CorD Magazine December 2017 Issue, no.158

HISTORICAL TIES FOR FUTURE DEVELOPEMENT

CANNABIS OIL DOESN’T CURE, BUT DOES HELP

Ambassador of Indonesia to Serbia

Neurology specialist and director of the St. Sava Hospital for Cerebrovascular Diseases

DR MILAN SAVIĆ

VOJISLAV BUBIŠA SIMIĆ Musician

www.cordmagazine.com

DECEMBER ’17 / ISSUE No. 158

H.E. HARRY RICHARD JAMES KANDOU

COMMUNISTS DIDN’T LIKE JAZZ

interviews opinions news comments events PRICE 300 RSD FOCUS

Cannabis On Prescription?

Yes, No, Maybe!

FIC LAUNCHES WITH BOOK 2017

Still Long Way To Go For Reform

HEDVIG MORVAI DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN FUND FOR THE BALKANS

Regional Cooperation

E XC L U S I V E

CREATES STABILITY ISSN1451-7833

9

771451

783002

COMMENT NATALIE NOUGAYRÈDE, The Guardian

Germany’s Crisis Means Uncertainty For Europe, BUT IT WON’T BE FATAL

PAGE 8

The collapse of Germany’s coalition talks is the latest shock to hit Europe. No one saw it coming.

Of course the blow is of a different nature from the banking crisis, the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, Brexit, Trump, Poland and Hungary’s democratic backsliding, or Catalan secessionism.

Germany’s politics look upended but the fundamentals are still in place: the postwar democratic set-up is hardly under threat

CONTENTS

10

REGIONAL COOPERATION CREATES STABILITY

42

SILK SCARVES AND IRON

Viktor Kiss, Sculptor

Hedvig Morvai, Director of the European Fund for the Balkans

14

HISTORICAL TIES FOR FUTURE DEVELOPEMENT

H.E. Harry Richard James Kandou, Ambassador of Indonesia to Serbia

18

46 IRREPLACEABLE TASTE OF THE BLACK BEVERAGE Coffee Around The World

51

GLOBAL DIARY

20 CANNABIS ON PRESCRIPTION? YES, NO, MAYBE!

Corporate Social Responsibility Serbia 2017/18

67

Focus: Legalisation of cannabis-based preparations in Serbia

26 STILL A LONG WAY TO GO FOR REFORM

FIC Launches White Book 2017

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOCIETY!

COMMUNISTS DIDN’T LIKE JAZZ

Vojislav Bubiša Simić, Musician

72 74

CULTURE CALENDAR FOR THOSE WHO DESERVE YOUR LOVE

Christmas Gifts

27 78

AFTER WORK

December 2017 EDITOR: Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs 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 office@halifax-translation.com 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 FINANCIAL MANAGER: Dragana Skrobonja d.skrobonja@aim.rs EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs GENERAL MANAGER: Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs PRINTING: Rotografika d.o.o.

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COMMENT

Germany’s Crisis Means Uncertainty For Europe,

But It Won’t Be Fatal The collapse of Germany’s coalition talks is the latest shock to hit Europe. No one saw it coming. Of course the blow is of a different nature from the banking crisis, the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, Brexit, Trump, Poland and Hungary’s democratic backsliding, or Catalan secessionism. Germany’s politics look upended but the fundamentals are still in place: the postwar democratic set-up is hardly under threat

