the GENERAL MANAGER AT COCA COLA HELLENIC BOTTLING COMPANY SERBIA & suggestions of companies and MONTENEGRO AND CHAIRMAN OF THE NALED BOARD OF DIRECTORS business associations to finally enter into comprehensive reform of the system of non-tax levies and parafiscal charges.

Thirdly, increasing the amount of individual charges has also been proposed, which will serve to increase the burden on the economy.

One of the key proposals of NALED and businesses is for the law to regulate the introduction of a publicly accessible online register that would include all non-tax charges. No institution should be able to introduce new charges without receiving the consent of the Ministry of Finance and detailing them in the register. The Draft Law mentions the recording of all charges in one article, but there is no detailed explaination of the kind of record this realtes to, who issues bylaws for the creation of records and who leads the process, and thus it is unclear whether this is actually a unified public register of charges.

Secure A Healthy Investment Climate

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ALED has over the last five years continuously indicated that it is necessary to continue eliminating of parafiscal charges, which was carried out once, with the abolition of 138 taxes and charges in 2012. Conducted research saw businesspeople emphasise that non-tax charges are the second greatest burden on operations, just behind taxes and earning contributions, while a specific problem is represented by their unpredictability in terms of amounts that change from year to

One of the key proposals of NALED and businesses is for the law to regulate the introduction of a publicly accessible online register that would include all non-tax charges. No institution should be able to introduce new charges without receiving the consent of the Ministry of Finance and detailing them in the register year, by as much as three-digit percentages.

The draft law that began being publicly debated at the beginning of the year represents a good basis for the reform of the system of charges, and it is commendable that the Ministry of Finance decided to take this big step after several attempts to compile a draft law since 2013. We would still, however, highlight three problems that we have noticed.

Firstly, individual proposed charges have elements of tax (especially in the part relating to environmental charges), because charges are envisaged for the use of goods that are not public goods. Likewise, government ministries do not want to relinquish these charges, as they see it as a reduction in their income.

This contradicts the purpose of enacting the law, because businesses want to see the elimination of superfluous levies, and not the introduction of new ones.

Secondly, there is a doubling of the level of individual charges, which also isn’t in the spirit of the proposal of the economy.

BRANKO MITROVIĆ

I would say that parafiscal charges are a very important influencer of the business environment, and especially the level of investments.

CHIEF CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER, TELENOR

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he telecommunications sector is often under threat of both temporary and permanent parafiscal charges, which are mainly related to mobile services. That is why we advocate for the predictability of the business climate, where refraining from the introducing of any unexpected costs is necessary if we want to ensure transparency. We share this ambition with the American Chamber of Commerce, of which Telenor has been a member since the very beginning.

We advocate for the predictability of the business climate, where refraining from the introducing of any unexpected costs is necessary if we want to ensure transparency Regarding the new Law, we are encouraged by the fact that the Minister of Finance clearly stated in the public debate that intention of the law is to provide fiscally neutral legislation.

However, the current draft proposes the introduction of new and also high parafiscal charges that will limit technological development in remote areas. This is where we will focus our efforts, mainly to secure a healthy investment climate and quality internet access for our customers across Serbia.

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Where Are Parafiscal Charges Heading?

Parafiscal charges increase the otherwise already high burden JASMINKA KISELČIĆ on the economy. It is particularly DIRECTOR OF PLANNING aggravating for companies AND ANALYSIS, DELTA HOLDING that those charges are nontransparent and unpredictable.

They represent a cost that usually yields no return, or just some partial service, right or good.

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he fee for regulating construction land is an excellent example of a parafiscal charge, as with payment you don’t receive a counter-service of a proportionate value from the state. The level of the fee for construction in the city (with built infrastructure) is much higher than in the countryside, although much more investment is required in the village to link to the water supply, sewage system or roads.

Numerous fees are paid to public companies, but we don’t know the intended purpose of the funds collected in that way.

The situation is similar with the environmental protection charge, which is a tax in nature, because the money goes into the budget for general requirements, like all other taxes, and not expressly for environmental protection.

There are existing charges that are inappropriate for the service provided by the state. One example is the charge for obtaining a usage permit, the rate of which is determined as a percentage of the value of the property and has nothing to do with

State bodies and the National Bank of Serbia charge for the interpretation of regulations under their jurisdiction, while another special story is that of ‘firmarina’, a parafiscal obligation for which the payer receives absolutely nothing the actual costs of the issuing authority. State bodies and the National Bank of Serbia charge for the interpretation of regulations under their jurisdiction, while another special story is that of ‘firmarina’, a parafiscal obligation for which the payer receives absolutely nothing.

The new law should reduce the number of charges, primarily by abolishing parafiscal charges that provide nothing in return, while the rate of fees should be proportionate to the service provided.

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Important Step Towards Removing Legal Uncertainties

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e welcome the initiative to consolidate all fees for the MIRJANA JOVAŠEVIĆ use of public goods in one reCORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS gulation, as it brings more claDIRECTOR, DELHAIZE SRBIJA rity and transparency in what is considered public and fees for the usage of that. This is an important step that will lead to relief in the business environment and the removal of legal uncertainties, as charges for the use of public goods and natural resources have so far been regulated in at least 13 laws and numerous bylaws.

Establishing A Clear Policy Of Spending Funds Apatin Brewery supports all the efforts of the state authorities to improve the area of parafiscal charges.

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stablishing the unique tax registry is a positive example, but we believe it is crucial to make a clear policy of spending these funds in accordance with the purposes for which they are envisaged.

The principles of establishing, calculating and spending these funds should also be extremely transparent in order for companies VLADIMIR NOVAKOVIĆ

GENERAL MANAGER, APATIN BREWERY

A shortcoming of parafiscal policy is that there is no strategy or plan for spending funds collected through parafiscal charges, and no clear reporting system and citizens to have a clear picture of what is being spent through various parafiscal charges and which goals have been achieved. In fact, this should be the very essence of the reforms. An additional shortcoming of parafiscal policy is that there is no strategy or plan for spending funds collected through parafiscal charges, and there is evidently no clear reporting system.

EU FOREIGN MINISTERS

By EURONEWS

Split Over Western Balkan Strategy

The EU’s foreign ministers are divided over the timetable for Brussels’ plan to bring six Western Balkan states into the Union

A

t a meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, the European Union’s foreign ministers were split on the bloc’s Western Balkan strategy.

Brussels wants to bring six Western Balkan states into the Union.

Serbia and Montenegro are first up, with a planned accession date of 2025. Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will follow, as Brussels tries to reclaim the region from Russian and Chinese influence.

That, at least, is the plan. But for now there’s a snag: Serbia won’t recognise Kosovo’s independence.

“It is necessary to accept Kosovo,” said Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Foreign Minister, speaking in Pristina on 14th February.

“The best condition for this is to find a solution to end the border conflicts and the Kosovo conflict. Why? Because it is necessary for Serbia, otherwise Serbia cannot become a member of the European Union”.

During the recent migrant crisis, one main route into the EU went through the Western Balkans.

Hungary and Bulgaria, which border the region, say there’s no time to waste. The security of the bloc depends on securing the Balkans, and the region couldn’t withstand another wave of migrants.

“It’s obvious that the U.S. has a strategy on the Western Balkans, Russia has a strategy on the Western Balakans, Turkey has a strategy on the Western Balkans,” Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto said, as he headed into the meeting on Thursday.

“It’s only the European Union that is extremely slow when it comes to issues in the Western Balkans”.

But Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec said regional disputes can take years to resolve. Rather than being too slow, 2025 might be too optimistic, he suggested.

“Slovenia had twenty years dialogue with Croatia to find a solution regarding the border between Slovenia and Croatia and I think it’s not possible to expect this condition in 2025”.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is scheduled to visit all six Western Balkan countries later this month. ■

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THE BREXIT TRANSITION

What’s On The

By MICHAEL DOUGAN

NEGOTIATING TABLE?

British Prime Minister Theresa May formally requested a transitional deal with the European Union after Brexit during her speech in Florence in September 2017. However, it was only after EU leaders agreed to move on to the next stage of the negotiations in December, that the path was cleared for talks on the transition to begin in earnest

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t’s expected that a legal text covering both separation issues and transition, plus a political declaration on the outline for a future EU-UK relationship, should be finalised by October 2018.

On 29th January, the EU published its negotiating directives for the transition. There is much the UK and EU already agree on, but there are also some important political differences – and tricky legal issues.

WHERE THERE’S AGREEMENT The two sides agree that the transition period will start after the UK has withdrawn from the EU. The UK has not requested a direct extension of its EU membership – something which is explicitly provided for under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, the mechanism which governs how a member leaves the EU. The date of withdrawal remains as planned: on 29th March 2019, the UK will become what’s called a “third country” in relation to the EU. 24 |

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They also agree that this will not be an “implementation period” for a new deal on future relations between the UK and the EU. There can be no phased introduction of a “deep and special partnership” which has not been negotiated yet. The fact that the government doggedly refers to the transition as an “implementation period” is simply an attempt to disguise its own fundamental failures in handling the Article 50 process so far.

The UK and EU also agree that transition should – as far as possible – be based on preserving the status quo so as to give public bodies more time to prepare for withdrawal. For example, port authorities will need time to prepare for the expansion of customs controls. But this greatly understates the scale of the problem. The task the UK government has brought upon itself is mind-boggling. If not done properly, it risks causing serious and wide-scale regulatory and administrative malfunction. Private companies also need time to

prepare. All across Europe, supply chains need to be adjusted, recruitment and training rethought, new legal structures adopted, and fresh supervisory requirements fulfilled.

effective EU rules and curtail their supremacy over new UK legislation.

In line with the EU’s proposals, the UK accepts that it would remain subject to the continued enforcement powers of the European Commission and the full jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) during the transition. But the government wants the ECJ to be replaced as soon as possible with some – as yet undefined – alternative. So far, the EU has shown not the slightest inclination to accommodate such political shenanigans.

DISAGREEMENT ON THE DETAILS Despite the agreement on these basic principles, negotiating the details of transition may prove more tricky.

The UK wants the transition to last “around two years”. The EU thinks transition should expire by 31st December 2020. Either would LEGAL HURDLES LOOM be a lot shorter than many businesses would like. But so far, there Transition is not just about politics. The EU27 have said that any deal seems little support for an explicit facility to extend the transition must also be “legally possible”, but there are some tricky legal issues should it prove insufficient. to deal with. For example, Article 50 adopts the fundamental premise A potentially critical issue is free movement of people. The EU that the EU treaties will cease to apply to the UK at the moment of its position is robust: not only must free movement continue in full during the transition, but new arrivals must also be entitled to have their rights protected into the future in accordance with the Article 50 agreement. The UK government’s precise position on this issue remains unclear. However, on February 1, Theresa May indicated that, even if the UK accepts temporary free movement during the transition, new EU arrivals to the UK should not have the same rights as those already in the country before 29th March 2019.

The EU insists that the UK must be obliged to follow any new changes in EU law during transition. There is scant interest in the British desire for a mechanism to allow it to screen or filter new EU law to avoid it becoming what some have called a “vassal state”.

The UK would no longer participate in, nominate or elect members of the institutions of the EU. It would be offered only operational, not decision-making, participation in the EU’s various committees and agencies in areas such as medicines, chemicals or police cooperation. The basic price of transition is withdrawal, when it formally becomes a The UK and EU also plain: the UK must transform itself voluntarily from third country. However, the plan is for an agree that transition a leading rule-maker into passive rule-taker. The ambitious transitional agreement based should – as far as UK’s Brexit secretary, David Davis, has pushed back on the wholesale extension of EU law to – demanding ways to ensure that the British voice is the UK as if it were still a member state. possible – be based on still heard – but has offered no concrete proposals. preserving the status quo There are good practical reasons for that The UK has demanded the ability to begin formal – given how much is still left to be done, so as to give public bodies and how little time remains to do it – but trade negotiations with other countries during the more time to prepare transition, provided the entry into force of any new it does feel difficult to square with the deals is delayed until it ends. The Council of the explicit text of the EU treaties. for withdrawal EU, representing the governments of the EU27, is The negotiation of an ambitious transition agreement may prove more difficult and more controversial, and even prepared for certain deals to commence during transition – but take longer, than many British politicians appear to assume. Definitive subject to the condition that the EU authorises this itself. answers to the most difficult legal questions can only be provided by the Within the relevant fields, transition will be based on EU rules, ECJ – yet that may just slow matters down even further. Either way, some but the Council of the EU also insists that EU law should continue to of the main benefits to agreeing a quick transitional regime – especially produce the same legal effects within the UK as it does across the EU reassuring investors and persuading businesses not to implement their itself during transition. That means continuing to respect principles contingency plans – may prove more difficult to deliver in practice than such as direct effect and supremacy, which make EU rules a valid they appear in theory. ■ source of law in the UK and give EU rules priority over conflicting national legislation. That would force the government to put on ice The author is Professor of European Law some of its key plans under the EU (Withdrawal) Bill: to limit directly and Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law, University of Liverpool MARCH

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SUPER BOWL 2018

The Big GAME

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hiladelphia Eagles fans are not the only ones elated with the 2018 Super Bowl. Sunday’s big event pulled in $414 million in advertising sales for NBC, the second-biggest take in history.

Final ratings, meanwhile, show a Nielsen household 33.4 rating among adults 18-49, down 10% from last year’s 37.1.

Kantar Media’s preliminary estimate of in-game ad spending for the game—in which the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots 41-33—is second to last year’s game, which totaled $419 million. Total non-program time—which comprises paid advertising, NFL promos/PSAs and NBC program promos—totaled 49 minutes/35 seconds, which is the third-highest on record, albeit down from 51:30 a year ago. This year’s nonprogram time accounted for 22% of total time of broadcast, Kantar reports.

There were seven minutes/25 seconds of network TV program promos, versus 7:30 a year ago, and two minutes of NFL promos/PSAs, versus 2:20 a year ago.

Anheuser-Busch InBev and Fiat Chrysler Automotive were the top advertisers in the game, with four minutes each of advertising time. Toyota Motor was at three minutes, while Amazon was at two minutes/30 seconds.

There were a total of 62 in-game spots aired by 45 different advertisers from 37 unique parent company owners.

Attendance At Super Bowl Events

Here’s the breakdown of Super Bowl attendance numbers: • 1,055,000: Attendance at Super Bowl LIVE presented by Verizon during 10-day festival • 235,000: Attendance at Super Bowl LIVE on Saturday, February 3, biggest attendance day (and also our snowiest) • 48: Bands/artists performed at Super Bowl

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SuperBowl attracted the second highest in-game ad expenditure in history, hitting $414 million during the 49 minutes, 35 second of commercial running time, according to new research

Regarding viewership, according to preliminary results from Nielsen, the telecast of Super Bowl LII on NBC, which ran from 6:31pm to 10:25pm, drew an average TV audience of about 103.4 million viewers and was viewed in an average of 51.5 million homes.

Westwood One, which holds radio rights for the Super Bowl, estimates that 25.5 million listeners tune in to the Super Bowl on the airwaves, according to data provided by GfK Custom Research. In all, 74% of total Westwood One Super Bowl listening occurs away from home.

The Super Bowl on NBC generated $414 million in advertising revenue, a record for a regulation game and only slightly behind last year’s Super Bowl, which went into overtime, according to preliminary estimates by Kantar Media. Kantar says last year’s Super Bowl generated $419 million.

There were 49 minutes and 35 seconds of commercial time from paying sponsors, the NFL and NBC Universal, which matches the third-highest total ever, according to Kantar. Ads accounted for 22% of the broadcast.

The biggest advertisers were Anheuser-Busch InBev and Fiat Chrysler, with 4 minutes each. There were only four new sponsors in the Super Bowl this year, and 40% of the company’s that bought ads in last year’s game did not return. There were 19 commercials that ran 60 seconds or more, representing 31% of the ads. That’s up from the last two years, but not as big as 2014 and 2015, when then accounted for 41% and 38% of the spots, respectively.

Kantar expects that when pre-game and post-game programming is figured in NBC will have raked in more than $500 million in ad revenue.

Last year, the cheapest ticket was about $2,700 for Super Bowl 51,.

According to StubHub.com, the cheapest “get-in price” as of the February 6 at noon was more than $3,100. ■

LIVE at free and open to the public concerts • 2285: Total kilometers that 10,000 Bold North Zipliners collectively traveled during 10-day festival • 1.4 million: Visitors to Mall of America, the site of NFL Fan Gallery, during the 10-day festival • 14,500: tons of chips are eaten along with guacamole (avocado mixed with chopped onion, tomatoes, chili peppers, and seasoning) • 185,000: Total volunteer hours from 10,000+ Crew 52 volunteers • 33,000: Total volunteer shifts from 10,000+

Crew 52 volunteers • 61,000: Record-breaking number of passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday, February 5 • 1,630: Private jet arrivals at Twin Cities airports during week of Super Bowl • 67,612: Attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium for Super Bowl LII • 5,800: Record number of credentialed media members for Super Bowl LII • 25: Different countries represented by the media at Super Bowl LII

MARCH BUSINESS LEADERS’ MEETING POINT

PAGE 34

MELITA ROZMAN DACAR MSC. Director of SŽ-Cargo Ltd. (SŽ-Tovorni promet, d.o.o.)

DUŠAN PEROVIĆ president of Termovent Komerc d.o.o. (Ltd.)

Through Cooperation To Quality Services In The Region

Limitless PAGE 38

VLADAN VASIĆ Mayor of Pirot

PAGE 40

Success Means Hard Work MARCH

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LOCAL NEWS

DIRECTION “Serbia is on the European path, but will continue to build best relations with Russia… I presume there will be different wishes and pressure for those relations to go in the opposite direction, but Serbia will stay on the same line.” — ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ, President of Serbia

JAPANESE BUSINESS ALLIANCE IN SERBIA

PROCREDIT BANKA

Improving Business Cooperation Between Serbia And Japan

Greater Business Optimism This Year

Representatives of the Serbian Development Agency (RAS) and the Japanese Business Alliance in Serbia (JPAS) have signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at more effective coordination in improving business cooperation between Serbia and Japan.

The memorandum was signed by acting director of RAS Radoš Gazdić and executive director of JPAS Danijela Čabarkapa.

The results of a survey conducted by ProCredit Bank in cooperation with the research agency GfK among small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs in Serbia show that the business optimism index for 2018 is 54.4 percent, which means that more Serbian businesspeople have positive expectations of this year.

This is the 6th survey organised by ProCredit Bank and it shows that the business optimism index of companies cooperating with Germany has increased compared to last year, from 63.2 to 66.2%.

According to the ProOptimist Index, 43% of businesspeople expect higher profits in 2018, while one third of entrepreneurs share this view, and slightly more than half (56%) of the companies cooperating with Germany think that their revenues this year will be higher than last year. “This survey should serve as guidelines for all those connected with SMEE sector operations, because in it precisely tells the mood of domestic businesspeople, their expectations and problems. We at ProCredit Bank strongly support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Serbia in the long run, and we are trying to make an important contribution to the growth of domestic investment and business optimism”, said Igor Anić, member of the Executive Board of ProCredit Bank.

The survey shows that as many as 87 percent of businesspeople in the SME sector do not plan to increase the number of their employees or their wages in 2018, while 29% of those cooperating with Germany plan to do so. Among the key problems faced by businesspeople in Serbia are still poor payment collection, strong competition and low sales. Companies that cooperate with Germany quote taxes and regulations as major problems. The survey was carried out at the end of 2017 and included 360 entrepreneurs and decision-makers in SMEEs from various sectors of the economy, out of which 180 were from companies that cooperate with Germany.

BUDIMKA

Huge Interest In Purchasing Budimka RAS and JPAS will in future carry out common actions in connecting businesspeople in the two countries. The aim is to strengthen business connections and collaboration, to organise education and common events for exchanging experience, to provide information about opportunities for work and to exchange information on basic economic indicators and trends. Serbia will also be promoted as a potential investment destination for Japanese companies and support offered to entrepreneurs of both countries on the Serbian and Japanese markets.

A multinational company from the United Arab Emirates is the 23rd in the line of companies which have shown interest in purchasing the Pozega-based company Budimka, Blic reports. Through a law office in Novi Sad, the company sought and received the business plans of Budimka in the five years before the former giant in the field of production of fruit, vegetable and meat products stopped working. The Pozega-based company has been informed that the multinational company has thoroughly examined Budimka’s potentials and that their participation in the tender will considerably raise the selling price, which is important for repaying as many creditors as possible, following the recent declaration of bankruptcy. Foreign competition might complicate things for two local players who obtained all the Budimka papers a long time ago – Petar Matijevic and Miodrag Kostic, who are looking to expand their agrarian empires to include the production of juices and jams in Budimka.

Source: e-Kapija

AIR SERBIA

Initiatives To Increase Operational Efficiency The Etihad Airways Partners concept has been a colossal failure. Etihad invested in a group of airlines, gave them some Etihad touches, and tried to turnthemintoaglobalairlinegroup.Whiletheconceptofthatisn’tnecessarily bad, the problem is that they invested in incredibly unprofitable airlines, and Etihad doesn’t have much experience themselves in turning a profit One of Etihad’s other investments is Air Serbia. Employees of the Serbian flag carrier received an announcement on February 12, 2018, stating that during a “recent” company’s strategic meeting it was decided to “define the direction of development in the coming period”.

The goal of the re-organization, as the statement reads, will be to focus on net profit, a new concept of tariffs, on-the-fly sales, additional services that will generate additional revenue as a product, and initiatives that will allow increased operational efficiency. However it has to be seen the full details of this restructuring, though it sounds like Etihad is putting Air Serbia under more financial pressure.

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10 THINGS

NEVER TO SAY IN THE FIRST 30 DAYS OF WORK

When you first start a job, not only is it important to make a positive first impression, it’s also important to prove a point. All eyes are on you, the new hire, and it’s your time to shine.

Listen, learn and lean in are the must-dos, Put your positive foot forward and take note of these 10 things to never say in the first 30 days of work.

1. “I just assumed…”

2. “Isn’t that Ivan’s job? Should we loop him in?”

3. “I tried my best.”

4. “Why do parents on the team get to work from home some days? That’s not fair.”

5. “At my previous job, we used to do it like this…”

6. “I should have asked for more money.”

7. “That makes no sense.”

8. “I’m sorry, but…”

9. “Because I’m in charge.”

10. “I quit.”

WESTERN BALKANS “I think it’s absolutely detrimental to push a false choice on any country, which suggests that well, you go either West or East...

Regrettably, some of our counterparts in the West proceed from precisely this logic when they communicate with countries in the Western Balkans, and not only there.” — SERGEI LAVROV, Russian Foreign Minister

NALED & GERMAN DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

Grey Economy Reduced In The Formal Sector The volume of the grey economy was reduced among registered businesses during the past five years, falling from 21.2 to 15.4% of the GDP. However, one in three companies is still doing business in the grey zone, with significant contributions by unregistered companies comprising more than 17% of the total number of business entities, as shown by the analysis “Grey Economy in Serbia 2017”.

- The improvement of inspection supervision aimed at identifying unregistered companies must be the main priority of the new action plan of the National Programme for Combating the Grey Economy, along with more efficient processing of such behavior,” said Goran Kovačević, Deputy Chairman of the NALED Management Board at the opening of the 3rd national conference “Way out of the Grey Economy” at the Palace of Serbia.

Placements & postings appointments@aim.rs

▪ H.E. AMR ALJOWAILY, NEW AMBASSADOR OF EGYPT TO SERBIA Ambassador Amr Aljowaily holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo (AUC), an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta. He began his career in print and broadcast journalism, while his latest publication is an edited book entitled “Serbia in Egyptian Eyes: Diplomatic Memories and Cultural Memoirs”. From 2003 to 2015, Ambassador Aljowaily participated in numerous executive training activities and held leading positions in multilateral negotiations. His previous foreign diplomatic postings were in New York, Geneva and Washington, DC. He has also served at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry as Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister responsible for United Nations Affairs, Director of UN Affairs, member of the Cabinets of the Minister and First Undersecretary, and in the departments of multilateral political and economic issues. Ambassador Aljowaily held the position of a board member of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies (1994-1996) and also served as coordinator of international relations at the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (2001-2003).

▪ H.E. MUBARAK SAEED BURSHAID AL DHAHERI,

NEW AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES TO THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA The new UAE ambassador to Serbia has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of UAE, Al Ain, a Master’s degree in Administration, Science, from Strayer University, Virginia, USA, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Security from the National Defense Collage, Abu Dhabi, UAE. From 1990 to 1999, Mr Al Dhaheri held the position of Financial Supervisor for the Abu Dhabi Electric and Water Authority. From 1999 to 2004 he served in the Offset Programme Office “Mubadala”, and during 2004 and 2005 he served as Director of the Office of the Deputy Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. From 2005 to 2009 he held the post of Director of Legal Affairs at the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, and from 2011 to 2016 he was Under Secretary of the UAE Ministry of Labour. Al Dhaheri arrives in Serbia from the possition of Advisor to the Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Abu Dhabi.

Al Dhaheri is a 47-year-old married father of five children.

The data shows that for every 100 dinars gained by working in the grey zone, 62 comes from unregistered salaries, and 38 from avoiding the registration of the sale of goods and services, and/or profit. The good news is that the number of companies not registering their employees has been cut in half in comparison with 2012, from 20.5% to 10.8%.

- The Government’s priorities for 2018 will be the implementation of a programme for the transformation of the Tax Administration. Another important step will be improving the efficiency of inspection supervision, and

by June we will be networking the first four inspection services within the e-Inspector information system,” assessed Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.

The analysis indicates that entrepreneurs tend more towards the grey economy than companies, with particular risk presented by companies without employees or doing business with related persons.

- Reforms are of great importance for the process of EU accession, especially in the area of rule of law, and in particular in combating corruption, emphasized German Ambassador Axel Dietmann.

The analysis “Grey Economy in Serbia 2017” was part of the project “Support to the Government of Serbia in Combating the Grey Economy”, implemented by NALED with the support of German Development Cooperation.

▪ H.E NADA AL AKL,

NEW AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON TO THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA H.E. Ms Nada Al Akl graduated from the American university of Beirut and joined the Lebanese Foreign Service in 1999. Since then she has served as First Secretary at the Embassy of Lebanon in Ottawa, Canada (2000-02), First Secretary at the Embassy of Lebanon in Amman, Jordan (200205), Deputy Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the UN Office & International Organisations in Geneva (2005-08), in the Department of International Organisations, Conferences and Cultural Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants in Beirut (2008-09), and as Consul General in Istanbul, Turkey (2009-10), tasked with the mission of being Head of the Observer Coordination Unit (OCU) at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, in relation to parliamentary elections and a secondment mission in June 2009. From 2010 to 2011 she served in the Protocol Department at the Presidential Palace, then became Chief of the Cabinet of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Beirut (2011-12), before serving a five-year term (2012-17) as Deputy Chief of Mission in Nicosia, Cyprus. Ambassador Nada Al Akl speaks Arabic, French and English fluently, as well as a basic level of Spanish.

▪ MILA KORUGIĆ MILOŠEVIĆ,

NEW CHAIRWOMAN OF THE KOMERCIJALNA BANKA MANAGING BOARD Mila Korugić Milošević has been appointed as the new chairwoman of the Managing Board of Komercijalna Banka Belgrade, according to a decision brought by the bank’s Shareholders’ Assembly.

The Shareholders’ Assembly session of 29th January 2018 saw the incumbent chairman, Vladimir Krulj, relieved of his duties, while the newly appointed chairwoman was confirmed in that position for the next four-year period. The same session also saw Mats Kjaer relieved of his duties as an independent member of the Komercijalna Bank Managing Board, to be replaced by Javed Hamid, who was also appointed for a period of four years. The Komercijalna Banka Shareholders’ Assembly also used this session to adopt the bank’s strategy and business plan for the 2018-2020 period.

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CORPORATE

MELITA ROZMAN DACAR MSC., DIRECTOR OF SŽ-CARGO LTD. (SŽ-TOVORNI PROMET, D.O.O.)

Through Cooperation To Quality Services In The Region Serbia is one of the key markets for Slovenian company SŽ-Cargo, which is part of Slovenian Railways. Since early 2015, its subsidiary company, SI-Cargo Logistics d.o.o., has been operating in Belgrade

D

irector of SŽ-Cargo, Melita Rozman Dacar MSc., emphasises that close cooperation between rail freight transport companies in the region is essential to further development.

■ When you analysed the position of rail transport a few years ago, you noted that the situation is complicated due to a large number of transport companies competing for a relatively small amount of goods under conditions of economic stagnation. What kind of rating would you give it today?

- The position for rail transport services on the European market has become even tougher in recent years. New competitors are emerging on the market, who carry out transport services with their own locomotives and wagons. And in doing this they often focus on existing jobs, without striving to obtain new transport. The only response to new market challenges is the better quality of our services, new products, an orientation towards customers and the optimisation of business processes.

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and the demands of the market. In cooperation with other companies from the Slovenian Railways group, as well as other business partners, we provide our customers with comprehensive logistical services.

Thus, in addition to the transport of goods in classical and combined transport, railways also cover freight forwarding services that can be organised via our company Fersped, as well as warehousing, goods’ protection and cleaning – and we can organise these services through enterprise SŽ-ŽGP (Railway for Disabled Persons, and the transport of small parcels and door-todoor delivery through our SŽ Express product. Our significant advantage is certainly a wide partnership network of carriers in other countries, as well as sister companies within the Slovenian Railways group.

Testifying to the success of our endeavours is the fact that the quantity of goods we transport is growing year-on-year.

■ How dependent in the planning of your growth and development are you on the parameters imposed by real influences, or the decisions of the countries in which you operate to engage and invest in their own railway networks?

- The state of railway infrastructure is among the necessary prerequisites for providing quality transport services. Unfor-

tunately, we have to admit that the situation in the region is far from optimal. In Slovenia we also have more sections with axle loads that are too low and limitations in terms of the maximum length of trains.

We should add to this numerous sections of single-track railway lines, especially between Koper and Divača, as well as numerous maintenance works. It is precisely due to infrastructure constraints that we are taking measures aimed at maximising the volume of transport and the quality of services under the given conditions. We are constantly striving to optimise transport processes and harmonise with our partner railroad carriers. Alongside this, we are aware of the importance of constant communication with our customers, who we inform about the state of the railway traffic 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

■ You operate on the markets of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey, all in the function of utilising the natural link between Central and Southeast Europe. To what extent does a lack of political stability in the region reflect on the jobs you do?

- The political situation has no impact on the job. For our company, the former Eu-

ropean Corridor 10, which passes through the republics of the former Yugoslavia, is very important, as is the Serbian market.

We have exceptional cooperation with all railroad carriers along this corridor. I would particularly like to highlight our cooperation with company Srbija Kargo, which is one of our key business partners in the region. We must not forget that the potential for acquiring new goods for railway transport is very high, considering the fact that railroad goods transport between Slovenia and Serbia along the former Corridor 10 has decreased significantly since 1990. Specifically, in 1990 that rail corridor was used to transport almost 12 million tonnes of goods, while over the next four years the quantity of transported goods fell by 92 per cent. After a gradual increase in the volume of transport, it fell again due to the economic crisis of 2008, only to start gradually increasing again from 2012.

We have a great opportunity to increase the volume of transport, and in so doing we mustn’t be dependent on politics, but rather exclusively on our own possibilities and activities.

In mid-February, on the basis of our initiative, the directors of rail freight carriers from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro met. We signed a memorandum on mutual cooperation, with which we agreed to work together to develop new quality services, as well as towards redirecting freight flows from roads to railways. In addition to this, we also agreed to notify the governments of our countries about our activities and to forward them an initiative to re-examine the possibilities of adopting appropriate financial and other measures.

In many European Union countries with developed railways, railway transport companies benefit from various financial and other incentives, which increases their competitiveness significantly.

■ When do you expect to see concrete results from the signed agreement?

- The first result of the meeting is the new ‘Sava Express’ product. Specifically, the regular freight train between Ljubljana and Belgrade will start transporting goods via the Ljubljana Zalog, Belgrade Ranžirna and Sremska Mitrovica stations.

The new train will connect goods flows from the countries of Western and Central Europe with transports transiting Serbia.

It will have an additional advantage in the possibility of adding or removing wagons

product will offer customers a complete logistical solution in one place. Customers will be able to constantly monitor their shipments and remain updated regarding their current location at any time throughout the transport process.

Additional benefits of the new product include protection of shipments against theft and damage, improved reliability, the possibility of advising on the best logistics solution and the timely provision of required wagons. The Sava Express will also offer quality distribution in Slovenia and Serbia, whether that means organising railway carriers and other partners in neighbouring countries, and doorto-door delivery.

Initially, the Sava Express train will be travelling in each direction three times a week. It will travel from Slovenia to Serbia on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and from Serbia to Slovenia on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Depending on market interest, the frequency of traffic can be increased as needed.

We have a great opportunity to increase the volume of transport, and in so doing we mustn’t be dependent on politics, but rather exclusively on our own possibilities and activities. In mid-February, on the basis of our initiative, the directors of rail freight carriers from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro met and signed a memorandum on mutual cooperation in Slavonski Brod, which will enable the additionally connecting of goods flows from/to Bosnia-Herzegovina. In Ljubljana we will connect to this new train transit cargo for customers from Austria, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and other countries in transit through Slovenia. This new

■ Would you say that rail transport in conjunction with other modes of transport – whether that be the transport of freight or people – is winning or losing?

- I am convinced that rail transport has great development opportunities ahead of it. The European Union has recognised rail transport of goods and people as a driver of sustainable development, which is far more acceptable than road transport in ecological terms. We railway carriers can, through close cooperation, improve our offer in the future and converge with the expectations of our customers.

If we provide them with sustainable, high-quality and commercially attractive transport and logistics services, then there is no need to worry about the future of railways. ■ MARCH

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REGIONAL NEWS

SOLUTIONS “The relations between Serbia and Croatia are burdened with the past, which this time we have not talked about... It is our task to talk and seek solutions for issues which divide us,” Grabar-Kitarović said after the two-hour talks.”— KOLINDA GRABAR KITAROVIĆ, President of Croatia

CROATIA

Lack Of Insurance Costs Millions Every Year According to data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) Croatia is the leader among the 33 European countries for the natural damage. The overall cost averaged 0.2 percent of GDP annually, or twice as high as the European average.

Croatian economic losses from all natural disasters in the EEA countries amounted to €520 billion.

89,000 deaths have been reported, most of which are caused by heat waves and most influenced by the 2003 heat wave, when about 70,000 deaths were reported.

The Croatian Insurance Bureau (HUO) points out that the average insurance premium per capita in the EU amounts to €150, in neighbouring Slovenia about €140, while in Croatia this figure is only about €40. Switzerland, Norway and Austria have the highest insurance coverage per capita in the range of €300 to €400.

According to HUO data, only 6.81 percent of people had insurance against fire and natural disasters in 2017.

BULGARIA

Investment In The Border Region With FYR Macedonia Around €7 million will be invested in the border region between Bulgaria and Macedonia announced Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. The funds are earmarked to finance projects under the IPA Program for cross-border cooperation between the two countries.

Projects are being selected under the three priority axes of the program - Environment, Tourism and Competitiveness, with application entirely electronic. The term is 11 May 2018. The overall objective of the Program is to strengthen cross-border cooperation between people and institutions in the region. This will contribute to jointly addressing common challenges and exploiting the untapped potential for cross-border development and resource efficiency. It aims to increase the capacity of local and regional authorities to develop and implement joint projects, the regional ministry said. Eligible for funding will be projects from the cross-border region, including the Kyustendil and Blagoevgrad districts in Bulgaria, as well as the Northeastern, Eastern and Southeastern regions of Macedonia. is mostly white-collar professions within the industry who earn above HUF 590,000 a month, but blue-collar workers cannot complain either. Even blue-collar workers (quarries and roughnecks) earn a solid gross wage of HUF 511,514 (€1639), which is the national average.

The second highest paying jobs can be found in Tolna county, where the Paks Nuclear Power Plant is located. Here, people working in the electrical industry have a gross wage of HUF 532,012 (€1700).

In Békés county, people are working in the electrical industry and earn in average a net wage of € 1465 , statistics reveal.

This area of the country is also rich in hydrocarbon. Interestingly, Pest county finished fourth on this list. People working in the electrical business in Pest county earn an average gross wage of “only” €1,429.

HUNGARY

Hungary Highest Paying Jobs According to Hungarian Central Statistical Office, people working in the power generating industry earn the most in the whole country. The majority of the energy generating products found in Hungary is located in Csongrád county, which explains the county’s good ranking. Out of all the ordinary professions (apart from politicians, movie stars, etc.), people working in the quarrying and mining industries in Csongrád county earn the highest gross wages in Hungary. Based on the numbers from the first three quarters of last year, people working in the quarrying and mining industry in Csongrád county earn an average gross wage of HUF 590,211 (€1892). Of course, it MONTENEGRO

Iberostar To Open 450 Jobs In Summer 2018 Spanish hotel operator Iberostar plans to open 450 jobs in Montenegro in the summer after the overhaul of its Riviera and Vila Jadran hotels is completed, the Montenegrin government has said.

“We are very excited about investing with our local partner. We are planning to expand our operations to other destinations in Montenegro,” the vice president of Iberostar, Sabina Fluxa, has said, according to a government press release.

Montenegro is among the most important destinations for Iberostar this year, Fluxa said after a meeting with Montenegrin prime minister Dusko Markovic.

In September, Montenegro’s government said Iberostar plans to start talks for acquisition of assets Source: SeeNews in the country

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RELATIONS “We will try to change the atmosphere in the next 100 days, and all the Serbian officials will have to do everything possible for better mutual relations. It will be a signal of goodwill from our side.”

— ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ, Serbian President

Placements & postings

ALBANIA

appointments@aim.rs

China Among Top Trade Partners China is considered as one of the main trade partners of Albania and during 2017, following Italy, Greece, and Germany. Based on the data provided by the Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) regarding international trade, exports to China during 2017 reached the value of Lek 8.3 billion, or one billion more compared to the previous year.

On the other hand, imports dropped by 2.6 percent and reached Lek 49.4 billion (€372 million) compared to Lek 50.8 billion in 2016.

▪ VOJISLAV LAZAREVIĆ,

NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF ADDIKO BANK, SERBIA Addiko Bank Serbia has appointed Vojislav Lazarević as its new executive board chairman.

Lazarević’s great experience in dealing with retail clients, as well as working with corporate clients and the business sector, coupled with his excellent familiarity with the functioning of the financial market, where he is recognised as an excellent financial advisor, but also an expert in marketing and communications, will provide exceptional support in the further development of Addiko Bank’s operations, which are based on the concept of practical banking. Lazarević spent the previous two years working at Piraeus Bank Belgrade, where he served as executive board chairman and general manager, tasked with managing the bank’s strategic and organisational activities. He initially built his career at Vojvođanska Bank and the National Bank of Greece, while he also gained foreign experience working in Athens for Societe Generale Bank.

▪ VIKTOR GILLHOFER, NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HEINEKEN SERBIA Gillhofer has until recently held the position of director for Off-Premise and member of the management team of Brau Union Österreich AG, as well as director of Brau Union Export, where he achieved significant revenue growth in line with the constant growth in market share which resulted in a significant profit increase. Gillhofer will succeed Aleksandros Daniilidis, who has served as HEINEKEN Serbia CEO since 2012. Dniilidis will take over the position of Athens Brewery (HEINEKEN Greece) CEO on February 1, 2018. During Daniilidis’s engagement in Serbia, the Company became leader on the Serbian beer market and was among the fastest growing companies among all large companies in the consumer goods sector (FMCG) over the last 6 years on the Serbian market.

▪ MAJO MIĆOVIĆ,

DURRËS. ALBANIA

NEW PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (SSCC)

Regarding the type of commodities, imports from China include machinery, spare parts, construction materials, metals, textiles, and footwear. In the meantime, exports mostly consist of minerals.

Concerning the presence of Chinese companies in Albania, China is a key partner, as the volume of investments by Chinese companies in Albania by the end of 2016 was $760 million.

Economic cooperation between Albania and China has also encouraged socio-economic development between both countries.

Majo Mićović graduated from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Science and gained a degree in IT engineering at TEKO business High School, Luzern, Switzerland, as well as earning the title of Swiss Computer Science Certificated Engineer. He has more than 20 years of highlevel ICT global experience and start-up development and investments.

His professional experience includes being a consultant and/or board member (current and past) of a number of organisations: banks, insurance companies, public sector organisations, healthcare and food sector companies. Mićović has been an investee and executive officer in several current companies in the Region: Sky Express, a leading ICT Security company (CEO), City Facility (leader in facility management in the region, Board Director), Direktna Banka Serbia and the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce. From 1998 to 2002, he held the post of IT Multimedia Global Director at Fantastic Corporation, empowering and managing successfully projects in more than 30 countries around the world. He has been actively supporting GDPR related projects in Serbia and the region since November 2016, representing, selling and integrating GDPR certified ICT products and solutions like EPERI, DFLabs, Carbon Black, Onapsis, Logpoint and many others.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The School Where Mobile Phones Are Banned In the Prijedor (Republic of Srpska) Hospitality-Economic School all classrooms are equipped with lockers for storage of mobile phones.The decision to leave phones during classes was agreed between the School Principal, the Teaching Council, the Parents’ Council and the Student Council.

Sincere students, however, are aware that this decision will help them to focus better on teaching. The rules are rules, as they say.

A School Principal, who has over 400 students, says the goal was to raise the quality of teaching.

She is satisfied with public reactions and support

from colleagues, students and parents. Because of the abuse that happened before, and the lower concentration of students, the Government of France was one of the first in the world to announce that from the next September, they will completely prohibit students of primary and high schools from using mobile phones.

With the beginning of classes, mobile phones are being put in these lockers. They introduced this practice at the Hospitality-Economic School in Prijedor, where they say they would not be bothered if other schools in BiH followed their example.

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CORPORATE

DUŠAN PEROVIĆ, PRESIDENT OF TERMOVENT KOMERC D.O.O. (LTD.)

Limitless “Great perseverance and a refusal to give up on its own ideas, alongside good familiarity with pharmaceutical standards, resulted in Termovent succeeding on the world market”

realised it wasn’t possible to ensure the seriousness of the production, to consistent quality, of highly-demanding pharmaceuticals under such conditions of production. The biggest breakthrough came with the arrival of my sons, Miloš and Andrija. Their work and taking over parts of the company demanding high accountabilityresulted in the achieving of great progress – expanding staffing potential, equipping

today’s perspective, that’s really almost animpossible mission, but enormous persistence, a refusal to give up on the idea of working with pharmaceutical companies, and what then was already good familiarity with pharmaceutical standards, led us to achieving that goal. ermovent is a company that If I told you that I had 19 unsuccessful presentations on the territory of has developed through a the EU, and that it was only after my gradual progression – from an 20th that I signed my first contract, engineering workshop for designing and installing air conditioning that says enough about not giving up. systems, it today operates worldwide Pfizer cooperation occurred when and is a partner to the world’s most the quality of our company was renowned producers of medicines. brought to the level of their requirements, European quality, and This is simultaneously an innovative The idea to produce HVAC we succeeded. I’m proud that my company that identifies and applies systems came when I realised, sons and associates have contininnovative energy-efficient soluafter a lot of analysis, that tions to become a global provider ued intensive and very successful of HVAC air conditioning systems. cooperation with all pharmaceutithis is in an area that nobody cal companies.