By NATALIE NOUGAYRÈDE, The Guardian

S

becomes obvious that Europe does not need this German impasse. till, this is rattling stuff. Europe’s powerhouse is in unknown Another German election could delay everything for months on political territory at a time when so much remains unreend: fixing the eurozone, resolving the future relationship with Britsolved across the continent. And Germany’s political uncerain, dealing with the Balkans, delivering on trade deals, regulating glotainty means yet more uncertainty for the EU. Yet doomsaybalisation, saving the Paris climate accord, building up European deers shouldn’t assume that this crisis has to be fatal. fence, solving Ukraine and the rest of it. As Britain pulls out of Europe, Nowhere outside Germany is the political breakdown being the dynamics of the Franco-German alliance have become absolutely watched more closely than in France. Emmanuel Macron had set his paramount. Macron needs Germany if he is to succeed in at least cresights on the German election as the starting point of his plan for ating the impression that he can transform France into a trailblazing a European “renaissance” alongside Merkel. On Monday, November European power. Germany needs France to allay continental percep20, Macron did not hide his concern, saying it was not in France’s intions that it has become too domineering and is acting selfishly. terest that “things become tense” in Germany. “We must move forBut let’s keep things in perspective. Germany remains a strong ward,” he added. But the worries go deeper than Germany’s internal democracy. Its economy is thriving. The problems. If Merkel was supposed to be the leader of the free world in the era of Trump Another German election country’s anchoring in the EU is not in doubt. Its main political parties all agree and Brexit then what might the future look could delay everything for on the need to preserve the European projlike without her? Far-right websites have been humming with glee at the news that months on end: fixing the ect which, as Konrad Adenauer said in the 1950s, would be the road to Germany’s reMerkel has now run into deep difficulty. eurozone, resolving the habilitation and its wellbeing. Merkel has There is little doubt about which forces future relationship with repeatedly said this year: “Germany can do might seek to capitalise on these events. well only if Europe does well.” No serious Merkel has been a favourite punch bag for Britain, dealing with the politician contradicted her. populists and extremists, left and right Balkans, delivering on To a degree, the current trouble says more alike. Germany’s clout in Europe under her trade deals, regulating about German provincialism than it does tenure has been much disparaged, not least about German might or hubris, or indeed any

by Putin and Trump. And the EU was meant globalisation, saving the debate in Germany on a grand design for the to be “catching the winds in its sails” this Paris climate accord, country’s future or for Europe as a whole. year, as Jean-Claude Juncker said. But now Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German presiwhat? The German crisis may or may not building up European dent, wasn’t wrong when he warned that be solved through new elections, but to asdefence, solving Ukraine concern would only grow among his neighsess what it means for Europe, how Macron and the rest of it bours if the leaders of Europe’s largest nation plays his cards will be a key factor. did not rise to their responsibilities.

Macron’s France is on a bit of a high Against that backdrop, Macron projects self-confidence while these days, and pulling Europe out of a difficult decade is one of the Merkel looks jaded. Yet Macron depends on the outcome in Germany president’s biggest ambitions. He has built up a close relationship more than anything else. At home, he has contained domestic opposiwith Merkel, and together they had announced a “plan” for Europe tion to his labour market reforms and his ratings are up. It is not good to be implemented once Merkel had overcome her election hurdle. news for him that Merkel is now weakened. At the same time, talk of The trouble now is the clock is ticking. After the summer of 2018 Merkel’s political demise has been going on since the 2015 refugee cricampaigning for the 2019 European parliament elections gets under sis, and yet she is still around. way. That’s a key political moment for Macron, who wants his RéMacron is now waiting to see how he can secure the benefits publique En Marche party to somehow be replicated across Europe of a relationship he’s so keenly invested in. These questions aren’t through transnational lists which would then fill the departing UK’s just central to two political careers – one just starting, the other of 73 seats. Add to this Italy’s elections – due early 2018 – with the almost record duration. They are central to a whole continent. ■ populist, anti-migrant Five Star Movement worryingly strong, and it 8 |

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B y L J U B I C A G O J G I Ć , P h o t o ZO R A N P ETROV I Ć

INTERVIEW

Regional Cooperation CREATES STABILITY HEDVIG MORVAI DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN FUND FOR THE BALKANS

Serbian citizens shouldn’t be overburdened with accession chapters and bidding dates, but rather explained, in an illustrative way, why EU accession is important and what it brings

EXCLUSIVE

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he entire Berlin Process is directed towards developing regional cooperation to the level of self-sustainability and utilising this sustainable regional cooperation to build stability in the region.

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■ You recently stated that the Western Balkans’ narrative of the 1990s, which was marked by wars, has returned.

To what extent can the project to connect the countries of the Western Balkans within the framework of the Berlin Process reverse this narrative more permanently?