When it comes to the company’s in Serbia deal with, and only beginnings, Dušan Perović is proud a relatively small number of ■ How, as an engineer, did you to recall that development path companies in the EU even come up with the idea of from, as he says, “a craftsman’s specialising in the production and workshop, with modest technological equipment for limited production design of HVAC systems and equipthe new production hall, modernising ment that resolve many manufacturpossibilities” to a strategic partnership equipment etc. ing issues for the pharmaceutical with Actavis, Purna Pharmaceuticals, industry?

Delpharm and other world giants.

■ You work with such companies as - I adopted this idea as my base, be- Termovent’s first ventures on the Pfizer, Pharmasyntez and numerous cause after a lot of analysis of my own territory of the EU, the first jobs in other pharmaceutical giants. How production programme, and market Belgium and the first jobs in the Nethdoes an entrepreneur from Serbia erlands, were our great successes. The verification, I simply concluded that it even approach Pfizer, which has an company’s first breakthrough came was necessary to slightly shift the stanannual budget exceeding those of dard programme in an area that nobody with the signing of two five-year consome states? tracts with Pfizer, because it was that I in Serbia was dealing with in terms of - When I analyse this question from

T

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production, in a programme that only a relatively small number of companies deal with even in Europe.

I was aware of major shortcomings – insufficient familiarity with the regulations in pharmacy, the quality of products intended for this domain, a lack of personnel, the technological level of equipment etc.

Intensive work on presenting my company, persistence, along with the constant creation of personnel and technological potential, were the guiding drivers that I didn’t give up on.

Today, when my son Andrija has taken over the position of general manager, and when Miloš and his associates run complete systems engineering with excellence, even work with highly demanding companies doesn’t present a problem for us.

■ At a juncture when one of Serbia’s key issues is the brain-drain of young people leaving the country, Termovent recognises its key potential as a company in the youth.

In your opinion, do young experts see Termovent as a constant in their careers or as a springboard for leaving the country?

- I honestly think there are both, though there are much fewer of the latter. Continuous investment in personnel, in their education and professional training, as well as their work in the highly selective areas of the EU and Russian Federation, cooperating with very demanding companies, certainly reaffirms their need to be part of a team, because they wouldn’t have as much space to act independently in any other company.

Certainly, alongside all of that, satisfying personal earnings, and regularity of their payment, as well as special bonuses for high-quality work undertaken, are an essential part of them choosing to stay in our company.

■ Termovent is also a family company.

Is that an advantage in your business or can it sometimes also be a hindrance?

- Honestly, we are not a company that

has templates for many things, because the mere fact that my sons, with my complete approval, independently launched a new organisation of the company and a new structure and engaged world-renowned experts for the optimisation of production processes, testifies to the fact that we are primarily a healthy family, and alongside that a healthy company.

If, alongside experience gained through work and creation, you ensure continuous quality, constant respect for deadlines and satisfied clients, there are no boundaries to entrepreneurs I consider the process of my sons taking over the company as my greatest success, because all the aforementioned ideas have finally come together in the achieving of one goal: them taking over and successfully running the company.

■ You are a great advocate of entrepreneurship and have won major awards in that domain. Your stance is that there is no “religious, ethnic

or any other boundary” for organised entrepreneurship. To what extent are conditions for doing business in Serbia incentivising for entrepreneurs?

- Yes, the large number of domestic and international awards are certainly a stimulating acknowledgment for several decades of work and success, but there are really no boundaries to entrepreneurship. The Serbian economy is, of course, from day to day becoming increasingly stable as a “carrier” for entrepreneurship, but it is unrealistic to expect that the state must and should provide everything: programmes, resources, market etc. I think it’s certainly not a problem in Serbia to secure very affordable funding for good programmes that are exportorientated, if you bring them to the door of the state. The state certainly must, within the framework of some ministry, organise a “mentor team” comprising successful entrepreneurs, who will work with young, potential entrepreneurs to define programmes and sources of funding.

Generally, the current situation is unsatisfactory, but there are certainly very positive moves.

■ Termovent has implemented over 100 projects worldwide, from the region, via the EU, Russia and the United Arab Emirates, all the way to India. Which project are you particularly proud of?

- I am certainly proudest of my first contracted project on the territory of the EU, with company STEROP from Brussels, because that was my 20th company presentation on that territory, which resulted in the first contract and extremely good implementation.

I certainly consider as being very significant the projects in pharmacy for companies Pfizer, Pharmasyntez and the Serum Institute of India, as well as projects in microelectronics for Photon, Katod etc., then the projects in sterile parts - Grand Medica Hospital in Novokuznetsk, Meshalkin Clinic in Novosibirsk etc. ■ MARCH

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CORPORATE VLADAN VASIĆ, MAYOR OF PIROT

Success Means Hard Work “Attracting investors is not an easy job. You cannot buy them in a grocery store, you need to seriously create the conditions for their arrival”

government has contributed to the growth in employment and creation of a good economic environment through its budget, cooperation with ministries, cross-border cooperation projects and cooperation with donors.

We should not ignore a huge influx of tourists from Bulgaria and an increase in the number of overnight stays per year by 13,000.

■ Pirot was once known as the “Serbian Manchester”. When you say today that a new industrialisation is happening in your city, how far is that from or close to the level of development and investment from the period of identification with Manchester?

- The nickname Serbian Manchester, which described our city while there was a powerful textile industry Prvi maj, unfortunately stopped being used with the closure of this giant and after unsuccess-

to Pirot. The purchase of the AHA Mura Prvi maj plants by the well-known Italian company Miroglio will mean a lot to the renewal of the textile industry and growth in employment. Merkatus testil and several smaller factories are also working successfully. I would also mention the Bulgarian Pirteks which invested over EUR 300,000. The present situation cannot be compared to that of the former Yugoslavia for many reasons, but what we have achieved is impressive.

■ Pirot has a well-developed industrial irot is a city now recognised zone and has offered attractive business conditions for investors. Howas having one of the most ever, you have argued that for invesstable local budgets, rising employment rates and a tors to come, and above all to stay in steady wage growth. Mayor Vasić says the long term, one zone is not enough. that the road to these results was neiWhat do you consider sufficient or opther fast nor easy, but he points out timal conditions for someone to decide several positive factors that made this to invest, employ, grow their business, progress possible. bring the family and stay in Pirot?

- First of all, the investment of a - General and local political stability large multinational Michelin, through and the efficiency of local government modernisation of the existing facare very important. Also, the developtory in Pirot, where around EUR 100 ment of infrastructure for industrial million was invested over 7-8 years, zones with access to water, electricity, and through the construction of a sewerage, roads, and proximity to the new factory in which EUR 250 million airport are especially important. There was invested. A large number of are also state and local incentives construction companies and other and a motivated workforce. For an The recipe for success is to associated companies found work investor who wants to come here spend as much as we earn, as subcontractors here, and after the quality of life in the city outside that is why we are not in deficit working hours is very important. the factory opened 500 new workers were directly employed. An In addition to all this, the Customs but run a budget surplus additional contribution to employFree Zone, a large multinational ment is that Michelin procures on the ful privatisation. Nevertheless, efforts company, also operates successfully in market transport of goods and people, by the local government to create a Pirot, which in itself is proof that Pirot security, cleaning, maintenance and better environment for investors in is a good investment location. We want catering. Besides this, there is also the recent years have brought several seriPirot to achieve European standards in ous textile manufacturing companies construction of Corridor 10. The local every aspect. ■

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WORLD NEWS

DEPENDENCY “In Europe first and now in America, elected men have taken it upon themselves to indebt their people to create an atmosphere of dependency. And why? For their own selfish need to increase their own personal power.” — POPE FRANCIS

NORWAY

10 THINGS

Telenor Norway Cuts 115 Positions 115 fulltime positons will disappear after Telenor Norway has decided to reorganise parts of the technology division.

“Telenor will lead the way in the digital shift in a tough competative environment. This means that we must change the way we work and reduce costs, “says Berit Svendsen, Head of Telenor Norway.

Today, there are over 900 employees in the division. The biggest changes will take place within IT. “Our main priority now is to take care of employees who are in part of a challenging reorganisation, as well as ensure a good process for those affected, “says Svendsen.

According to Telenor, part of the staff reduction can be resolved with natural retirement, whilst the rest will receive a final agreement with transitional assistance.

YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING IN CRYPTO

Northern & Shell Chairman RICHARD DESMOND UK

The Biggest Shake Up Of Britain’s Newspaper Industry Daily Mirror publisher Trinity Mirror scooped up titles including the Daily Express, Daily Star and OK! magazine for £127 million (€143,3 million) last month in the biggest shake up of Britain’s cut-throat newspaper industry in decades.

The takeover by Britain’s largest news publisher unites tabloids from opposite ends of the political spectrum, and with conflicting views on Brexit, to create a company better able to cope with readers and advertisers moving online.

Trinity Mirror’s stable already includes more than 260 national and regional titles including the Daily Record, the Manchester Evening News, the Liverpool Echo and Birmingham Mail.

Billionaire Express owner Richard Desmond, who made his fortune publishing adult titles, will get an 8.6 percent stake in Trinity and 107 million pounds in cash under the terms of the deal.

Fox said the editors of the individual titles would retain editorial control over their political output, with the Express free to pursue its support for Brexit and the Mirror able to criticise the government’s handling of the EU departure.

“The Mirror is not going to go right wing, the Express is not going to go left,” Fox said.

ITALY

UniCredit Reorganisation Starts To Pay Off Italian UniCredit bank announced at the beginning of last month that it returned to the black in 2017 as an ambitious reorganisation it embarked upon 18 months ago starts to pay off.

Last year revenues edged 1.7 percent higher to €19.6 billion and the fourth quarter alone, net profit amounted to €801 million.

JEAN-PIERRE MUSTIER “It was the bank’s best fourth quarter in a decade,” said chief executive Jean Pierre Mustier. “2017 was a pivotal year for UniCredit.”

The numbers seemed to convince investors, too, with UniCredit shares bounding up 2.7 percent to €17.95, taking it 45 percent higher than a year ago.

Its core tier-one capital ratio stood at 13.6 percent at the end of last year, only slightly below the very solid 13.8 percent seen in September and its asset quality had improved with its net exposure to risk or non-performing debt down by 15.2 percent to €21.2 billion. UniCredit is pencilling in net profit of between €3.7 billion and €4.7 billion in 2018 and €4.7 billion in 2019, when the core tier-one ratio is projected to come out at 12.5 percent.

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The listicle below are just some of the things we should always keep in mind when investing in cryptocurrencies, and we thought we should share it with you all.

1. Invest only 10–20% of your income after tax in crypto (since most of you, don’t know what “invest what you can afford to lose” means).

2. Keep your day job despite reaching your financial goal in crypto, so you are not emotionally dependent on your crypto profits as a source of income.

3. Read, and read, every day, do not underestimate the power of reading.

Learn something new about blockchain and cryptocurrencies every day.

4. Surround yourself with crypto people, do not recruit your friends into investing in crypto.

5. Always do your own research.

Manipulation, hype, pump and dump, fraud, scam, hacking, and stealing, are common here in this space, and can sometimes lead people to financial loss.

6. Avoid pyramid schemes, cloud mining, MLM, “earn interests” schemes, and ponzi schemes such as Bitconnect.

7. It’s not cash, until you sell your crypto for car. Maybe one day we can pay all our bills in crypto (you can use crypto for certain payments but it’s not widely accepted yet).

8. Think long-term profits, not shortterm gains. Trade no more than 30% of your crypto net worth, and 70% in long term.

9. Diversify your portfolio if you are unsure of what you’re doing, then narrow down your portfolio if you know what you’re doing.

10. Be responsible with your newfound wealth, don’t be reckless, you may experience a state of euphoria when your portfolio reached triple gains. It’s not cash until that money is in your bank.

PROFILE

Clear Vision Of Present And Future It is a professional challenge and honour for every manager in the domain of culture to have the opportunity to manage a cultural/ educational institution, and in particular the Kolarac National University, which started operating in Belgrade 86 years ago

JASNA DIMITRIJEVIĆ Manager of Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment

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his institution is special in terms of its continuity and tradition. Its unique concept of additional lifelong learning available to everyone, regardless of generation, social class and educational level, as well as the promotion of artistic music, which represent a special feature of the Kolarac Endowment. The promotion of a knowledge society in all areas of natural and humanities sciences, classical music concerts in the most adequate concert hall in this part of Europe, foreign language courses, the Fine Art Gallery with an adequate gallery space – these represent only part of the programme areas that this unique culture centre has dealt with since its founding.

Added to this should certainly be the significant spatial and production activities implemented in the last three years to create room for young people, in the form of the modern Open University and the spirit of the times in which we live: Art Cinema Kolarac, KOLAB Gallery, as a space for the promotion of the new media art scene, activities of the Youth Council via the ‘Take Over’ project, under the auspices of the Creative Europe international programme, numerous workshops in the field of music, film, literature, conferences, fairs etc.

The link between tradition and continuity in programming activities and the new values of contemporary society, contemporary art practises, as the future tradition of this

institution, financial stability through the encouraging among sponsors and donors of the idea that investing in the activities and development of Kolarac means investing in the enduring values of our society – these were the goals I set for myself personally when I took over the helm of Kolarac.

In managing the culture institutions where I’ve worked, I always started from the application of knowhow in the field of culture management, acquired at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts’ direction for Theatre production and knowledge acquired additionally, applying them maximally in the job.

In the almost three decades prior to arriving at Kolarac, I was a producer at Avala Film, an organiser, editor and director of

Openness to ideas and youth projects, the development of new audiences and the application of new digital communication platforms in promoting the programmes of the institution are imperative in positioning for the future the Belgrade Youth Centre, then director of the Sava Centre and the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade. In all of these institutions I tried, through the creation of a management model, to ensure respect for the continuity of the existing programme, but also to add my personal seal to improve programme initiatives and innovations. For example, part of the new programme, such as “New Initiatives”, ensures different and better visibility of the institution, highlights the need for

change in communication and organisation, and impacts positively on more successful financial results. New initiatives are the projects of authors, groups of authors or organisations in culture and art, who – in terms of topics, presentation of promotion methods and a creative act – present new thematic, production content within the existing concept of the institution.

Openness to ideas and youth projects, the development of new audiences and the application of digital communication platforms in promoting programmes are imperative in positioning for the future.

This project and cooperation with young people bring the required currentness and “rejuvenate” Kolarac through new artistic practises, highlighting completely new communication models with existing and potential audiences.

Apart from the basic principles of management in culture, there has always been a special place for a clear vision of the present and the future. It seems to me that it is easier to achieve major goals and plans than those small ones... Thus, after Kolarac’s activities related to the procuring of a new concert piano, which we conducted from 2014-2017, we bought a new piano with funds collected by donations from individuals, organisations, companies in the country and abroad and, finally, the majority of funds were secured through applying to the public competition of the Ministry of Justice for projects of general interest in culture and education. This goal initially seemed financially unattainable. But then the vision of Kolarac and our concert hall in the future, following the purchase of the piano, encouraged us to move forward persistently and boldly.  MARCH

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Emerging Artists To

CONTEMPORARY ART

FOLLOW IN 2018

RHYS COREN: Screen grab from ‘Four to the Floor

Among the more important lessons learned by the art world in 2017: An emerging artist’s career isn’t cemented in one night, with one breakout show, or with one collector’s token of approval. Artists who matter long-term have careers that build over time, show upon show, collection upon collection

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merging art is a general category for contemporary artworks created by young artists whose careers are on the rise. In addition to younger artists and newer works, the category also includes artists who are relatively under-recognized but for the most part considered on the path to critical and/or market acceptance.

While characteristically championed by smaller galleries and art fairs focused on younger artists, larger galleries and institutions regularly focus their energy on so-called emerging

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artists to define new styles and careers. Their careers are not built in one night or with an exhibition, but is asserted step by step, show after show and collection after collection. Exhibitions, museums, art galleries and the internet are a great way to get acquainted with emerging artists and to get in touch with their art step by step, admiring their works and developing a passion for their creativity.

Here are some of emerging artists to follow in 2018, in the months and years to come. ■

RHYS COREN An English artist graduated at the Royal Academy School in London, Rhys Coren works with different techniques and creates abstract works with bright colors and sprayed textures. His artwork often includes playful allusions to human figures, whether they are pointed noses or fluttering hands. In 2017 Coren exhibited his works in some galleries in Paris, New York and Rome.

RHYS COREN: Can Moonshake Make Me

IVANA BAŠIĆ

Ivana Bašić is a Serbian artist who works in New York and enjoys experimenting with contemporary sculpture and mixed-media. Her works have recently attracted a lot of attention due to their visceral ability to portray and dissect the human body. Wax body sculptures suspended and engraved with a band or supported by steel bars to show the vulnerability and resilience of human kind.

IVANA BAŠIĆ: Fantasy vanishes in flesh

GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD

GENEVIEVE GAIGNARD: White Rain

Originally inspired by Diane Arbus, Genevieve Gaignard is a young emerging artist who works in Los Angeles and loves photographing herself disguised as some of her alter egos, such as a cat-woman or a woman fully dressed in purple. Raised in an industrial town in Massachusetts and born to a black father and a white mother, Gaignard doesn’t exaggerate this mix of identities in her works, but creates eccentric and interesting artwork.

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MAX HOOPER SCHNEIDER: Installation view of The Plague Wielder

MAX HOOPER SCHNEIDER

LUIZ ROQUE

This thirty-four-year-old artist has recently been the protagonist of the 15th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, with the nomination to the BMW Art Journey. After his studies in biology and urban design at New York University and in landscape architecture at Harvard, Max Hooper Schneiderhas turned to what he calls “TransHabitats”, imaginary living ecosystems housed in improbable containers: a vertical Kenmore dishwasher from the 50s, full of glass objects, becomes a black water barrier, a moss covered VHS recorder plays a tape of concert within an acrylic showcase while a terrarium hosts a landscape combining parts of cars, animal material, plastic plants and bright neon signs.

The movie Haven (2016) by Luiz Roque, commissioned for the 32nd São Paulo Art Biennial, perfectly represented the theme of the exhibition “Live Uncertainty”. His work offered a cause for reflection on how this uncertainty could evolve in the future, as the film imagines the spread of a mysterious virus at the end of the 21st century, which was prematurely attributed to transsexuals by health agencies, in a narrative recalling the anti-AIDS campaigns of the 1980s. As this work demonstrates, the artist often explores delicate topics such as gender or cultural bias, through video, sculpture and photography.

While characteristically championed by smaller galleries and art fairs focused on younger artists, larger galleries and institutions regularly focus their energy on so-called emerging artists to define new styles and careers 46 |

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LUIZ ROQUE: Ano branco

CELIA HEMPTON: Penumbra

CELIA HEMPTON

CUI JIE

An English painter who loves exploring the human body and sensuality in her works, Celia Hemptonpaints bare body parts with unexpected colors, from canary yellow to navy blue. For her series of paintings “Chat Random�, begun in 2014 and still ongoing, Hempton portrays anonymous models found online in video chat. She exhibited her works in London, Paris, New York and Boston

Artist Cui Jie has quickly become one of the most exciting new voices of contemporary art in China thanks to her beautiful architectural paintings and sculptures. The works reflect the rise of her country and rapid urbanization, intertwining organic elements, such as birds and human shapes, into futuristic structures. She exhibited her works in Hong Kong and Shanghai, but also in Great Britain, Dublin and Miami Beach.

CUI JIE: Daughter of the Sea

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FACES & PLACES

SEE MORE WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM 26/01/2018

India's Republic Day 2018

India's Republic Day celebrated in New Delhi

Republic Day marks adoption of the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950, after gaining of independence from British rule in 1947. On this day, India became a democracy and is today known as the largest democracy in the world.

The main celebration was held in grandeur in New Delhi, India’s capital.

In Serbia, H.E. Mrs Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador unfurled the Indian National Flag at the Embassy of India in Belgrade followed by singing of the Indian National Anthem by Serbian school students. The flag hoisting ceremony was attended by prominent H.E. Mrs NARINDER CHAUHAN, Ambassador unfurled the Indians and friends of India.

Indian National Flag at the Embassy of India in Belgrade 08/02/2018

01/02/2018

Hahn: “Western Balkans Strategy Opens the Road to EU Accession”

25 Anniversary Of Slovakia’s Founding th

The Embassy of Slovakia in Belgrade organised a reception on its premises on 1st February, to commemorate the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Slovakia.

Slovak Ambassador H.E. Dagmar Repčeková pointed out that her embassy usually marks Constitution Day in September, but noted that 2018 is a special year with an important milestone – the 25th anniversary of the independence of the Slovak Republic.

The celebration was attended by numerous members of the diplomatic corps, senior state officials and friends of the Embassy of Slovakia.

JOHANNES HAHN

H.E. DAGMAR REPČEKOVÁ

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Speaking at a conference in Belgrade entitled “Strategy for the Western Balkans, Opening the Way to EU Accession”, European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn said that the EU’s new Enlargement Strategy for the Western Balkans is not a “blank cheque” and that all conditions must be met for EU membership, particularly those relating to the rule of law and the normalisation of relations with Priština. He added that “2025 is an indicative date and not carved in stone,” and that Serbia will, provided it meets the requirements, “potentially be ready for membership by that date”.

“The EU should provide assistance for the countries of the Western Balkans to move forward, so we should not discuss specific dates; it is important for the results to be produced and the tasks completed,” noted Hahn, amongst other things.

08/02/2018

IWC Thank You Cocktail

The IWC Belgrade organised the Thank You Cocktail at the Marriott Hotel Belgrade to express its gratitude for all the help and support provided by the diplomatic missions in Serbia, friends and sponsors of the IWC largest yearly fundraising Event, the IWC Charity Bazaar.

The Bazaar took place in December last year, it was the sixteenth year that IWC members succesfully organised the Event, and always with the great involvement and dedication of the diplomatic community.

The guests at the Cocktail received the report on the fund collected. The IWC Charity Committee is finalising the selection process of NGOs to receive the financial aid and the fund will be distributed to the most vulnerable ANN PEŠIĆ, IWC President and groups in Serbia.

Honorary Consul of Ireland

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FACES & PLACES

SEE MORE WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

09/02/2018

ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ and SERGEY LAVROV

H.E. HOSSEIN MOLLA ABDOLLAHI

The Ambassador of Iran to Serbia, H.E. Hossein Molla Abdollahi, hosted a celebratory reception marking the 39th anniversary of the country’s Islamic Revolution.

The Islamic Revolution, also known as the Iranian Revolution, occurred in 1979, when the Islamic Republic replaced the shah’s royal monarchy in the country. The event is celebrated as the National Day of Iran.

Ambassador Abdollahi welcomed guests to the reception at Belgrade Hyatt Regency Hotel and used his address to highlight the importance of good bilateral relations between Serbia and Iran.

The reception was attended by representatives of religious communities, members of the diplomatic corps and other personalities from public and cultural life.

22/02/2018

Presentation Of The Central Cupola Of St Sava Cathedral In the presence of a large number of residents, Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić and foreign minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov attended the official presentation of a mosaic at the St Sava cathedral. The mosaic shows Christ ascending to the heavens on a cupola 65 metres above the ground.

This has been one of the greatest mosaic decoration projects in the world. The 40-tonne decoration was composed in Moscow taking a year to make, then transported to Belgrade. The mosaic is a work by artists led by the famous Nikolaj Muhin, financed with €4 million from Russian company Gaspromnjeft.

Traditional cake cutting

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Photo: Tanja Valic/Tanjug

Iran’s Revolution Anniversary Marked

PRIVATE AND STATE EDUCATION

GUIDE

Vladimir Bumbaširević, MD, Ph.D., Rector of the University of Belgrade ∎ Dragan Soleša Ph.D., Chancellor of the University Business Academy in Novi Sad (FIMEK) ∎ Dr Rob Risch, Director of the International School of Belgrade (ISB) ∎ Violeta Jovanović Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Education in Jagodina, University of Kragujevac ∎ Professor Hristos Aleksopulos, Principal of the College of Applied Health Sciences Ćuprija ∎ Enver Gicić Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies ∎ Professor Mića Jovanović, Ph.D., Rector of Megatrend University ∎ Msc.oec. Bratislav Filipović, Founder and Instructor-Coordinator at Academy "Filipović" ∎ Dušan Cogoljević, Founder, Faculty of Business Economy and Entrepreneurship

CONTENT

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GUIDE

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER CHALLENGES

PRIVATE AND STATE EDUCATION

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Violeta Jovanović Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Education in Jagodina, University of Kragujevac

Vladimir Bumbaširević, MD, Ph.D., Rector of the University of Belgrade

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WE’RE RAISING THE BAR FOR EDUCATION

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Dragan Soleša Ph.D., Chancellor of the University Business Academy in Novi Sad (FIMEK)

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NURTURING DIVERSITY Dr Rob Risch, Director of the International School of Belgrade (ISB)

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SYNERGY OF INNOVATIONS AND TRADITIONAL LEARNING Dušan Cogoljević, founder of the Faculty of Business Economy and Entrepreneurship

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EDUCATION

NO BETTER TEACHERS THAN OURS

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHTFOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

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The French School in Belgrade

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ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE OTHERS

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Enver Gicić Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies

SYSTEM FOR 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS Msc.oec. Bratislav Filipović, founder and instructor-coordinator at Academy "Filipović"

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Professor Mića Jovanović, Ph.D., Rector of Megatrend University

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THE MOST MODERN CAMBRIDGE SECONDARY SCHOOL IN SERBIA Savremena International School

Professor Hristos Aleksopulos, Principal of the College of Applied Health Sciences Ćuprija

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ADVENTURE OF LEARNING IN FRENCH

NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADVANCING EDUCATION AGE of MEDIS

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DIGITAL EDUCATION ACTION PLAN European Parliament

EDUCATION

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INTERVIEW

Information Technology And Other Challenges VLADIMIR BUMBAŠIREVIĆ MD, Ph.D., Rector of the University of Belgrade

Technological development, especially in the field of information technology, has imposed new challenges on education policy in our country, as well as the need for an institutional framework that would enable us to cope with those challenges

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espite the difficulties we’ve faced over the last almost three decades, thanks to the maintaining of the quality of higher education – and even its improvement in the last decade, which is reflected in the respectable position of the University of Belgrade (UB) on prominent ranking lists – Serbia has managed to keep pace with modern global trends to an extent.

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EDUCATION

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development recognised the need for an appropriate institutional framework that would enable a higher quality education policy, adopted a Strategy that places an emphasis on the creation of a highly educated workforce and implemented appropriate legislative changes which, unfortunately, are not optimal in all segments. However, without greater financial investment in all levels of education and in scientific research, even the best institutional framework and education policy cannot ensure inclusion in European and global trends.

• The Law on Higher Education prompted a barrage of comments from the academic community, students and other experts.

What would you highlight in the context of contemporary educational trends as challenges related to the spirit and application of this law?

- The spirit of this law, unfortunately, is largely contrary to the spirit of university education that has been nurtured in Serbia since the emergence of our oldest and most prestigious Belgrade University: the autonomy of the university as a prerequisite for the harmonious fusion of teaching and scientific research. Despite numerous complaints from the National Council for Higher Education and the academic community, certain legal solutions have been adopted that considerably limit this autonomy.

The academic community is rightly expected to monitor modern educational and scientific trends, but in that it should not be disturbed

by the excessive influence of external factors.

The legislative framework that hinders the autonomy of the university makes it more difficult to successfully create and implement educational policies, and thus to keep pace with global trends in education.

• In your opinion, will the application of the law and the general treatment of the academic community have an impact on changes in the ranking of universities?

- I don’t expect such an impact in the short term, but I’m afraid that poor legal solutions and insufficient budget funding will already be reflected in a decline in the quality of teaching and scientific research in just a few years, which will inevitably threaten the position on prominent world ranking lists.

• Along with the introduction of dual education, the debate on the harmonisation of the education framework with the needs of the market is very current in the context of higher education. How much does the academic sphere need markets and practise, and how can the right balance be made?

- Creating an educational policy should take into account the needs of the market, just as it is also important that teaching includes, besides theoretical elements, the opportunity for as many practical elements as possible, because it is only in that way at all levels of education that high-quality personnel can be formed, capable of successfully engaging in work processes and practically apply their acquired knowledge and skills. Cooperation

with companies has existed for years (via contracts with the Chamber of Commerce, NIS and EPS) and needs to be nurtured and developed. An important role in that is played by the UB Career Development Centre. Educational systems tend to be inert, so their best possible harmonisation with the needs of times requires the continuous monitoring of market parameters, which provides the basis to form the most reliable long-term projections.

• Innovations are simultaneously encouraged via numerous programmes, especially innovations that can also gain value on the market. In that way we gained the option to support faculties in more easily marketing the products of their scientific-research projects on the market, in cooperation with the Innovation Fund and through the Technology Transfer Programme. Can these initiatives connect science and the economy in a qualitative way?

- Both the state and universities are aware of the importance of connecting education, science and the economy. Since its inception in 2011, the Innovation Fund has played an important role in this respect. In cooperation with the World Bank, it successfully completed the Innovation Support Project in 2016, which was funded through EU pre-accession funds totalling €8.4 million, and last year saw the launch of the Project for Support to Research, Innovation and Technology, the financing of which includes, in addition to the EU, the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the domestic private sector. The aim is to improve cooperation between the scientificresearch sector and the economy through the commercialisation of the results of scientific research and technology transfers. As in the previous project, this one also includes some faculties and institutes, while the University of Belgrade’s Centre for Technology Transfer is also included. Such initiatives and projects are certainly invaluable to the high-quality linking of science and business.

• The law also envisages the introduction of short study programmes and studies that enable the acquiring of practical knowhow and skills in accordance with the needs of the labour market. Something like that already exists through higher vocational schools and in the form of vocational studies. How do they differ?

- Short study programmes are intended to equip students to perform a specific job in an appropriate workplace. They are significantly shorter than vocational studies and are intended, in accordance with our Law on Higher Education, for people who’ve already acquired higher education diplomas.

• One of the possibilities for financing the activities of the University of Belgrade is to rely on the revenues of many endowments/ foundations, but in that you are not helped by either the law or the government's. How important are foundations for financing universities that can be considered our equivalent?

- The financial position of the University of Bel-

the university now generates revenue from seven endowments that is used for granting scholarships and financial assistance to students, rewarding the best scientific works and to finance UB’s general needs. The current Restitution Law represents a legal obstacle to the restitution of endowment property, but we are still hopeful that the competent authorities, who have to date responded with silence to all of our appeals, will understand the significance of this issue and find a solution that would benefit not only the academic community, but also society as a whole. Although they have a long tradition, endowments have almost completely disappeared in our region, while in many other developed countries they play an important role in improving the material position of universities. For example, renowned investor Bill Miller recently donated $75 million just to the Department of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University (the U.S.’s first research university), with the aim of encouraging research and assisting students!

• Many universities in Eastern Europe make money by enticing foreign students to enrol in their programmes. This process is barely evident in our country, despite the University of Belgrade being ranked favourably in relation to most Eastern European universities.

Why don’t we take advantage of this kind of opportunity?

Despite numerous complaints from the National Council for Higher Education and the academic community, certain legal solutions have been adopted that considerably limit the autonomy of the University of Belgrade grade would doubtless improve considerably if the state corrected the injustice committed with the violating of the will of many endowments by returning the assets seized in the years after World War II, which had made the University of Belgrade one of Europe’s three richest universities in the interwar period. In the mid-1990s, the legal framework was created to restore the work of 11 of 35 university endowments and, thanks to the understanding of the city municipalities of Stari Grad and Vračar, which enabled UB to use properties belonging to endowments on their territory,

- A relatively high position on ranking lists, regardless of how much it is an indicator of quality, is not sufficient to attract foreign students. It is essential to work more on conceiving and accrediting the highest quality study programmes taught in English. Over the past few years, 47 such programmes have been accredited, but efforts should be exerted to achieve better results in this area. Alongside programmes, it is necessary to increase accommodation capacities in dormitories for foreign students, as well as easing the acquiring of residence permits or student visas. ■ EDUCATION

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DRAGAN SOLEŠA Ph.D., CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS ACADEMY IN NOVI SAD (FIMEK)

We’re Raising The Bar For Education

One of the most difficult problems that the contemporary education system will have to solve is the issue of equipping students for lifelong learning, because solving problems quickly, as well as swiftly and efficiently managing information, is already being imposed as one of the basic tasks in the educating and nurturing of contemporary figures

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IMEK students, alongside high-quality theoretical knowledge , are also provided with practical experience during their studies, thanks to which many of them gained employment even before they obtained their diploma

• How many undergraduate bachelors, masters and doctoral study programmes are offered at FIMEK? - Our university has 16 accredited study programmes, eight in basic/bachelor’s academic studies, five in master’s academic studies and three programmes for doctoral studies. Apart from that, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development has accredited FIMEK to conduct scientific and research work in two scientific fields: social and technicaltechnological. Therefore, the Faculty is ranked among a small number of faculties in Serbia that have accreditation for two scientific fields. In this way, FIMEK raised its general and specific competence and among fierce competitors has secured a

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prestigious place among the best scientific research and higher education institutions.

• All of your study programmes are harmonised with those of the best European universities that produce the best experts. Is this among the reasons why ever more young people are choosing to study at FIMEK? - The researches show that the learnig and knowledge are the vision of 21st century society.

learning, the selecting and adopting of the right information, the applying of acquired knowledge, the development of curiosity, critical awareness, creativity, communicativeness, independence, social competences and the like. The right to education is becoming a fundamental right, while the availability of education is considered a key precondition for building a society. In such an environment it is essential for young people to be able to

My message to young people is for them to invest in their own education, because that is an investment that has far-reaching positive effects, which has been realised by many individuals and societies before us Knowledge is the basic currency of the 21st century, which implies that in the knowledge society the former ideal of education and the understanding of the education process, its goals, place and the way in which it unfolds is changing. Priorities in the knowledge society are: the willingness of an individual for lifelong

identify, define and create new solutions to problems; to be capable of communicating and cooperating; that they are open to change and to new opportunities; that they are capable of making their own decisions independently and are ready to take on the responsibility for their own education and for managing their own lives.

• How have you organised teaching? What is expected by high school graduates who are eager for knowledge and ready to learn and improve themselves?

- The FIMEK teaching staff prepare students for life in the century of knowledge and learning, rendering them capable of conveying ideas, solving complex problems and finding their way in unclear situations. Our students are trained to solve real problems in the areas they study at FIMEK, which has been recognised by many companies that hire our graduates.

Today’s educational paradigm at FIMEK consists of three mutually-conditioned and connected principles: small groups, conversation and practical work, which enables us to provide students with knowledge that we see as information in its original context. Such

acquire the knowledge and skills essential for them to be successful in their work, and for which national borders no longer represent a barrier to employment. The demand for IT experts is really high both in our country and elsewhere in the world.

My message to young people is that nobody can know with certainty what the job market will look like in five or ten years, but, as an expert in this field, I want to help them to “arm” themselves with the skills they need to succeed, regardless of where life takes them.

• FIMEK cooperates with numerous international educational institutions. Does this mean that your students can spend a year or a semester studying at some of the best European universities?

• Your students carry out professional work placement practise in banks, insurance companies and numerous firms with which FIMEK collaborates. How important are the practical skills that are gained in that way?

- Every higher education institution should develop in the direction of quality, by ensuring it educates top experts. That’s why It’s essential to harmonise curricular with the real needs of the economy, whilst respecting the fact that the modern labour market demands highly qualified professionals and that it is, thus, essential for students to acquire, in addition to theoretical knowledge, practical skills that ensure they are able to apply their knowledge as graduates.

Alongside high quality theoretical knowledge, we ensure that our students also acquire practical experience during their studies. We have a significant number of signed contracts with many companies, institutions, organisations in both the private and public sectors, and students are in this way provided with an opportunity to carry out their professional work placement practise in precisely those institutions that are related to the fields they are studying at FIMEK. • One gets the impression that FIMEK educates experts who have no problems securing employment even after they’ve only completed basic academic studies at the bachelor level, never mind after complet-

knowledge is indeed power – the ability to understand phenomena in their surroundings, or to induce or shape different phenomena in the real world. Such knowledge also means freedom of spirit. It responds to both what and how.

• Is FIMEK experiencing an increase in the number of students interested in studying within the Informatics Department?

- During this time of transition and the rapid transition to an information society, the Informatics Department has special significance and a special role in educating the experts who are essential and highly required for the further development and expansion of achievements in IT, but also for economic development. The Informatics Department implements bachelor and master-level academic studies, via which it educates informatics graduates and masters. During their studies, our IT students

Students at FIMEK are prepared to manage their personal careers, with the aim of developing professionally and personally, in accordance with labour market demands and changes - FIMEK cooperates with more than 30 foreign educational institutions and we are working continuously to intensify and expand cooperation with both existing partners and new ones. International cooperation gives our students the opportunity to spend a semester abroad, but also to continue their masters and doctoral studies at universities abroad. Additionally, FIMEK also organises summer schools for foreign students. However, the most intensive cooperation with foreign universities is reflected primarily through project activities, which show and prove that our cooperation was built on stable and long-term foundations.

ing master’s and doctoral studies. Is that really the case?

- According to our experiences to date, that really is the case. Most of our students find employment in their chosen field and we are very pleased that we can boast of individuals who have achieved enviable results in their careers. Likewise, we can also boast that some of our students gained employment already during their studies. We have such examples not only with students of the informatics study programme, where this is to an extent expected, but also in other study programmes, such as business economics and engineering management in agribusiness. ■ EDUCATION

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DR ROB RISCH, DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BELGRADE (ISB)

Nurturing Diversity

The foundations of our school comprise a curriculum taught in English, an internationally recognised and accredited curriculum programme and the nurturing of pupils’ individuality. We note with pride that all of our pupils, thanks to the knowledge and skills they have acquired, have successfully enrolled in their desired colleges

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he International School of Belgrade is a full-day educational institution with a tradition dating back seven decades and a teaching programme intended for pupils aged from three to 18. Primarily enrolling in ISB are foreign children and youngsters living in Belgrade, but also local pupils from Serbia who want to learn in English and obtain internationally recognised diplomas.

• The International School of Belgrade this year commemorates 70 years of work. In your opinion, what are these seven decades of success mostly based on, and which principles form the foundations of your work? What would you point out as achievements of which you are particularly proud?

- At the end of World War II, a growing number of diplomatic missions and foreign businesses began relocating to Belgrade, and therefore the need emerged for a school to educate the children of these families, which could cater to the transient nature of this section of the population. The foundations of our school are therefore the use of English as the language of instruction, following an internationally recognised and accredited curriculum, and celebrating the diversity of students. ISB has always focused on strong academics, while at the same time embracing teaching methodologies that enable students to gain the required skills, apply their knowledge and critically analyse issues from various perspectives.

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ISB is proud that it remained open throughout the period of the 1990s, when most expats (and many locals) left the region. Another milestone was the opening of a second campus in 2003, which enabled the school to expand further. Finally, gaining authorisation to implement the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme was a natural and important expansion of the ISB commitment to educating globally-minded citizens who contribute positively to society.

on the basis of academic excellence, financial need and extra-curricular activities, or voluntary service in the local community. The scholarship programme reinforces ISB’s commitment to the themes of our mission statement - to inspire, equip and empower our students to succeed and contribute positively to society.

It is designed to make ISB a more integrated part of our host country and promotes the acquisition of knowledge as a key component of the human experience.

We have had three successful graduates so far, and our application process for the next scholar will open on 19th February.

• What is the importance of the 'Open Days' events, which ISB organises regularly, and how are those events designed? How much interest did the last ‘Open Day’ attract?

- We have had three successful Open Days since 2015. On these occasions our staff and

Through its programme of scholarships, the International School of Belgrade each year offers one student from Serbia an opportunity to complete all four years of secondary school free of charge • ISB has long since recognised the importance of promoting diversity, and in accordance with this you also provide support in the form of scholarships. Could you tell us more about this?

- The ISB scholarship programme was established in 2013 with the purpose of promoting diversity, as well as being a way in which ISB could ‘give’ back to our host country by offering an opportunity to earn an ISB Diploma and an International Baccalaureate Diploma to one local student each year. Students are chosen

students present our programmes and provide opportunities for prospective families to tour our facilities and visit classes. As a direct result of previous Open Days, several families have decided to join ISB each year. This year we are planning to hold an Open Day in mid-May, which will be followed by an invitation to attend our Spring Fair on 19th May – as a more informal opportunity for families to gain a sense of our multi-cultural community, with celebrations including a ‘Parade of Nations’ music, games and food from all over the world. ■

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DUŠAN COGOLJEVIĆ, FOUNDER OF THE FACULTY OF BUSINESS ECONOMICS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Synergy Of Innovations And Traditional Learning The emphasis is on a synergy of traditional learning, modern innovation, the quality of the curriculum and speed of adoption of new skills and capabilities in the area of activity

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he formula of the Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship is slightly different to other higher education institutions, simply because in its curriculum the Faculty placees an emphasis on practical education and apprenticeships.

• In just under 10 years, you have become a respectable scientific institution. What are your experiences after the first decade of work?

- Initially we only had departments for business economics and entrepreneurship. During these past years, working in education, I’ve gained a certain degree of experience, of course, new friends, new colleagues, and through all this I managed fit myself into all these trends regarding education. It was very difficult in this market between 2008 and today, because there is a lot of unfair competition. Unfortunately, our state recognizes this, but does not react, therefore all those schools and educational institutions that work in accordance with the law have very big problems. These others are trying other, easier ways to find students and - you will agree - all students prefer to learn less and get a faculty diploma faster. We do things completely differently, but regardless of everything, we keep to our enrolment policy and are happy with the way we work.

• What programmes do you offer your students and where do you place an emphasis: diploma, knowledge, skills and ability to run one’s own business, large and small companies...?

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- The emphasis is on a synergy of traditional learning, modern innovation, the quality of the curriculum and speed of adoption of new skills and capabilities in the area of activity.

This is a school that teaches its students to run an independent business, solve problems and have a successful business.

The curricula are in line with global trends, so that students can become competitive in the domestic and international labour market during the studies. Support for the implementation of this approach to education is provided by experienced highly educated teaching staff, small mentor groups, learning schedules that follow and respect the individuality and interests of each student to adopt the necessary knowledge in the best and most efficient way, as well as organized apprenticeships in leading banking and business organiza-

• In earlier times young people from the provinces had to enrol in faculties and schools in large cities. Today, a diploma from your school can be acquired by young people from Jagodina, Čačak and Loznica without incurring the cost of living outside the parental home. Is this a trend in education?

- That’s right. We thought of young, promising people who want to continue their education, but are unable to move or travel daily to lectures. We have accredited centres in the above towns, and this certainly represents a considerable contribution, both to young people, as well as the towns that retain their youth.

• Who are those who most frequently opt for distance learning? How is it different from regular attendance of lectures and what are its advantages?

We have contracts with a very large number of companies, so students completing our faculty have a very good success rate with finding jobs tions and institutions in the country and abroad. We have contracts with a very large number of companies, therefore students completing our faculty have a very good success rate with finding jobs.