- The more common interests we identify and initiatives we launch in the region, the better and more efficiently we connect, such that the negative rhetoric will begin to wane. Such rhetoric has long been recognised and is most often used for populist purposes or even cheap “commercial” purposes. Whenever some elections are

RHETORIC

CHAPTERS

ATTITUDE

The more common interests we identify and initiatives we launch in the region, the better and more efficiently we connect, such that the negative rhetoric will begin to wane

The essence here is that countries which have opened more chapters than others fear that their route to accession may be slowed down due to others, but that is not realistic

The attitude towards euro integration changes in relation to daily political topics and messages, which are often placed intentionally in the media

held in the region, then such retrograde thinking intensifies, supported, unfortunately, by the media. I don’t believe that’s a realistic picture of the situation in the region, because when we look at some of the research on the other side, fewer people believe it’s possible for new conflicts to break out. Due to European integration, common interests and regional cooperation and goals that began being formed before the Berlin Process, it is necessary to understand these new realities. Of course, we must be aware of abuses and fight against them. After all, it is most important for positive things to happen, devoted to the common interests of all countries in the region, and the Berlin Process is a good instrument for those common interests to be better recognised and converted into concrete initiatives and projects.

■ The Berlin Process is ambitiously imagined as tangible cooperation in various areas, from connecting youngsters via education and joint infrastructure projects, to a mini customs union. However, despite realisation reaching the halfway stage, are you concerned that the Berlin Process still has a longer wish list than a list of realised goals?

- It appears that way for now. However, if we take into account the fact that the Berlin Process is not yet an institutionalised process, that it is not a mechanism which requires measuring and results monitoring, and that it finances the mobilisation of some existing initiatives, one should not be overly critical. Ahead of the Fifth Summit, for example, everyone thinks it is a good time to devise the further continuation of the work of the Berlin Process in some other format. For this reason, I consider this a convenient moment to structure future activities, and to introduce effective principles, with prospective themes and initiatives that will have visible results. On the other hand, it is essential to reexamine the wish list and reduce it to what is realistic, and to implement those initiatives that are crucial for the region in the period ahead.

- The countries of the region are in the position that they have more interest in cooperating than they are competitors, because regional cooperation is one of the mandatory preconditions for EU enlargement. The essence here is that countries which have opened more

The EU is the best project to date, and I think this process has no alternative and is the only one that can essentially change the situation in Serbia, but also in the other countries of the region. I believe these crises are fleeting and that the EU will emerge from them and design its own future, which must happen

■ It has been shown that some ideas, such as those related to strengthening the region’s common market, and even creating a customs union, are not met with approval. Have you noted that the countries of the Western Balkans view each other to a great extent as competitors and not economic partners?

chapters than others fear that their route to accession may be slowed down due to others, but that is not realistic, because - according to the new regatta system – we proportion each country’s results in approaching the EU and other countries cannot slow them down.

■ If the Berlin Process incentivises the strengthening of ties between the countries of the Western Balkans, defining them as a group that aspires to EU membership, how would you interpret the assessment of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that Serbia and Montenegro will be the first to achieve EU membership?

- All countries that satisfy the conditions of the enlargement process will become EU members and that has nothing to do with the Berlin Process, but it is a fact that Serbia and Montenegro have achieved the most and progressed the most in this process.

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■ The European Fund for the Balkans, which you head, is this year commemorating a decade of its existence. Given that its mission from the start has been to strengthen democracy and establish European values, would you consider yourself successful?

- I consider that over the course of ten years we have established a new mechanism in the region, which has various instruments to work in key areas. We are doing a lot of work on building capacities in certain segments, for example, we are dealing with young civil servants and research organisations, working with thinktanks, with those who want to create new policies. We have also established a regional thinktank,

peared today, so we have to redefine them. We implemented one study on the regression of democracy in which we concluded that there has been a serious disruption in the democratic system, and as part of the civil society of the region we see some signs that we are returning to the old way in which civil society was once treated. Generally, the situation has become so complex that it is very difficult to find a focus and direct yourself towards something that will mobilise new ideas and initiatives.