Thus, our formula is a bit different than other higher education institutions, simply because in our curriculum we place an emphasis on practical education (apprenticeships).

- With “distance studies” (online studies) we are on the road to providing an even greater influx of foreign students from certain countries, we are in contact with many countries regarding future cooperation and education with us. These studies are intended not only for foreign students, but also employed people in Serbia, because the online programme is very flexible and allows students to choose their own time of “attending” class. ■

VIOLETA JOVANOVIĆ Ph.D., DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN JAGODINA, UNIVERSITY OF KRAGUJEVAC

CORPORATE

No Better Teachers Than Ours The educators and teachers of the 21st century are highly educated, creative and free-thinking personalities trained not only to work in Serbia, but also throughout the world, thanks to their knowledge of foreign languages

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he state has finally begun to recognise the enormous potential of teaching personnel and to include them in the educational process, thus as of this year teachers will be able, besides languages, to teach computer science in the higher grades of primary schools.

• Although the first association with your higher education institution is its rich tradition, you are managing to respond to the demands of the 21st century education system faster than others. Do you simply monitor those demands, or do you also create them?

- The Faculty of Education in Jagodina represents an avant-garde higher education institution that has cooperated very actively with the most distinguished universities in Europe and around the world over the last two decades. Thanks to this fact, but also a tradition of education dating back 120 years, our faculty has created a unique curriculum that – over the course of bachelor’s and master’s studies – not only prepares students to be teachers, but also educators of a single subject in the higher grades of primary school. Accordingly, as of this academic year, following the decision of the Ministry of Education, teachers will be able to teach, apart from the English language, computer science in the higher grades of primary schools. We are glad that the state has begun to recognise the enormous potential of teaching personnel

and to involve them in the educational process at both levels of basic education.

• Your college is one of the few that manages to fill all available places as early as the first enrolment period. How do you explain this fact?

- We are convinced that students opt for our faculty due to its stimulating working atmosphere, excellent material-technical conditions for work, expertise and the level of pedagogical training of lecturers, as well as due to the large number of extracurricular activities that enable young people to discover and develop their talents and interests. A unique entrance exam, which selects the best candidates for work in education, a wide range of courses for foreign languages, IT, inclusive education and subjects conceived

• Thanks to your international cooperation programme, your students and professors have for years monitored the work of their colleagues from the region and the majority of Europe’s most developed countries. How important is that for advancing the education system in Serbia as a whole?

- Thanks to international cooperation within the framework of our numerous development projects, our faculty has accredited several master’s programmes that should contribute to the professionalisation of education specialists. The master’s programmes of Educational Policy and Leadership in Education, as well as the master’s programme Education of Professors for Subject Teaching, were created in collaboration with the top European colleges. Thanks to the offer of 40 syllabuses in English, our Faculty

Also contributing to the popularity of the Faculty of Education is the fact that the local self-government of Jagodina, a small but dynamic provincial city, takes care of students and young people like very few other municipalities in Serbia with contemporary concepts of methodology, along with many hours of professional work placement practise in schools and nurseries, produces our finished students – teachers and educators with the top level of expertise who are happily seen not only in the most elite schools in the country, but also throughout Europe and America.

can host foreign students and professors under the auspices of the Erasmus plus programme. It simultaneously enables our students to spend part of their education at prestigious European universities and thereby prepare for work not only in our country, but also elsewhere in the area of European education. ■ EDUCATION

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PROFESSOR HRISTOS ALEKSOPULOS, PRINCIPAL OF THE COLLEGE OF APPLIED HEALTH SCIENCES ĆUPRIJA

The Future Is Bright For Healthcare Professionals The modern age brings with it constant progress in the medical profession and healthcare technologies, with the application of a holistic and inter-professional approach. This means we must commit to improving nurse and midwife education in Serbia and achieving permanent progress through a life-long learning programme

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he College of Applied Health Sciences in Ćuprija, an institution with two decades of tradition in the education of medical experts, operates through six study programmes at the level of undergraduate studies. The quality of its work is best witnessed by this year’s “Kapetan Miša Anastasijević” award.

• What else, in addition to constant education of teaching staff and investments into technology, is important for the education of future healthcare professionals?

- The entire educational process at our College of Applied Health Sciences is adapted to the needs of students, the acquisition of knowledge and quality education. Both our students and teachers are constantly being educated through scientific and professional literature accessible through KOBSON, and at international and national events in the field of health protection and healthcare. Success in completing the pre-clinical practice, conducted in College classrooms, quality exercises in teaching bases and professional clinical apprenticeships comprise an integral

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unit that guarantees good education for our students and their initiation into working with both healthy and sick people.

of teaching and instruction, and is also oriented towards raising the level of practical knowledge and professional skills.

• What makes a good teacher? Why are the professors from your college so well appreciated among their colleagues and students?

- As the principal, but also a professor working at the College of Applied Health Sciences for a full 17 years now, I am proud of our staff, who are qualified and competent

• What employment opportunities does the diploma of your college provide in Serbia and abroad?

- If we look at Forbes’ list of the most soughtafter occupations, eight out of ten did not even exist a decade ago. The two that were in demand 10, 20, or 100 years ago include highly

Completing a secondary medical school one gains the title of healthcare technician, and after a three-year higher vocational education the title of nurse. A healthcare technician, according to EU standards, is not independent in providing medical care, instead they work based on orders by a nurse for all forms of teaching, and also have rich practical experience acquired in healthcare institutions at all levels of health protection.

Furthermore, a good professor follows new trends in the field of educational processes, uses contemporary and interactive methods

educated healthcare experts, like the ones we are producing at CAHS in Ćuprija. The diploma of our College is valid both in the country and abroad, so many of our graduate students find jobs in renowned healthcare institutions both in the public, as well as the private sector. I am

encouraged and glad to see the efforts made by the Government of the Republic of Serbia with the Ministry of Health towards raising the quality of healthcare services, providing equipment for clinical centres, modernising equipment, as well as the professional development and employment of young healthcare experts.

• Will the curricula of your school be fully harmonized with EU standards regarding the education of medical nurses, midwives and physiotherapists, in constant demand in Western European countries, and when?

- We are standing before the re-accreditation process of the nursing study programme, and therefore we are planning to prepare the report for this programme in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2013/55/EU on the education of nurses and midwives and to be the first state-owned school in Serbia to educate nurses and midwives in accordance with European standards.

• How many years will it take for Serbia to meet one of the conditions for European Union accession, whereby 30 percent of medical nurses must hold a diploma of three, and/or four-year studies?

- Other countries in the region that became EU members were faced with the same challenges, and they made use of bridging programmes whereby working nurses and midwives educated in accordance with earlier standards were provided the opportunity to harmonise the level of education acquired.

The activity of higher education is particularly important for the Republic of Serbia and is part of the European educational and scientific area, so I believe by 2020 we will have reformed higher education in accordance with European standards and the Strategy for the Development of Education.

As a College actively participating in the reform of the system of education of medical nurses and midwives in Serbia, we will intensify cooperation with all institutions involved in this process and endeavour to meet the condition of 30 percent highly educated nurses as soon as possible.

• Your wish is for your school to become a leader in education in the field of nursing and

midwifery. How far are you from this goal?

- In late January this year, for the first time, our College organised an event on the topic of “EU standards for the profession of medical nurses and midwives - information for accession countries” attended, in addition to representatives of our College, by representatives of the Chamber of Nurses and Technicians, healthcare institutions in the region and student centres. Our school

- Our College is also developing its professional, educational and research activities as a member of the European Nursing Module Network (ENM). Student exchange is reflected in attending professional apprenticeships in European healthcare institutions, as well as having students from other countries in CAHS and its teaching bases.

Student exchange is effected with related schools from Norway, Switzerland, England, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Macedonia and Romania. CAHS was involved as a partner in the Tempus IV project with schools comprising the Academy, the Academy from Belgium, Germany and Portugal, and this year it is involved in the Erasmus+ project.

• Serbia has a surplus of professional physiotherapists, and a lack of highly educated nurses and technicians, surgical technicians and anaesthetists. How do we solve this?

- It is a fact that the records of the National Employment Service for 2017 contain professional physiotherapists, but they find employment quickly because the norms for healthcare institutions in Serbia envisage the completion of vocational studies for physiotherapists. As for the lack of surgical technicians and anaesthetists, due to

We are also recognizable based on well-developed international cooperation reflected in the exchange of students and professors, and numerous projects with results directly implemented into the educational process and the accreditation of study programmes, specializations and master programmes is this year’s winner of the “Kapetan Miša Anastasijević” award for the area of Šumadija and Pomoravlje, for significant contributions to the improvement of the development of higher education.

• To what extent are international cooperation, the exchange of students and professors, as well as numerous projects you are working on helping you achieve the plan to be the first state school in Serbia educating nurses and midwives in accordance with European standards?

the new Law on Higher Education in force since 8 October 2017, this problem will also be resolved with the introduction of “short study programmes” and the category of “study during employment” in Serbia. They make education in parallel with employment possible for precisely such deficit profiles.

Based on the needs of the healthcare sector and student interest, our College will prepare such programmes for surgical technicians, anaesthetists, for parenting schools, for healthcare educators, as well as for working with persons with special needs. ■ EDUCATION

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PROFESSOR MIĆA JOVANOVIĆ, Ph.D., RECTOR OF MEGATREND UNIVERSITY

One Step Ahead Of The Others “Megatrend” University consists of 12 faculties, and there is great interest in all of them. The Faculty of Civil Aviation is currently the most popular in Serbia and the region

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his institution, unique in its concept of education for civil aviation, has its own simulator and jet airplane for practice and professional development, so it is understandable that with a Megatrend diploma and further professional training, people find jobs in the biggest airlines.

• How would you briefly characterise the long-term strategy of education of Megatrend University?

- The strategy of Megatrend University is - always a step ahead of everyone. That is how it was when we started, that is how it is today. Way back in 1989 we wrote a new chapter in the concept of education in what was then Yugoslavia, introducing new areas of education that did not exist then in the region of Eastern, SouthEastern and Central Europe. These were

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studies of management, organizational behaviour, intercultural management, etc. During early 1990 we were also the first educational institution to develop its website, through the “Beograd.com” company of Nenad Ćosić. They have been our internet provider to this day.

• You have been developing for nearly 30 years in accordance with new technologies and information systems. Where do you see your place in the modern system of digitisation of education?

- I think we started this first in 2001,

So, we are at the very top, but there are some who are slightly better, such as the IT Academy of Vesa Jevrosimović. I can say, using a sports vocabulary, that we are in excellent second place.

• “Megatrend” University consists of 12 faculties. Which one of them is attracting the greatest interest among secondary school graduates? What study programmes are the most popular among youth today, and which ones would you like to draw their attention to?

- All of our faculties are modern, attrac-

“On site” studies, i.e. real studying in university buildings and campuses, is a thing of the past. “Online” studies, distance learning, are the future of learning in the modern world when our distance learning software was highly rated at a scientific conference in San Francisco. It was created by Dr Veljko Spasić, a United Nations expert.

He turned my idea into 98 books of software code and the system, with certain regular annual upgrades, still works today.

tive, and keep up with the highest global achievements in the area of higher education. During the last few years interest has increased in our Faculty of Computer Science, Faculty of Culture and Media, and this year there was a lot of interest for the Faculty of Civil Aviation and the

Faculty of Arts and Design. I would like to note our Faculty of Law, particularly its Security Department.

• There was a lot of polemic about the Megatrend slogan “Finish Megatrend and - get out of here”. What is hiding behind it?

- I worked on that slogan personally for weeks. It does not call on youth to leave Serbia. It points out that our diplomas are recognised worldwide, as evidenced by the fact that several thousand of our graduates are working in the largest and best companies. On the other hand, the idea of the slogan was to raise even more awareness of the burning issue of youth leaving Serbia.

have our simulator and jet airplane for the practice of future pilots, or professional development of already active pilots who aim for higher education. By recommendation of European Union authorities, pilots without higher

hours in front of commissions that are, in a way, accredited for this work. For example, our former colleague Nebojša Bačanin defended his dissertation at our faculty in the area of computer science. The defence lasted over two hours

• You virtual university is the first accredited institution in Serbia offering students distance learning. What kind of interest is there for this type of studies, very popular and appreciated in developed countries?

- I think “on site” studies, i.e. real studying in university buildings and campuses, is a thing of the past. “Online” studies, distance learning, are the future of learning

The studies at Megatrend are serious, and doctoral dissertations and master theses go through serious quality control and software that can identify the degree of plagiarism. Dissertation and thesis defences last for two, three hours, before accredited commissions in the modern world. There are currently around 1,800 students from around the world studying at our virtual university.

• What kind of interest is there for the Faculty of Civil Aviation, since it is a unique higher education institution in Serbia?

- Interest in our Faculty of Civil Aviation is great, not only in Serbia, but also in the region and beyond. We are a unique institution regarding our concept of education for civil aviation, we have excellent technical equipment, we

education will not be able to fly the European skies after 2018.

• Many “eternal students” successfully completed their undergraduate, and some also their master and doctoral studies at Megatrend University. How do you comment on this claim?

- The claim is malicious and incorrect. Our studies are serious. Doctoral dissertations and master theses go through serious quality control and software that can identify the degree of plagiarism. Thesis and dissertation defences last two, three

before an extremely strong commission.

Several months later he defended a second doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Mathematics of the University of Belgrade. The defence lasted around 40 minutes, and he only exchanged a few sentences with the commission. A colleague recorded everything, so it is easy to determine the huge difference in the seriousness and quality of defences of both dissertations. How magisterial theses and doctoral dissertations are defended at state universities is a whole other issue. I looked at several from certain state faculties, similar to our faculties. Of the five reviewed, only one doctoral dissertation had correctly established methodological-hypothetical research frameworks, the others did not. And without that, there can be no satisfactory doctoral dissertation or magisterial thesis. ■ EDUCATION

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ENVER GICIĆ Ph.D., DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES

Guardian Of Tradition And True Values Secondary school graduates who pass the entrance exam can also this year enrol in one of four basic study courses – Islamism, the Sharia and Law course, the pedagogy and communicology course and the course for Islamic economics and halal standard

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hanks to staff members who also studied at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (FIS), students of the FIS are educated in the spirit of the times and the area in which they live and in which they will work and function in the future.

• The Faculty of Islamic Studies in Novi Pazar continues the tradition of Sandžak’s first religious-educational institution, established in 1461, when the foundations of Novi Pazar were laid and the Isa-bey (Isa-Beg) mosque was built, and alongside it the first sibjan-mekteb (school for children). What has remained the same and what has changed over the course of these many centuries?

- The valley of the Jošanica and Raška rivers has for centuries been a meeting point for different cultures which, despite numerous challenges, still witness the sustainability of coexistence with others and those who are different. The first mosque of Ghazi Isa-Beg Ishaković, alongside which the first sibjan-mekteb was built, representing the precursor of institutional education in Sandžak, emerged in the atmosphere of the dynamic coming together

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of the faith of “Dobrih Bošnjana”, or Bosnian Christians and Christians of the eastern and western provinces. After the mosque was destroyed in the late 1930s, the Building of Islamic institutions was erected, and since 2006, in accordance with the decision of the Mushihat of the Islamic Community in Serbia, as the founder, it has housed the Faculty of Islamic Studies. Apart from being a place for education, academic advancement and teaching of religious personnel, it is consistent with the universal values of cultural heritage pluralism. Testifying to this is the fact that among the numerous guest professors at our Faculty was the late Radovan Bigović Ph.D., from the Belgrade Faculty of Theology, as well as Catholic Archbishop of the Belgrade Archdiocese Stanislav Hočevar.

• Under what kind of conditions do your lecturers and students work?

- After expanding the spatial capacities of the building of the Islamic institutions, where conditions for studying were fairly modest, today we can boast of having almost 2,000 square metres of high-quality space.

Alongside lectures, students can also take advantage of a modern amphitheatre, foreign language learning laboratories (Arabic, English, Turkish) and, as of this year, also a large library with a collection of around 30,000 titles and a reading room. Within the building there are also professors’ cabinets, space for the faculty’s management and a hall for meetings and prayer.

• The Faculty of Islamic Studies has a status that is equal to other faculties and higher education institutions in Serbia. Do you receive assistance from the state and the ministry?

- Our faculty works in accordance with the Law on Churches and Religious Communities and, in that sense, maintains proper cooperation with the Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities at the Ministry of Justice.

Apart from this Office providing a certain number of scholarships for bachelor’s and master’s studies, we also cooperate with it on projects that are significant for our institution and the Islamic community. The

most important project agreed upon during the visit of the Director of the Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities is cooperation with the Centre for Interfaith Dialogue, which exists within the framework of our Faculty. We hope this cooperation in the period ahead will be raised to a higher level, in order for our students to feel completely equal to all other students in the country.

• A new deadline for enrolment is approaching. Who can enrol in FIS? Is it difficult to pass the entrance exam?

- Considering that Novi Pazar has become a university centre, and bearing in mind that, following the founding of the Faculty

the Islamic World, which operates under the auspices of the ISESCO, an organisation founded by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. This has enabled us to maintain more intensive contacts with almost all renowned Islamic universities around the world.

We were initially compelled to rely on professors from the region, particularly from Bosnia, while today we have our own staff, educated at the International University in Novi Pazar. This enables us to effectively implement all planned teaching activities.

In cooperation with embassies of Muslim countries, especially Arab countries, in Belgrade, we provide proof-readers for foreign languages. Last year, through the

• How far have you progressed in the process of obtaining accreditation? Will a decision in this regard be made on a professional or political basis?

- We work in accordance with the Law on Churches and Religious Communities, which stipulates that secondary religious schools and faculty are not obliged to enter the accreditation process. Regardless of that fact, we are ready to launch the accreditation process from this moment and we would like to believe that the negative experience of the International University didn’t benefit anyone, except those who – in a moral-ethical sense – should have been far away from the higher education system.

• The Faculty of Islamic Studies has four basic study directions. Which of them attracts the greatest interest?

- At our Faculty there are currently four basic study courses – Islamism, the Sharia and Law course, the pedagogy and communicology course and the course for Islamic economics and halal standard.

All of these courses are attractive, while a special course is the one for Sharia and Law, as well as the pedagogy and communicology course.

Our bachelor’s courses have students from all over the region, mainly Bosniaks

of Islamic Studies in 2001 (then the Islamic Pedagogical Academy), the International University was established in 2002, which was the main reason why the city gained a state university four years later, we are obliged to maintain a constant enrolment campaign. Enrolment in our college is open to all those graduating from four years of secondary school who pass the entrance exam, which – in view of the knowledge with which they come – does not represent a major problem for most.

• Your faculty cooperates with numerous Islamic higher education institutions worldwide. Has the problem related to providing work permits for professors from abroad been resolved?

- The faculty was admitted as a full member of the Federation of the Universities of

We teach our students the principle that someone who is sure in his own values has self-confidence, breadth and the awareness to hear and respect differing opinions in the spirit of tolerance mediation of the Embassy of the United Kingdom and the OSCE, we hosted a guest professor from the University of Cambridge, as well as experts from the British government who deal with the issue of extremism.

They were extremely satisfied with the level of education and awareness of our students when it comes to this challenge that we are all facing equally.

We collaborate very closely with all major Muslim educational institutions throughout Europe and the United States, but also in Turkey, where we have a signed Mevlana exchange programme agreement on cooperation.

and Albanians, Muslims and non-Muslims, especially on the course for comparative religions, while our postgraduate studies have students from all over the world.

• What makes your Faculty so special?

- If we were to seek something that we are extremely proud of, that would certainly be the authentic scientific-educational interpretation of the Islamic faith, in the spirit of preserving tradition and facing the challenges of the modern era, with the experience of academic representatives of Europe’s autochthonous Muslim nations. ■ EDUCATION

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CORPORATE

THE FRENCH SCHOOL IN BELGRADE

Adventure Of Learning In French

Thanks to a high-quality education in line with the standards of the French curriculum, to advanced teaching techniques and a childcentred approach, our graduating pupils easily continue their studies in France and elsewhere. That is why Serbian, French and parents of many other nationalities choose our school for their children, starting from the age of three up to 18

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he French School in Belgrade introduces children from the ages of three to 18 to the adventure of learning in a caring and nurturing environment, in French!

The high quality of teaching is ensured by the unique structure of the French education system.

France is the only country in the world that has an international state-approved network of schools overseen by the French Agency for teaching French abroad (AEFE), which allows pupils to follow the French national curriculum and pursue their education at the same level of schooling in any French school abroad or in France. Backed by the French Ministry of Education, the AEFE network guarantees that

of €2,700 per pupil, through teachers’ salaries and other subsidies.

Starting from age two and a half, children are eligible for the Nursery at the French School in Belgrade. The Nursery welcomes 76 children aged from two and a half to five, in a warm and friendly atmosphere, in the Belgrade suburb of Senjak. The Nursery School is divided into four levels and five different forms, each overseen by a bilingual teacher and bilingual teaching assistant.

The French Nursery School in Belgrade has a child-centred approach to education and promotes the diversity of its students – encouraging them to develop their mother tongue and

In the past two years, 100 per cent of our students successfully passed the final French exam, called Baccalauréat, which allowed them to continue their studies, mainly in France, but also in other countries, since this French diploma is recognised worldwide all French schools abroad comply with the same education syllabuses and requirements as those in France. Inspectors from the French Ministry of Education visit the school every year and assess the level of compliance and quality of teaching.

The French school in Belgrade was established in 1951. It adheres to the French educational principles, including the principles of secularity and of philosophical and political neutrality. The French government contributes financially to the education of our pupils, irrespective of their nationality, in the amount

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preparing them for primary school through the teaching of basic pre-reading and writing skills.

Our staff members follow the French Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and are keen to offer the best of the French education system: they place a strong emphasis on a caring and nurturing environment suited to cultivating the taste for learning among young children. EFB Nursery School pupils grow accustomed to socialising and learn to be part of a group, but also to be independent. They develop plurilingual skills at an early age and build upon their physical predispositions. They are exposed to the requirements of the French curriculum and the autonomous critical thinking of French Education, which is synonymous with high-quality teaching.

A total of 510 pupils aged three to 18 currently attend the school at one of 16 different levels. Fifty per cent of our pupils are Serbian, 35 per cent are French or binational, while the remaining 15 per cent includes 20 different nationalities. In the past two years, 100 per cent of our students successfully passed the final French exam, called Baccalauréat, which allowed them to continue their studies, mainly in France, but also in other countries, since this French diploma is recognised worldwide.

In addition to the academic curriculum, the school offers numerous extracurricular artistic, scientific and sporting activities each year.

Throughout the 15 years of their schooling, our pupils receive high-quality teaching and develop individual school excellence and great collective human values. ■

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CORPORATE

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SAVREMENA

The Most Modern Cambridge Secondary School In Serbia Thanks to its modus operandi and the numerous advantages it offers, International School Savremena lives up to its reputation as the most modern Cambridge secondary school in Serbia

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hat makes International School Savremena a truly different school?

STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY IN CLASSROOMS International School Savremena is a Future Ready school that applies global innovations relating to the modernisation of the educational concept. In this school technology has become an integral part of the teaching method, which makes it easier for students to follow school material and helps them in their further advancement.

INTELLIGENT CLASSROOM WITH INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS AND TABLES Savremena's students attend lessons in Intelligent Classrooms that have emerged as a response to today's needs and which are a combination of applied new technologies, the internet and a variety of software for learning.

The lessons that students acquire appear much simpler on interactive boards, while the use of interactive tables encourages greater engagement and better collaboration with their peers and teachers. In comfortable Node chairs, students bring reality to life with the use of Samsung Gear VR glasses, a 3D printer, scanner and pen, which makes their learning much more interesting.

ADDITIONAL SPECIALISATION WITH THE E-LEARNING PLATFORM Alongside the e-diary, in which they can find information about their marks and the work

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methods, the students also use the internet to enhance their skills through English, mathematics and efficient learning courses available on the e-Learning platform. This kind of learning is particularly suitable for athletes, who are unable to attend traditional lessons due to training and competitions, as it allows them to follow school lessons online.

SPRINGBOARD TO WORLD UNIVERSITIES As a Cambridge secondary school, International School Savremena enables students to obtain as many as two Cambridge diplomas - ICE and AICE, which open the doors

ments and can study at International School Savremena at greatly reduced tuition fees.

These opportunities are also available to students already attending Savremena.

This way, the school encourages them to achieve their full potential.

CONTEMPORARY COMMUNICATION WITH TEACHERS International School Savremena mainly employs young, professional and highly educated teachers, whose memory of the experiences their students are currently dealing with is still quite fresh, which makes finding common ground a lot easier.

They communicate with students via email

Savremena operates according to the curriculum designed by Cambridge Assessment International Education and its students are taught in English, which makes it easier for them to continue their education anywhere in the world of prestigious universities across the globe.

Savremena operates according to the curriculum designed by Cambridge Assessment International Education and its students are taught in English, which makes it easier for them to continue their education anywhere in the world.

INCENTIVES FOR THE BEST Students wanting to enrol into International School Savremena can compete for one of six incentives for the best. Thus, whizz kids, top athletes, talented artists and young brainiacs can be rewarded for their achieve-

and use a specially designed platform for checking students' homework. Moreover, teachers also devote themselves to the students during Study Time, as well as through mentorship.

At International School Savremena, each and every thing is contemporary (savremena) – from futuristic classrooms, through innovative lectures, to creative lecturers, which is why more and more parents want to enrol their children into this school of the future. Let your child become a part of the most modern Cambridge secondary school in Serbia! ▪

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CORPORATE

MSc.OEC. BRATISLAV FILIPOVIĆ, FOUNDER AND INSTRUCTOR-COORDINATOR AT ACADEMY "FILIPOVIĆ"

System For 21 Century Schools st

Thanks to the “School Information System”, the 21st century has also arrived in our educational institutions, where teachers use an electronic diary, electronic pedagogical notebooks, electronic portfolios for student, an e-programme for printing testimonials, a platform for creating school websites, e-libraries etc

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ess than nine years ago, with the aim of modernising, improving and easing the work of all participants in the Serbian education system, Academy “Filipović” created the complex “School Information System” programme, which consists of integrated applications intended for all educational institutions of preschool, primary and secondary education.

The unique “School Information System” of Academy “Filipović”, headquartered in Jagodina, covers all working processes in educational institutions, from recording activities and statistics, through records of all participants in the system, automatic generation, printing reports and all documents necessary for the proper management of an educational institution, to communication with the administration and the Ministry, with the possibility of exporting required data. This system enables communication between colleagues, exchanges of personal documents,

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textbooks and portfolio works, communication with professional services, parents, administration and the Ministry.

The development of the “School Information System” began in 2009 with the aim of modernising, improving and easing the work of all users, i.e. participants in the education system of the Republic of Serbia. The School Information System consists of several modules: Electronic

diary, electronic pedagogical notebook, Electronic portfolio for teachers and students, E program for PP services, Programme for printing testimonies (flexi), Platform for creating school websites and the E-library.

The School Information System is currently used by 5,196 teachers from 311 preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, music schools and special

schools all over Serbia. The system itself is recognised and highly rated beyond the borders of Serbia, by the Union of Directors of Montenegro, directors and teachers from Macedonia, with the intention of implementing parts of the School Information System in their existing systems.

Although there is a synopsis of programmes with similar or the same purposes, our programme differs greatly from them, because during its development

we analysed the needs of employees in education, taking into account their level of IT literacy and all elements that should make their work easier, as well as the benefits of using the programme.

We have enabled them to enter into the same (closed) system their personal portfolio, which marks the use of digital technology and enables the collection and organisation of the contents of several different media forms (audio, video, graphics, text), which serves to record and present acquired qualifications and experiences. It comprises a collection of works published on the internet which documents ideas, activities and achievements, and enables their exchange and use with minimal knowledge of working on computer. We have enabled teachers, educators and professors of music and special schools to simply use electronic pedagogical notebooks, in which we have

incorporated all legally defined standards.

Entries in the pedagogical notebook are connected directly to the e-diary, thus we reduced the number of the same entries and thus saved the user's time. By entering the e-diary via the pedagogical notebook, we have enabled teachers to easily enter classes, enter the topic of classes from their global or operational plan, with a single mouse click. With this we have again saved the times of the end-user and simultaneously enabled the use of the

What distinguishes our system from others is that it is applicable in all types and forms of educational institutions: pre-school institutions, primary, secondary, music, ballet and special schools of a predefined type. The system enables all competent stakeholders to simply monitor the work of particular institutions. Parents are also certainly seen as users in the system, but also pupils, as there is also a part allocated for student portfolios.

The system enables, via the pupil’s portfolio – provided it is used – monitoring of the work, progress and development of pupils, from preschool institutions to university enrolment. It is clear without the need to list details now that all necessary documentation can be printed out and that the e-diary can be converted into a printed (written) document.

We must also note that Academy Filipović deals with the educating of employees in educational institutions, and that the number of teachers who have passed their accredited seminars has exceeded 30,000. Academy Filipović has been participating actively in advancing the computer literacy of teachers for 15 years already, and has also equipped

Academy “Filipović” has been participating for 15 years in advancing the computer literacy of teachers, introducing modern IT equipment to schools and organising accredited seminars that have been attended by 30,000 teachers same input panel without needing to walk from window to window. Teachers can also use the e-diary to carry out preparations for classes, using all contents that have already been entered into the system. Our system implies easy and simple guidance of children who are with the IOP, which is particularly expressed in special schools.

The system also includes an integrated programme for pedagogical psychological services, which records all actions envisaged by law. Our system is developed in such a way that it envisages any changes a legislator could make.

schools with the latest IT equipment. At the end of February 2018, the FBIWB 2700A Portable Interactive Board appeared on the market and will be produced in Serbia.

This device is actually already known to many schools in Serbia, Montenegro and Republika Srpska as the favourite teaching aid of teachers, due to its high technical performance and ease of use.Alongside the aforementioned countries where the FBIWB 2700A interactive board is known, we also aim to conquer the markets of Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. ■ EDUCATION

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AGE D.O.O. (LTD.)

New Technologies For Advancing Education

The introduction of modern digital information and communication technologies is a prerequisite for successful teaching in the 21st century. AGE of MEDIS is an integrated complex system designed specifically for use in education, which makes it unique in Serbia and the wider region

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he teaching of natural sciences in the most sensitive segment – and that is demonstrations of experiments and laboratory exercises – is made much more efficient with the use of MEDIS. AGE d.o.o. (Ltd.), a Serbian company specialised in multimedia interactive technologies, has integrated verified methods of traditional laboratory teaching with current interactive digital ICT. The exceptionally professional knowhow of engineers, programmers and designers who worked on the project – in conjunction with the experience of teachers – ensured the development and implementation of AGE of MEDIS, a state-of-the-art system intended for top teaching. These systems successfully replace the classical method of performing laboratory exercises and provide the possibility for interactive procedures that haven’t previously existed in our teaching curricula and which increase the

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efficiency of the acquiring of knowledge.

Thanks to the integration of ICT and the possibilities they provide, AGE of MEDIS has enabled theoretical teaching and practical laboratory training to finally become a coherent unit.

In addition to developing subjectbased competences for directly supported subjects (biology, chemistry, physics, computer science and computing), the MEDIS system also develops appropriate interpersonal competences, above all digitally, alongside a responsible attitude towards the environment-ecology.

Given that the Serbian education system is facing the great challenge of developing competences for advancing working and learning conditions, students must acquire knowhow and master modern technologies in a timely and proper manner.

That’s why it’s necessary to combine the knowledge of numerous teachers who, through communication and cooperation in thematically addressing the problem and innovating their practises.

A system set up in such a way requires students to simultaneously use acquired subject and inter-subject competences actively, applying acquired knowledge in new, more complex situations.

Students on the AGE of MEDIS system can work individually or in small groups. In this way cooperation is improved within the group, but personal responsibility is also developed, which – alongside acquired knowledge – is an essential element of successful future professional work.

experimental work. The adoption of basic ecological principles is eased significantly, because students experience phenomena and processes important for ecology through real experiments. The outcome

BASIC DESCRIPTION OF MEDIS Bespoke software developed to connect all components of the AGE of MEDIS system into a functional unit With the help of developed bespoke software it is possible to gain insight into the work of students and take control, as and when required, to help students in taking on tasks. This kind of modern approach greatly eases the work of teachers by achieving flexible communication

The exceptionally professional knowhow of engineers, programmers and designers who worked on the project – in conjunction with the experience of teachers – ensured the development and implementation of AGE of MEDIS, a state-of-theart system intended for top teaching with students, in which students receive almost instantly feedback from teachers.

A class becomes much more dynamic and interesting for students, while it is already well known that the use of modern technologies additionally stimulates students.

The use of AGE of MEDIS encourages a way of thinking among students that leads them to solve problems with the use of acquired knowledge from multiple subjects. Digital competences are substantially enhanced. AGE of MEDIS not only contributes to the acquisition of new knowledge, but also greatly strengthens students' competences for applying acquired knowledge in a real environment to complete specific tasks.

ECOLOGY The purpose of this part of the MEDIS system is for students to acquire basic knowledge about ecology and its importance for society through practical

of this part of the MEDIS system is the acquisition of basic knowledge and the acceptance of basic ecological principles.

Achieving this outcome is made significantly easier through the MEDIS system because students are able to interact and influence actual physical, chemical and biological processes. The collection of data regarding

the processes being analysed within any part of the MEDIS system is achieved in real time.

Students practically see instantaneously the consequences of effects on the system, which has a very favourable impact on the quality of acquired knowledge.

Ecology, as a derives scientific discipline, studies the relationships between living beings and living and non-living nature, which is becoming extremely important in this stage of the development of society.

The MEDIS system greatly improves the adoption of basic ecological principles.

We observe the environment as a set of elements of physical, chemical and biological nature that act constantly on organisms. That’s why we must examine the consequences of changing these elements.

The MEDIS system shows real physical, chemical and biological processes in a very clear way, interpreting and presenting their impact on the environment.

The direct and indirect effects of ecological factors on living organisms are clearly described in real experiments that can be conducted with the help of the MEDIS system. The combination of real experiments and modern information and communication technologies has enabled the very effective acquiring of knowledge from ecology and the examining of the impact of ecological factors. ■ EDUCATION

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Digital Education Action Plan

Education and training are the best investments in Europe’s future. They play a vital role in boosting growth, innovation and job creation. Europe’s education and training systems need to give people the forward-looking knowledge, skills and competences they need to innovate and prosper. They also have an important role to play in creating a European identity, building on common values and cultures

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ducation should help empower young people to articulate and engage, participate and shape the future of a Europe characterised by democracy, solidarity and inclusion. Digital technology enriches learning in a variety of ways and offers learning opportunities, which must be accessible to all. It opens up access to a wealth of information and resources.

In the Rome Declaration of March 2017, EU Member States stressed their commitment to providing young people with the ‘best education and training’. The October 2017

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European Council called for training and education systems to be ‘fit for the digital age’. . At the November 2017 Gothenburg Summit, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission proclaimed the European Pillar of Social Rights, which enshrines the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning. The Communication ‘Strengthening European Identity through Education and Culture , the Commission’s contribution to the EU Leader's Agenda discussion on education and culture at the Gothenburg Summit, sets out a vision for a

European Education Area and announced a dedicated Digital Education Action Plan.

The Commission hosted the first European Education Summit in January 2018 with a broad theme of ‘Laying the foundations of the European Education Area: for an innovative, inclusive and values based education’. As part of delivering on the New Skills Agenda for Europe, the Commission will propose a revised European Reference Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning that sets out the knowledge, skills and attitudes people need for life, including digital competence. This Action Plan sets out how education and training systems can make better use of innovation and digital technology and support the development of relevant digital competences needed for life and work in an age of rapid digital change.

The Action Plan has a specific focus on initial education and training systems and covers schools, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education.

Challenges and opportunities of digital transformation for education

Europe’s digital transformation will accelerate with the rapid advance of new technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and blockchain.

Like previous major technological advances, digitisation affects how people live, interact, study and work. Some jobs will disappear, others will be replaced, new jobs will be created, many jobs andindustries will be transformed and new activities will emerge.

This makes investing in one’s digital skills throughout life of the utmost importance.

While there are many opportunities arising from digital transformation, the biggest

risk today is of a society ill-prepared for the future. If education is to be the backbone of growth and inclusion in the EU, a key task is preparing citizens to make the most of the opportunities and meet the challenges of a fast-moving, globalised and interconnected world.

Reform efforts continue every year, yet a persistent divide exists between and within EU Member States, in particular regarding digital infrastructure and skills, all of which hinders inclusive growth. Vulnerable groups are particularly affected by this situation.

In addition, the lack of interest among girls to pursue studies information and communication technologies (ICT) and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) remains a clear problem. This leads to lost social and economic opportunities and risks reinforcing gender inequality.

Education can benefit from opening

classrooms, real-life experiences and projects, and from new learning tools, materials and open educational resources. Learners can be empowered by online collaboration.

Access to and the use of digital technologies can help reduce the learning gap between students from high and low socioeconomic backgrounds. Personalised teaching can result in increased motivation by focusing on individual learners. However progress on integrating technology in education remains limited.

More than 80% of young people in Europe use the internet for social activities

organisations, can help to improve learning outcomes, enhance equity and improve efficiency. It is most effective and sustainable when embraced by welltrained teachers and embedded in clear teaching goals. More needs to be done on how to best use digital means to reach education objectives.

Digital advances also bring new challenges for Europe’s pupils, students and teachers. Algorithms used by social media sites and news portals can be powerful amplifiers of bias or fake news, while data privacy has become a key concern in the digital society. Young people as well as adults are vulnerable to cyber bullying and harassment, predatory behaviour or disturbing online content. Everyday exposure to digital data driven largely by inscrutable algorithms creates clear risks and requires more than ever critical thinking and the ability to engage positively and competently in the digital environment. We face a constantly evolving need for media literacy and a wide mix of digital skills and competences including safety, security and privacy, but getting them to the wider population and more advanced professions and sectors remains a challenge.

The key role of EU-wide cooperation in scaling up innovation in EU Member States’ education and training systems EU-wide cooperation through exchange of best practice, peer learning and evidence

Europe’s digital transformation will accelerate with the rapid advance of new technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and blockchain. Like previous major technological advances, digitisation affects how people live, interact, study and work access to the internet significantly increased over the last years. But use of technology for educational purposes lags behind. Not all primary and secondary schools in the EU have broadband connections and not all educators have the competences and confidence to use digital tools to support their teaching. A recent study showed that in 2015 an estimated 18 % of primary and secondary schools in the EU were not connected to broadband. Innovation in education systems, understood as the adoption of new services, technologies, competences by education

sharing is a proven way to support EU Member States’ education and training systems.

Common frameworks help identify effective solutions while shared tools such as eTwinning increase efficiency and broaden impact. Innovative practices in education, in particular digital ones, are taking place across the EU. These take various forms and involve public, private and nongovernmental actors. However, innovation in education systems is not an end it itself, but rather a way to improve the quality and inclusiveness of education systems ■ EDUCATION

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MY LIFE SLAVOLJUB ĐUKIĆ, JOURNALIST, WRITER

B y R A DM I L A STA N KOV I Ć

People Like Strong Leaders,

SERBS IN PARTICULAR

PICTURED DURING HIS PERIOD AS NIN EDITOR

This long-serving political journalist and commentator of publications Borba, Večernje Novosti and Politika, and former editor-in-chief of NIN, became a partisan courier of the First Proletarian Brigade before he turned 16, just to survive the Srem Front at the end of World War II. He knew or was closely associated with the majority of political actors on the post-war Yugoslav and Serbian political scene, whom he discusses in this confession

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n an Olivetti typewriter that’s almost as old as he, he has written thousands of articles and around a dozen books, the most recent of which, Political Cemetery, is still sought as essential reading in the area of memoir prose. In it, on 630 pages, Slavoljub Đukić, who turns

90 years old this coming October, testifies about figures from the political scenes of the former Yugoslavia and Serbia, revealing some previously unknown details about events that we remember – from Tito to Slobodan Milošević, from Dobrica Ćosić to Milovan Đilas, from Marko Nikezić to Vuk Drašković... Also included are his close MARCH

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friends, such as actor Ljuba Tadić, colleagues like Miroslav Radojčić, or valuable witnesses like Dušan Mitević.

Slavoljub was not yet 16 years old when he became a partisan courier of the First Proletarian Brigade, just to survive the end of World War II on the Srem Front, which he dubbed the Serbian Galipol.

Explaining his comparison with this World War I battle that saw more than 130,000 soldiers lose their lives and twice that number wounded, Đukić says for CorD:

When World War II broke out, Slava was a boy who witnessed the hanging of Stjepan Steva Filipović, a Croat from Opuzen who had come to Serbia in search of work and become a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, only to be hung publicly by the Germans in the middle of Valjevo market on 22nd May 1942: “Stjepan was captured by the Chetnik royalists and handed over to the Germans. With a noose that he placed around his own neck, and with his fists raised, his last words were ‘Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People!’ His body remained exposed on Valjevo market for a few days, as a warning to frightened citizens. It has not been established where he was buried.

He was 23 years old.

“Eighteen years later, I was working as a journalist of Večernje novosti during the unveiling of a monument to Filipović (a work by sculptor Vojin Bakić) on the nearby hill of Vidraka, which dominates Valjevo. I then published an emotionally charged feature, refreshed by my memories and the unique originality of the monument, shaped just like Filipović’s final moment: with clenched fists and raised hands that refuse to surrender.

“All of this, fifty years later, during the collapse of Yugoslavia, would lose its human meaning. In the nationalist euphoria, a question even arose as to whether WITH SON DUŠAN & DAUGHTER LANA this war memorial in “That was an unuI neglected my family and life punished me terribly. Valjevo had any meansual pit of death for ing, given that the comI experienced the greatest family tragedy munists never brought young people who when I lost my son any good to that town? didn’t know what war Reason prevailed even is. Tito wanted to show on Vidraka, where, lit up with spotlights, remains the memorial of that Yugoslavia was liberated by our own soldiers, along with the an unfortunate era. But Filipović’s bust on the Valjevo square was Russians and the Americans, which was terrible foolishness. Young still destroyed twice. The same fate belonged to the monument to people disappeared; I found myself on the Srem Front as a courier him in his native Opuzen, where it was blown to smithereens with wandering over a minefield, around which shots flew, and somehow explosives, after which the scattered parts were collected and stored I survived.” in a private warehouse.”

Slavoljub, who everyone has always called Slava, and who sometimes also responds to Slovac, which is when they call him after his He had yet to turn 16 when he became a courier of the First hometown of Slovac, which is located around twenty kilometres Proletarian Brigade, which found itself beneath Mount Avala a from Valjevo. month later. After that, Slava would also pass through the Srem His most treasured childhood memories are of going to Kolubara front, where he was wounded in the hand and formally demobilised during the summer and riding the train ćira (an old narrow-gauge at the very end of the war. train) that passed through Slovac: Soon after the war and completely by chance, as is usually the “Entering and leaving Slovac, which was otherwise slow, ćira case, Slava’s career in journalism began, first at Borba, then Večernje almost crawled around the curves it passed. We waited for it a novosti, back to Borba, then on to Politika. He was editor-in-chief few kilometres before it entered Slovac, jumped aboard, rode to of news weekly NIN. None of his friends or colleague are alive any the station and jumped off before it departed. I don’t remember longer and he misses them. He outlived them all, and today he testifies anyone getting hurt.” about one detail from his many decades of socialising with famous 84 |

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service in the war years being taken into account. It was 1987. He Politika journalist and foreign correspondent Miroslav Radojčić: was 59. He experienced that as the greatest injustice, as a horror “He enjoyed great popularity at that time, when we found out that he had to live with: about the outside world mainly by reading the articles of our journalist colleagues. I remember that once, while we were sitting in a “And it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me. kafana tavern, he said that he would write an article about himself, It was then that I started spending my best years in journalism, and that it was mine to sign. He was a very gifted reporter, he was and the freeing of that obligation to go to the newsroom actually a conversationalist who entertained us with a story about how extended my life. “ he would marry a widow, and that widow was Jovanka Broz. He Slava began writing books and soon gained a loyal readership ended sadly... He was ruined, and I wanted to remember him as being like Robert Mitchum.”

For a full 40 years, Slava made notes every day, and every day he worked and kept records. He recorded every encounter he made, and there were many because a journalist’s work is such and primarily entails socialising with people who have often been relevant in the political life of the country. It shouldn’t be forgotten that he got into journalism very early, aged just over 20. Nevertheless, to today’s journalists some things are almost unimaginable: “I remained so old-fashioned that I’m technically in the 19th century. Apart from replacing a light bulb, I don’t know how to do anything else. For me, the computer has not yet been invented and I’ve spent my whole life writing on an OlWITH WIFE OLGA ivetti typewriter that’s as an author of very inalmost as old as I am. On Koča was Popović the only close associate of Josip teresting and above all it, from my mountain Broz who didn’t fear Tito.

And I believe, as far as provocative texts about of notes, all my books the Milošević family, or were created.”

I knew him and knew of him, Koča didn’t overly more precisely about His toughest time respect anyone. He was sufficient to himself, a the then president of was when he served French pupil, a surrealist, a Spanish fighter...

Serbia and Yugoslavia, as chief editor of NIN: and his wife. He was as“I neglected my sisted a lot in this by a close friend of Mira and Slobodan Milošević, family and life punished me terribly. I experienced the greatest former TV Belgrade director Dušan Mitević. There was a particular family tragedy when I lost my son. At the same time, at NIN, I experienced my greatest professional satisfaction. Working there was story about the book ‘On, Ona and mi’ (Him, Her and us), when a plethora of great journalists, led by Aleksandar Tijanić and Tirke Mira Marković concluded that Slava’s source could only have been (Bogdan Tirnanić). It was a pleasure to work with them. Tijanić was Mitević: “There is no one else who knows that my bedroom is two an incredibly gifted writer, he wasted away a lot and I’m sorry he steps away from Slobodan’s cabinet,” she said at the time. Their departed so early. As well as Tirke, who had gifts of another kind.” friendship then collapsed, and CorD’s interlocutor explains how He experienced his greatest journalistic success as a Politika he met with Mitević immediately afterwards: commentator and columnist. However, at one point, after he’d no“He appeared liberated, like a man who’d freed himself of a ticed that his commentaries had for some time become undesirable, burden,” says Slava. “As for Mira Marković’s suspicions, I am obliged with him having published only three articles in three months, he to admit that they were justified. In collecting material (for four wrote a letter to Politika’s then-editor-in-chief Živorad Minović. books) about the Miloševićs, I spoke with many people. Mitević’s He was soon officially informed that he was to be formally retired, testimonies were invaluable to familiarising me with the intimate having fulfilled all the conditions to receive his pension – with his nature of the Milosevics as spouses. Of everyone, he knew their MARCH

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characteristics the best, after many decades of socialising with them. I remain grateful to him for the help he provided, without which many details about the lives of the Miloševićs would have remained unknown.”

Mitević died in turmoil on 31st May 2003. “I was most surprised by his obsession with God. At the end of his life he became a devout man. He told his family that he wanted to be buried according to Orthodox tradition, with the obligatory participation of a priest.

and didn’t speak in the phrases that are so characteristic of most politicians; he appeared like an aristocrat among self-managers. A true gentleman who had been discovered and formed in his own way by another gentleman among Communists, Konstantin ‘Koča’ Popović (1908-1992). Koča’s influence could be seen in Nikezić’s life and politics. Koča was actually also the only close associate of Josip Broz who didn’t fear Tito. And I believe, as far as I knew him and knew of him, Koča didn’t overly respect anyone.

He was sufficient to himself, a French pupil, a surrealist, a Spanish fighter... He wasn’t particularly interested in Serbia’s interests within the country called SFR Yugoslavia.

He was the most important person to himself and couldn’t have been a man of any kind of turnaround.

However, Marko Nikezić could have been, as the first to hint at democracy in a firm communist milieu. Had he survived, we could have hoped for different political relations and a more democratic form of government.”

Slava’s books also don’t overlook the major and indisputable role of Dobrica Ćosić on the Serbian political scene. He even considers good knowledge of the character and work of this writer and politician as being obligatory for anyone seeking to pass accurate judgement of post-war Yugoslavia or Serbia.

SLAVA WITH DAUGHTER LANA AND GRANDSON DUŠAN He says for CorD: “Many people chalMarko Nikezić could have been the man of a The last time I visited lenged Ćosić for his life turnaround, as the first to hint at democracy in a him, he said: without even knowing “Now I’m going to anything about him. firm communist milieu. Had he survived, we could tell you something that That is simply unjustihave hoped for different political relations and fied, because he was a might embarrass me. a more democratic form of government man who wanted to be We Communists sinned in good relations with a lot. And our biggest everyone and to help everyone. To say that he was a Serbian nationalsin is that we denied God. I concluded that you cannot explain anything without him. I understood life at the end of my life. This was ist is total nonsense. He was just burdened by the fate of Serbia and said by a former communist – a dogmatist, who, 30 years earlier, Serbs, and that was his fate. However, it is incomprehensible that at a session of the City Committee, condemned Studio B harshly for every untalented writer, every unsuccessful person in the public life broadcasting a sound recording of the marking of Christmas Eve in of Serbia, doesn’t hesitate to condemn Dobrica Ćosić. I claim that front of Belgrade’s Cathedral Church!” his works will survive and that the truth about him will be stronger Of all the politicians of his time, with the exception of Slobodan than the foolishness they have invented.”

Milošević, he knew everybody and even socialised closely with some.

While writing about the politicians and political scene of more His fondest memories are of Marko Nikezić (1921-1991), a former recent history, Slava also dealt with Serbian rulers, which gives him party leader of Serbia who Tito had removed from the political the right to conclude: scene in 1972, branded as an anarcho-liberal: Most people in the world like strong rulers, they like extremely “In terms of intelligence, in terms of his convictions, Marko was a powerful leaders. This is particularly pronounced in Serbia. Did the European man, very measured and realistic. We met every day while Serbs not choose Slobodan Milošević after Tito, and not Ivan Stambolić?

I was working on a book about liberals. He had a broad education Milošević imposed himself on them as someone who would defend their 86 |

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interests. And I don’t even want to recall how he defended his position provided by the profession of a journalist: in power. He was our great misfortune and I can’t say anything good “Olga carried the greatest burden. She helped me in everything, about him. Did the Serbs not doubt Zoran Đinđić, only to mourn him so even in sorting out the manuscripts for my last book. Throughout much after his death? And his death took away with it a kind of hope my life I never thanked her enough for that.” that was the most similar to the hope lost after the political demise of He is proud of his daughter, Lana, for her successful career, Marko Nikezić. The Serbs have today chosen Vučić, who is precisely and he didn’t lift a finger to help her: tailored to European and world leaders. He is determined to succeed; “Lana today jokes justifiably with me when she says that I have determined to primarily sort things out in the region, which, if he sucno idea what she does or where she works. Her son Dušan is a ceeds, will be to his enormous credit.”

Friends represent a special chapter in Slava’s life. Many of them are no longer among the living, many have been mentioned by him in his books, while one that he often mentions today is the late, great actor Ljuba Tadić (1929-2005): “I hung out with Ljuba for the longest time. We met while he was still studying acting and I was at the beginning of my journalism career.

On that 28th October 2005 we sat in the garden of Madera Restaurant at about noon - Ljuba, our shared friend Branimir Zogović and I. The day was pleasant and sunny, and Ljuba was in a good mood. He came out of the hospital refreshed, seeming to me to be looking better than before. And then after spending two hours there we went home. He told me that he had a shoot scheduled on the television at six o’clock that afternoon and that WITH DOBRICA ĆOSIĆ we would meet again that evening. He didn’t show signs of fatigue. The Serbs have today chosen Vučić, who is precisely well-mannered young I guess it was around man who is maturing tailored to European and world leaders. He is twenty minutes later – well and is currently determined to succeed; determined to primarily we actually live nearby America, where he sort things out in the region, which, if he succeeds, in – that I received a call is completing his final will be to his enormous credit from his wife Snežana, year of high school. his loyal helper who was Lana directed him towards sport, while he knows foreign languages and it’s really a always worried about his health. “Come immediately! Ljuba has fallen!” pleasure to hang out with him. All those emotions that I didn’t show At that moment, Snežana didn’t know what had happened. She heard my children I now express towards my grandchild. a trembling in the hall and opened the door. Ljuba was lying on the I even notice how I have also, over the years, become superstistairs, right in front of the entrance to the apartment. An ambulance tious in a certain way. I often think of the words of Dr Isidor Papo, quickly arrived, but nothing more could help.” with whom I was friends. He called me Slovac, after my hometown, In recent times Slava has regularly relied on a walking stick and he often said: Slovac, whose century it is, that is the medicine! that belonged to his friend Ljuba Tadić and was gifted to him by During these years I quote him often.”

Snezana Nikšić.

Slava admits that he no longer writes, but that there’s certainly It was 16 years ago that Slava was left without his wife of something more that he could put among the pages of a new book. many years, Olga, an art historian and journalist. In one book However, he simply doesn’t want to work anymore. He reads newshe also touchingly described the painful departure of his son papers ever less, thought he watches television regularly every day.

Dušan, who died at the age of 26, sincerely blaming himself for He catches every news bulletin and when he connects it all it’s clear not devoting more time to his family during his decades of work to him where the world is headed. ■ and thanking Olga for having so much understanding for the life MARCH

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CHILL OUT SWITZERLAND

SWISS UNIVERSITY UNVEILS YODELLING DEGREE ▶ Yodellers in Switzerland have something to sing about after a university revealed it will offer degrees in the alpine art-form. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Luasa) will run a three-year bachelor’s degree and a twoyear master’s, starting from the 2018-19 academic year. Yodelling is a form of singing which involves wobbling the voice up and down in a rapid change of pitch.

It was traditionally used by Swiss herdsmen to communicate in the mountains, but later adopted by musicians for its entertainment potential. Luasa is the first university in Switzerland to unveil a yodelling degree. The course will be led by Nadja Räss, a prize-winning Swiss yodeller with her own academy in Zurich.

Michael Kaufmann, who heads the university’s music department, said he was thrilled by the development.

IRAN

AN ENTIRE RESTAURANT MADE OF SALT

JAPAN

JAPANESE BAR EMPLOYS MONKEYS ▶ A Japanese Kayabuki bar in Utsunomiya is attracting attention from tourists due to the fame of its most popular waiters -- 17-year-old macaque named Fuku-chan.

Kaoru Otsuka said his first pet monkey, Yacchan, was given to him by an acquaintance several

years ago. He said he brought Yacchan into work with him and he realized the primate had untapped potential one day when he handed Yacchan a napkin and he carried it out to some customers.

Otsuka said Fuku-chan started emulating Yacchan at a young age and he soon had two monkey waiters. The bar owner now has several baby monkeys that pose for photos with guests, but aren’t yet trained in the fine art of serving.

▶ In the Iranian city of Shiraz is a unique restaurant, built entirely of salt. Walls, tables, chairs and even the stairs are made of this white mineral. Visitors appreciated not only by the creativity institutions, but also the benefits that it brings health.

Unique restaurant area of 150 square meters is the brainchild of Iranian firms Emtiaz Designing Group . Architects have used

salt as a base material under the support of the program “green” building in the city. It is known that salt purifies the air and fills it with positive ions. Get a number of unusual material for the construction of no big deal, as far from the town are the salt mines and the salt lake. Inspired by the natural sea caves, the designers wanted to give his restaurant a similar form. Development of the project began with research layers and types of salt mines.

Then extracted whole rock salt and processed accordingly. As an added bonding material builders white mineral resin.

SPAIN

LAS FALLAS FESTIVAL – FESTIVAL OF FIRE ▶ Each year, the Las Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain takes place on the same dates from March 15 to March 19, but numerous events take place in the fortnight leading up to this week.

Las Fallas Festival, the building and burning of the Falla is Europe’s largest and longest street party, an exuberant, anarchic, round the clock swirl of fireworks, music, explosions and fire that brings an estimated two million visitors to the city.

The more than 350 fallas are giant sculptures of papier maché and wood. They satirise celebrities and politicians and local customs. The cremà after midnight on 19th March is when every falla goes up in flames. Historians say that the origins of the festival go back to the time when carpenters cleared out their workshops and talleres at the end of winter, throwing out odds and ends of wood and old candles and lighting them on the street the day of Saint Joseph.

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HOLLAND

KEUKENHOF GARDENS ▶ Each spring, from 22 March to 13 May, the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Holland come alive with blooming flowers in every colour of the rainbow. Come tip-toe through the tulips at the world’s largest flower gardens from 22 March to 13 May 2018.

The Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam provide visitors with a feast for the senses! As 7 million flower bulbs bloom over 32 hectares, the park is awash with the sight and scent of blossoming flowers. The special theme for Keukenhof in 2018 is ‘Romance in Flowers’. Since its opening in 1857 during the peak of the Romantic period, the historic park has played host to thousands of marriage proposals and secret meeting between lovers.

SOUTH AFRICA

OUTRAGEOUS GIFTS FOR CELEBRITY KIDS ▶ Buying gifts for children is part and parcel of the festive season but recently the level of treats purchased by some parents has become totally ridiculous and unbelievable.

This follows South Africabased preacher Prophet ShepCHINA

herd Bushiri’s latest extravagant birthday gift for his five-year-old daughter Israella Bushiri. Bushiri took to social media to post images of his first-born daughter in her new ride, a Maserati, worth over R1 million (€70,000).

Bushiri said he always counts himself as blessed during this time of the year because he gets the honour to celebrate, not only one but two God-given gifts in his life.

USA

AMERICA’S SMALLEST AND LONELIEST TOWN ▶ Welcome to Monowi, Nebraska, population 1. According to 2010 U.S. Census data, Monowi is the only incorporated town in the country with only one resident.

JAPAN

‘HUMAN UBER’ USING ANOTHER PERSON’S BODY

CHINESE MAN STEALS AND SELLS OFF ROAD ▶ An enterprising thief in eastern China has given new meaning to the phrase “highway robbery” by stealing an 800-metre-long stretch of concrete road overnight. Confused locals in the village of Sankeshu in Jiangsu province called police to report that the segment of road had mysteriously gone missing. But police soon discovered that a man surnamed Zhu had hired a digger to rip out the road and trucks to ship the chunks of concrete to a stone materials factory which purchased them. Zhu had been looking for a way to make money and felt that digging up and selling the concrete would be a good “business opportunity”, rationalising the move by saying a newly built road nearby had made the dug-up road obsolete. The 500 tonnes of concrete slabs that Zhu removed were bought by the factory for 5,000 yuan ($795).

▶ If you’ve been looking for something to help you leave the house even less than you currently do, you’re probably going to love “Human Uber” a tech concept that allows people to be present anywhere using another person’s body.

Japanese researcher Jun Rekimoto presented his idea, called ChameleonMask, at MIT Tech Review’s EmTech in Singapore last month. Although he described it as “human uber,” his intriguing concept is more accurately described as mobile FaceTime, although even that is too much of a simplification considering that the technology aims to allow someone else to live your life for you.

ELSIE EILER

As the only person living in Monowi, 84-year-old Elsie Eiler, is the town’s mayor, clerk, treasurer, librarian, bartender, among other functions. Every year she hangs a sign in the tavern advertising mayoral elections and then votes for herself. Federal law also requires her to produce a municipal road plan annually to secure state funding, and pay $500 in taxes to keep the water and electricity turned on. She also does the required paperwork to keep Monowi’s incorporated status and prevent it from becoming a ghost town.

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FASHION

GET BACK In Shape

After January’s long holidays and days off in February, it can often prove tough to force yourself back into your regular recreational activities and restore the levels of fitness and energy you had prior to the start of the festive season Even after a relatively short break, it can come as a surprise to discover just how much fitness you’ve lost. Cardio fitness already starts to diminish slightly within three days of inactivity, but it’s also the fastest fitness parameter to be regained, and relatively quickly.

The advice following a break of a week or longer is to reduce your previous workout intensity by at least 20 per cent. Break up your typical routine and allow yourself additional recovery time during your workout, which you may not have previously needed as a gym regular.

Train for 10 to 15 minutes, grab some water, then add another five to 10 minutes. Don’t jump straight back into doing 30 minutes straight at your typical pace. In other words, take it slow and safe until you attain the routine and tempo you require.

In all of this, it is very important to wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and to have any accessories that serve to increase the effectiveness, comfort and safety of your training session.

Reebok CrossFit

Starwood Sports Foam Roller

An ideal all-seasons, longsleeve tee from Reebok, featuring a slim cut and lightweight poly-cotton-viscose blend material.

Price: €25

Great for CrossFit, Yoga, Pilates, Weight Training, Rugby, Football, Bodybuilding, boxing and MMA - A valuable massage roller for all sports and exercise enthusiasts!

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Adidas 4KRFT Primeknit Shorts Men's Brooks Levitate Women's Running Shoes With the most energy return of leading performance running shoes, Levitate’s DNA AMP midsole technology gives energy nowhere to go but up, straight back to you.

Price: €120

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These men's training shorts feature moisture-wicking Climalite that moves sweat away from skin for dry comfort when you're pushing hardest.

Price: €80

Nike Metcon DSX Flyknit 2 - Men's New for 2018, Men's Crossfit shoe features a breathable , lightwight upper with Flyknit construction for a balanced feet.

Price: €120

Yogitoes Skidless Technology Towel When the room heats up and your vinyasa is in full flow, lay this towel over your mat to keep yourself from slipping.

Price: €45

Bosu Elite

Liquido Spider Bra Black

This new high density dome primes your body to perform powerful, balanced lifts and produce immediate results on the ground.

Price: €140

This bra makes a statement, and is anything but boring!

It is great for yoga, pilates, dancing, just about any activity, with its moisture-wicking lycra based fabric and strappy open back.

Price: €40

Brooks Canopy Women's Jacket The perfect layer to have on hand, for runners looking for a minimal, portable jacket that keeps rain out and lets air in.

Price: €80

Liquido Patterned Yoga Legging For all fits, athletic to curvy, the Patterned Legging enhances your movement and provides comfort with superior breathability and support.

Price: €55

New Balance J.Crew Windcheater Colorblock Jacket With moisture-wicking NB Dry fabric, it’s ready to gain some miles regardless of what Mother Nature brings.

Price: €70

Adidas Futurecraft 4D The first high-performance running shoe based on data-driven design brought to life with digital light synthesis technology precisely tuned for controlled energy return.

Price: €240

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CULTURE CALENDAR

International Film Festival (FEST)

Sixth Belgrade Irish Festival

Until 4 This year’s 46th Belgrade International Film Festival, FEST, is taking place at eight venues in the city: the Sava Centre, the Belgrade Youth Centre, DKC, Fontana, CZK Vlada Divljan, the Yugoslav Film Archives Cinematheque, the Museum of the Yugoslav Cinematheque and Cinegrand Rakovica.

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gene Onegin”, according to Alexander Pushkin’s novel and to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The choreography, direction and libretto have been entrusted to Serbia’s Lidija Pilipenko.

FEST this year includes over 120 films screened from 23rd February to 4th March, while their quality is the concern of Artistic Director Yugoslav Pantelić and selector of the programmes ‘Borders’, ‘Thrills & Kills’ and ‘Microwave’, Mladen Đorđević. In addition to the review section, films are also being shown in three competition selections – the Main Competition Programme, Serbian Film and Borders. Among the winners will be three greats of film who will take home the “Belgrade Victor” for their outstanding contributions to film art.

Programme: fest.rs

Eugene Onegin 4 – National Theatre – 19.30 To date on the repertoires of domestic drama and opera ballet houses “Eugene Onegin” has been performed exclusively as a dramatic work or opera. But now the Great Stage of the National Theatre will host a performance of the ballet “Eu-

Fire of Anatolia 7 – Sava Centre – 21.00

Legendary Turkish dance group “Fire of Anatolia”, led by famous art director Mustafa Erdogan, will perform at Belgrade’s Sava Centre on 7th March.

“Fire of Anatolia” holds two Guinness World Records, one for the fastest dance performance with 241 steps within a minute, and the other for the largest audience – around 400,000 people in the city of Eregli, in Turkey’s Black Sea region.

This dance group has performed in more than 80 countries around the world and also performed at the opening of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest.

The show features a combination of Turkish culture and historical folk dance from various parts

15th Francophone Song Competition Attend one of four regional selections in the city closest to you.

Belgrade: Saturday 3rd March - 6pm, National Library of Serbia Kladovo: Saturday 3rd March – 5pm, City Culture Centre Niš: Saturday 3rd March – 1pm, Symphony Orchestra Hall Novi Sad: Saturday 3rd March – 4pm, City Culture Centre And, most importantly, don’t miss the final of the Francophone Song Competition (15th edition), which will be held at the Niš National

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Theatre on Sunday, 25th March, at 2pm.

The competition is organised by the French Institute, in partnership with the Students’ Culture Centre of Niš, and with the support of the International Organisation of La Francophonie and the Embassy of Canada in Serbia.

The Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia in Serbia has taken care of the prize for first place in the junior competition, providing a trip for two to Tunisia and tickets to the 2018 Music Festival. The first prize in the senior competition is a trip for two to France and tickets for the 2018 Music Festival.

This award is a gift from the French region of Gironde and Niš-based travel agency Mondorama.

The sixth edition of the Belgrade Irish Festival (BIF), which will be held from 9th to 18th March, under the slogan “Springtime in Belgrade!”, will present elements of Ireland’s fascinating culture at numerous locations in Belgrade.

The festival's programme is inspired by the European Year of Cultural Heritage, which 2018 was proclaimed by the European Parliament, so the public can expect to see the latest and most significant films from Ireland, lectures and exhibitions, concerts, theatrical performances, workshops and other attractive cultural events, as well as a series of interesting gastronomic events.

On 10th March, Belgrade’s Elektropionir club will host one of the most famous Irish singer-songwriters, Mundy, who has produced platinum-selling albums in Ireland and extremely popular songs. The BIF will also mark the 100th anniversary of World War I on 14th March with a lecture on the participation of the 10th Irish Division on the Thessaloniki Front, with lecturers from the of Turkey, accompanied by contemporary dance, ballet and acrobatic elements. This troupe’s dances are based on Anatolian civilisation’s 4,000-year-old dance culture.

“Fire of Anatolia” now comprises 120 dancers and several choreographers, which means that the group can perform simultaneously in three different locations. According to Erdogan, “Fire of Anatolia” is currently among the world’s top three dance troupes.

Otello 7 – National Theatre – 19:00 Often cited as Italian opera’s greatest tragedy,

Otello is a miraculous union of music and drama, a masterpiece as profound philosophically as it is thrilling theatrically.

Shakespeare’s Othello, a tale of an outsider, a great hero who cannot control his jealousy, was carefully moulded into a taut and powerful opera text by librettist Arrigo Boito. Otello almost wasn’t written: following the success of Aida and his set-

University of Dublin and the University of Belgrade. There is also the “Borderlands” exhibition by renowned Irish photographer Nigel Swann, as well as a BIF photo contest.

The winner of the competition can expect to receive a valuable prize.

This year, thanks to the BIF, the Serbian capital will also join other world metropolises in marking the holiday in honour of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick's Day, during which several locations in the city, including Ada Bridge, will be illuminated with Irish-green lighting.

Programme: irishfest.rs ting of the Requiem mass in the early 1870s, Verdi considered himself retired, and it took Boito and publisher Giulio Ricordi several years to persuade him to take on a major new work.

The Producers 10 - Terazije Theatre Theatrical blockbuster “The Producers” premiered on Broadway in 2001 and has since broken numerous recordings in viewer figures and earnings. Voted the show of the year on multiple occasions, this musical has also broken the record for the number of Tony Awards won (as many as 12), which was held for 37 years by the show “Hello, Dolly!”. It is performed in more than 15 world languages, including, since 2011, Serbian!

The show was created on the basis of Mel Brooks’ eponymous 1968 film and the 2005 remake (Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Uma Thurman) contributed even more to the show’s planetary success. The Producers premiered at Terazije Theatre in February 2011. This March will see the ensemble, led by Nebojša Dugalić and Slobodan Stefanović, celebrate the 100th performance!

For more information, visit pozoristeterazije.com

Vasko Atanasovski Trio & Vasil Hadžimanov 10 – Soul Society – 22.00 Vasko Atanasovski is an internationally renowned artist whose portfolio includes collaborations with musicians like Tommy Emanuel, Living Color and Hindi Zahra. Many years of experience have led to his sound being marked by a variety of musical styles and authenticity. At the concert in the Belgrade Soul Society (Mira Trailović Square), this trio will be joined by one of Serbia’s most important and interesting contemporary jazz musicians, who featured on the list of the world’s best jazz artists in 2017. The musician in question is, of course, Vasil Hadžimanov, who has long since singled himself out as one of the first composers in this region to combine traditional Balkan folk rhythms and modern Western music styles (jazz, funk, rock, world music) in his own completely authentic way.

Phantom of the Opera 14,21,30 - Terazije Theatre

The story in the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” begins on a night of triumph for opera singer Christine on a gala dinner to celebrate the retirement of the aged manager. At the time there are rumours circling the theatre that a phantom is living in the opera house and showing his presence by writing letters. Things culminate when a large chandelier falls to the stage during the premiere performance of “Faust” and the main singer is left without a voice, which makes it clear to everyone that the phantom is present. Christine, a beautiful soprano, becomes the obsession of this mysterious musical genius. The Phantom of the Opera musical has to date been performed in 15 world languages in 35 countries and seen by around 140 million people worldwide.

For more information, visit pozoristeterazije.com

Guitar Art Festival 16-21

The nineteenth edition of the Guitar Art Festival will be held from 16th to 21st March, under the slogan “BE CONNECTED”.

Friday, 16th March | 20.00 Belgrade Youth Centre (Great Hall) Assad Brothers - Sérgio & Odair Assad (Brazil)

RECOMMENDS

Martovski Festival 28 March - 1 April – Belgrade Youth Centre Despite being held for the 65th consecutive year, making it the oldest film festival in Southeast Europe and one of the world’s oldest, the Martovski Festival is confronted by the same question every year: is it necessary, alongside so many others offered by Belgrade?

The festival last year became a national competitive selection of feature-length and short documentary films, animated film, experimental and feature films, becoming the place where only domestic films created in the last year compete. Local filmmakers had the opportunity to meet significant foreign producers, festival selectors and television editors, leading to the first deals for screening our films on European televisions.

The Martovski Festival continues in the same direction this year – towards being a platform for the promotion of domestic short, documentary, animated and experimental film – promoting works among other European film industries, as well as popularising the featured works among the domestic film audience.

In five festival days, from 28th March to 1st April, in all areas of the Belgrade Youth Centre, the Martovski Festival will offer,

Saturday, 17th March | 12:00 - 24:00 Republic Square Belgrade Guitar Day Michael Hill’s Blues Mob Trio (U.S.) Sunday, 18th March Belgrade Youth Centre (Great Hall) 18:00 Duo Mushalica (Serbia) 19:00 Joaquin Clerch (Cuba) 21:00 Puerto Flamenco (Spain) Monday, 19th March Belgrade Youth Centre (Great Hall) 18:00 Duo Melis - Susana Prieto & Alexis Muzurakis (Greece) 19:00 Pacho Flores & Jesús “Pingüino” González (Argentina) 21:00 Balkan, Mediterranean Orient - Srđan Bulatović & Darko Nikčević Ensemble (Montenegro) Tuesday, 20th March | 20:00 Sava Centre Dulce Pontes (Portugal) Wednesday, 21st March | 20:00 Kolarac Endowment Hall Péter Girán INTEGRATION II Nejc Kuhar & Aleksandar Sedlar World Guitar Orchestra Youth Symphony Orchestra El Sistema El Sistema

FIESTA: THE SUN ALSO RISES Ernest Hemingway 1320rsd

alongside an extremely competitive selection of domestic films picked on the basis of more than 3,000 entries, and special screenings of the world’s best documentaries during the evenings, celebratory retrospectives and the commemorating of the great anniversaries of the work of - the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (70 years), Radio-Television Serbia, RTS (60 years) and Zastava Film (80 years), as well as the work of the world’s most controversial production of documentaries - VICE. The festival offers a retrospective of Ruth Beckermann, Austria’s most important female filmmaker, but also numerous practical workshops and exciting discussions about the secrets of film production for both professionals and enthusiasts. Film consultations will again be organised for anyone has an idea for making a film, while an animated film workshop will also be organised for the youngest.

There is ample reason to conclude that we need the Martovski Festival, and even more reasons for us to see you in the Belgrade Youth Centre at the end of March!

Programme: martovski.rs

Bajo la duna 23 – Instituto Cervantes – 17.00 Bajo la Duna is a documentary film dealing with Phoenician archaeology in Cádiz. It contains previously unpublished images of discoveries and addresses some of the most significant archaeological achievements in this city, among

Paris in the twenties: Pernod, parties and expatriate Americans, loose-living on money from home. Jake is wildly in love with Brett Ashley, aristocratic and irresistibly beautiful, but with an abandoned, sensuous nature that she cannot change.

Powerful, intense and magnificent, Fiesta is the novel which established Ernest Hemingway as a writer of genius, and set him on the way to being one of the greatest literary novelists of the twentieth century.

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN John Green 2480rsd

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred thousand dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

MESSI VS RONALDO 2018 - THE GREATEST RIVALRY Luca Caioli 1320rsd

which is the finding of Phoenician sarcophagi that are now museum exhibits.

The film includes an impressive group of research associates and advisers, including professors Ramon Kors and Eduard Ferrer, archaeologists Francisco Alarcon, Francisco Blanca and Anhel Munjos, director of the Museum of Juan Ramón Ramires and Antonio Alvarez, and historian Manuel Parodi. “Below the Dune” reveals new details and individual elements of the archaeology of the ancient Spanish city of Cádiz in recent decades, simultaneously revealing anecdotes and the feelings of participants at the very moment of discovery.

For years, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona has defined top-level European football. At its heart: a personal battle – Messi vs Ronaldo.

Since they were first pitted against each other in 2007, the two men’s domination of the record books has been unparalleled. Their styles, personalities and footballing allegiances continue to divide opinion but one thing is beyond doubt: this is football’s greatest ever head-to-head.

In this new edition of Messi vs Ronaldo, updated to include all the action from 2016/17, Luca Caioli draws on the exclusive testimonies of managers, teammates, friends and family to tell the inside story of this momentous rivalry.

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29 JAN

Tastes And Sounds Of The Arabic World The Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia to Serbia and the Arabic Culture Centre hosted an evening of the tastes, scents and sounds of the Arab world at Belgrade’s Culture Centre GRAD. Guests had the opportunity to sample traditional Tunisian specialities prepared with selected Tunisian spices, accompanied with Arabic music – from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf, including various genres, such as traditional Arabic sounds and the alternative Tunisian Ambassador H.E. SEYF ALLAH REJEB (centre) and Palestinian Ambassador H.E MOHAMED NABHAN Arabic music scene of the 21st century.

30 JAN

Toyota Backs Serbian Olympic Team On Road To Tokyo

31 JAN

Business Networking Reception

Belgrade Waterfront and the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia organised a Business Networking Reception with the aim of familiarising HBA member companies with the Belgrade Waterfront project, as well as providing an opportunity for members to network in the pleasant atmosphere of the headquarters of Belgrade Waterfront, which one of Belgrade’s most beautiful buildings.

Attendees were greeted by Belgrade Waterfront Property Sales Advisor Aleksandar Ðorđević and HBA Management Board Member Rita Lozinsky. Both expressed their satisfaction with the joint event and stressed their willingness to continue cooperation in the future. The host’s presentation of the project’s latest achievements and future plans was followed by cocktail reception and networking.

BOŽIDAR MALJKOVIĆ, H.E. JUNICHI MARUYAMA, KENSUKE TSUCHIYA

RITA LOZINSKY (centre) and ALEKSANDAR ÐORĐEVIĆ

Cooperation between Toyota and the Olympic Committee of Serbia was confirmed at the Embassy of Japan on 30th January with the signing of a sponsorship contract.

Host of the signing ceremony, Japanese Ambassador H.E. Junichi Maruyama, said: “We are proud that Toyota, as a well-known Japanese company, has become a global partner of the Olympic Organisation and extended this cooperation at the local level in Serbia. I hope this will be a great opportunity for the whole world to find out about Toyota’s ecological hybrid technology, as well as technology for vehicles for people with disabilities. Today’s event that we are hosting is one of many that will follow as preparation for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.”

Attendees were addressed on behalf of Toyota by Kensuke Tsuchiya, President of Toyota Adria Group Ltd. Toyota’s regional company responsible for the Serbian market, who said: “Today we officially hand over Toyota vehicles to the Olympic Committee of Serbia and sign an agreement to expand cooperation on the road to Tokyo.

The Olympic Committee of Serbia has shown great results in the past and has great confidence in presenting its plans for the future, in which we want to support them.”

Within the framework of a global partnership, Toyota will cooperate with Olympic and Paralympic Committees over the next two Olympic cycles.

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01 FEB

CANSEE: "Review In Changes To Tax Rules In Serbia"

01 FEB

German Ambassadorial Residence Hosts Concert

Photo: Marko Đoković

The Regular General Assembly Session of the Canadian-Serbian Business Association, CANSEE, in the presence of newly appointed Canadian Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Kati Csaba, as guest of honour, was held on the Belgrade premises of company KPMG. On behalf of KPMG, Tijana Jablanović presented the CANSEE financial report for 2017, which was adopted unanimously, after which CANSEE Managing Director Mirjana Dončić Beaton presented the plan of events and activities for 2018.

During this year, CANSEE will continue to work to improve relations between Canada and Serbia, and to expand its cooperation with mixed chambers, all with the aim of enhancing trade between the two countries.

H.E. KATI CSABA, MIRJANA DONČIĆ BEATON, CANSEE Managing Director

02 FEB

H.E. AXEL DITTMANN

The Chief Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Gabriel Feltz, performed as a pianist, alongside Belgrade Philharmonic concert maestro Tijana Milošević and cellist Nemanja Stanković, for a special concert organised at the ambassadorial residence of Germany’s H.E. Axel Dittmann.

“Since he came to Belgrade as the chief conductor, I have attended many exceptional concerts of the Belgrade Philharmonic. I see many of my colleagues in the audience and I want to tell them that, apart from economic cooperation with Serbia, the exchange of cultural content is also a very important part of our mission in Belgrade,” said Ambassador Dittmann.

The Philharmonic’s trio of Feltz, Milošević and Stanković performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Trio “Ghost”.

Seminar On Mediation In The Economy

The TSG (Tomić Sinđelić Groza) Law Office, in cooperation with the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia), the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SSCC), the Chamber of Italian-Serbian Businessmen (CCIS) and the Slovenian Business Club (SPK), held a seminar on the topic “Mediation in the Economy in the Republic of Serbia”, with the aim of familiarising attendees with mediation as a way of resolving disputes.

TSG partner and mediator Ljubica Tomić and lawyer and mediator Ivana Stefanovic shared with those in attendance their practical experiences on this current topic. Lecturers also included lawyers Blažo Nedić and guest speaker from Slovenia Dr Helena Devetak.

BLAŽO NEDIĆ, DR HELENA DEVETAK and IVANA STEFANOVIĆ

LJUBICA TOMIĆ

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06 FEB

Resolve Waste Problems More Efficiently

06 FEB

142nd Anniversary Of The Red Cross Of Serbia Commemorated

The Red Cross of Serbia has commemorated 142 years since its foundation, which was initiated in 1876 by Dr Vladan Đorđević.

Attendees of the celebration included Dragan Radovanović Ph.D., President of the Red Cross of Serbia, and Jelena Stijačić, Head of the regional delegation of the ICRC in Belgrade.

Within the framework of the Red Cross of Serbia are two provincial organisations and 183 organisations of the Red Cross in cities and municipalities. At all levels of the organisation, a total of 750 professionals are employed, while the implementation of programmes includes more than 60,000 volunteers, 60% of whom are young people. In 2017 alone, this organisation’s activities covered 1.5 million citizens of Serbia.

The reception was attended by activists, volunteers, state officials, members of the diplomatic corps and others.

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia KYLE SCOTT

The conference entitled “Environmental Protection - Waste Management”, organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia (AmCham) and attended by Serbian Environment Minister Goran Trivan, U.S. Ambassador Kyle Scott and representatives of AmCham member companies, saw conference participants conclude that the establishing of a more effective regulatory framework for waste management is of utmost importance for preserving the environment, but also for Serbia’s EU accession process.

The conference also included discussions of the issue of extended liability for manufacturers in the field of packaging and packaging waste, as well as in the area of special waste flows.

“The United States strongly supports the Government of Serbia and its efforts to join the EU, as well as the comprehensive reforms through which Serbia achieves European standards of environmental protection,” said Ambassador Scott, adding that “environmental protection and waste management are the foundations of modern economics”.

JELENA STIJAČIĆ and DRAGAN RADOVANOVIĆ PH.D.

07 FEB

EU’s Western Balkan Strategy And Romania’s EU Integration Experience

Conference on environmental protection and waste management

Serbian Environment Minister GORAN TRIVAN

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H.E. Oana-Cristina Popa, Ambassador of Romania to Serbia, participated in the Belgrade conference “EU Strategy for the successful accession of the Western Balkans and European Neighbours – the case of Romania”, organised by the Centre for Foreign Policy and Hans Seidel Stiftung.

The event brought together numerous Serbian, Romanian and German experts, who shared their experiences and expertise on the EU and the integration process, with specific examples for the cases of Romania and Serbia.

08 FEB

Argentine Artists Exhibit In Belgrade Argentine Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Ricardo F. Fernández, Ambassador of Portugal H.E. Augusto José Pestana Saraiva Peixoto, Ambassador of Palestine H.E. Mohamed Nabhan and Ambassador of Cuba H.E. Gustavo Tristá del Todo attended and thus enriched the opening of an exhibition entitled “Forward: works and processes”, which opened at the Culture Centre of Belgrade and features works of Argentine artists Mateo Amaral, Mano Leyrado and Cecilia Rosso. The exhibition is curated and produced by Ariel Ireneo Chavez and Luisa Tomatti.

The ‘Forward’ collective comprises Argentine curators and designers who present to the public contemporary video productions, maps, documents and photographs of artists who live and work in Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities. The exhibition runs in Belgrade until 1st March 2018.

21 FEB

New President Of SSCC Elected

22 FEB

H.E. AUGUSTO JOSÉ PESTANA SARAIVA PEIXOTO, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy MAJA SPANJEVIĆ, KESELJ and H.E. RICARDO F. FERNÁNDEZ (right)

Japanese Aid To Serbia Exceeds €507 Million!

The annual General Assembly of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SSCC) elected Majo Mićović, General Manager of the company “Sky Express d.o.o.“ as the new President of the Management Board. As President, Mićović will lead SSCC’s future development and together with Board members shall endorse Chamber programs and services to run with a high degree of excellence that its membership has come to expect.

Former President Yana Mikhailova welcomed SSCC members and presented the annual report of chamber’s activities as well as the action plan for Y2018. Members unanimously adopted these reports.

The General Assembly also included voting for one new Board member and on this occasion, Jelena Drakulic Petrovic, CEO of the company ‘’ Ringier Axel Springer Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, ‘’ began her first term as a member of the Board.

H.E. JUNICHI MARUYAMA

MAJO MIĆOVIĆ, new President of the SSCC Management Board

A contract-signing ceremony for twelve projects for the basic needs of the population was organised at the premises of the Japanese Embassy. The Government of Japan will provide €880,045 for twelve local organisations in the Republic of Serbia, noted Ambassador of Japan H.E. Junichi Maruyama. Including these grants, the total amount of Japanese assistance through projects for the basic needs of the population (POPOS) in Serbia since 1999 has exceeded €13.2 million. The total amount of Japanese aid to Serbia during the same period is over €507 million.

POPOS donations aim to support social development through projects for the basic needs of the population. The Government of Japan provides financial assistance to implement projects that will contribute to the economic and social development of the country. Environment, health care, education and social welfare are the main areas of concern for the Government of Japan. Since 1999, 207 POPOS projects have been implemented in Serbia.

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22 FEB

Radovan Milojević EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

Radovan Milojević, owner of the company Stublina, has won the prestigious recognition EY Entrepreneur of the YearTM, which the auditing and consulting company EY (Ernst&Young) has awarded for the sixth year in a row. The award was presented by the chairman of this year’s independent jury Darko Budeč, and Ivan Rakić, managing partner of EY for Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Besides the main prize, recognitions were awarded to Milisav Novičić, owner of the company Unipromet in the EY sub-category Rapid-Growth Entrepeneur of the YearTM and to Miroslav Kovačević, who represents the family company Vinarija Kovačević in the EY sub-category Innovative Entrepreneur of the YearTM.

22 FEB

40th International Tourism Fair

ELENA KOUNTOURA, Minister of Tourism of Greece and H. E. ELIAS ELIADIS, Ambassador of Greece

ANA BRNABIĆ, RASIM LJAJIĆ and SINIŠA MALI at the fair's opening

H.E. NARINDER CHAUHAN, Ambassador of India

Dr. ADEL ELMASRY, Egyptian Tourist Office in Paris, H.E NADA AL AKL Amb. of Lebanon, H.E. ABDELHAMID CHEBCHOUB Amb. of Algeria, H.E. AMR ALJOWAILY Amb. of Egypt, ALMAMY KOBELE KEITA Charge d'affaires of Guinea, H.E. YOUSEF AHMAD S. ABDUL SAMAH Amb. of Kuwait, H.E. MOHAMMED AMINE BELHAJ Amb. of Morocco, ALI MOHAMMED ALI GALALY Charge d'affaires of Iraq

Ambassador H.E. TANJU BILGIÇ and MEHMET ALAGÖZ, General Manager of Turkish Airlines

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The Belgrade international tourism fair was held for the 40th time this year at the Belgrade fair ground from 22nd to 25th February. Prime Minister Ana Brnabić opened the jubilee event, with other speeches by Rasim Ljajić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Siniša Mali, Mayor of Belgrade and Elena Kontoura, a minster from Greece which is this year’s partner for the tourism fair. Around 1,200 exhibitors from 55 countries around the world are taking part this year. Ambassadors from India, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey and Palestine visited their countries’ stands.

H.E. SYED ADIL GILANI, Ambassador of Pakistan and H.E. MOHAMED NABHAN, Ambassador of Palestine

H. E. SEYF ALLAH REJEB, Ambassador of Tunisia