■ The recently published results of the annual survey of the views of citizens – the Balkan Barometer – shows that Serbia is at the bottom of the list when it comes to enthusiasm for EU membership and the benefits of EU accession.

How would you explain that? Do you consider that Serbian citizens have not been informed sufficiently about the benefits of EU entry and, if so, who is responsible for that?

- This is a constant topic. I value the Barometer and the data it publishes, but I don’t believe citizen support for EU accession should be measured through surveys. The attitude towards euro integration changes in relation to daily political topics and messages, which are often placed intentionally in the media. That is why results can vary greatly from day to day.

It is also certain that the benefits of joining the EU have not been sufficiently explained to citizens, but I also think that ordinary citizens don’t need to know about the chapters and follow the technical details of processes related to Euro integration. They don’t need to know the contents of each of these chapters, because they are very narrowly technical things. That’s also why it’s a mistake to try to explain this process to citizens by insisting on opening and closing chapters, bidding for The European Fund for dates. The essence is to explain what good things this process really brings for us, and how we can use that to the Balkans compiled a Report on the Regression normalise the situation in the country and in everyday life. We should highlight those effects from the processes of Democracy, a study that show citizens in the most illustrative way exactly which concluded that what that means. This is the only way we will get their support, but not only so that they will express their supthe democratic system port in the next survey, but rather so they will support has been significantly those reforms that are crucial for completing the process.

which brings together people from Europe to analyse the situation in the region and in Europe and try to define some key positions in relation to current events and opportunities that would then trigger processes for improving and advancing this region in relation to the EU, and creating an orderly democratic society in the countries of the region. Our initiatives disrupted and that some and processes have been recognised and of the more important ■ Do you believe in the veracity of the political adopted by Europe, and we are proud that we have become a key player in institutional foundations elite in Serbia when they say that EU accession is the country’s absolute top priority? relation to the Berlin Process, but also in of civil society have - Political consensus exists, which is most important, relation to advocating in favour of some lost credibility but it is also important that the citizens of Serbia have very important ideas for this region. All voted in the last few elections for governments that are declaratively in this is thanks to our developed network, which makes it easier for us favour of joining the EU. to initiate and implement ideas and processes.

■ How much has Serbia changed during these ten years?

- Everything has changed in the last ten years – not only Serbia, but also in the surrounding countries, and the goals of the Fund that I head, which were defined at the outset, unfortunately still remain, despite all the changes. Some of the premises we started with have even disap-

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■ On the other side, today many euro-enthusiasts express their disappointment at the fact that the EU has stopped being a promoter of values and a corrective factor for those striving towards membership. This was particularly evident during the time of the migrant crisis, then with the strengthening of

populism and, finally, with the recent events in Catalonia. Can ■ How would you comment on the criticism levelled at the EU that the European Union be a role model example again? the issue of the stability of the Western Balkans is subordinate - The EU is the best project to date, and I think this process has no alto all others? Instead of insisting on strengthening democratic ternative and is the only one that can essentially change the situation institutions and the rule of law, the EU supports leaders who in Serbia, but also in the other countries of the guarantee geopolitical stability, regardless region. I believe these crises are fleeting and of how it is achieved. Such a regime also A set of very precise that the EU will emerge from them and design has its own definition and is known as a technical rules that are its own future, which must happen. It should stabilocracy. measured by the opening - The European Fund for the Balkans and the be said, of course, that the EU will survive if it introduces these changes and identifies new Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group coined and closing of chapters challenges that are brought by future times. is why I wouldn’t confuse the term and the phenomenon of stabilocracy in their Report on the Regression of Democracy. political and technical ■ If the success of Serbia’s EU accession The process stagnated for one period and it reprocesses ally seemed to me that Europe was pretending negotiations are primarily measured by to expand and Serbia was pretending to reform. progress on the dialogue between Belgrade That situation consequently led to a reduction in Europe’s influence and Priština, does such a determination impact on the speed and in relation to those processes that are crucial for democratisation. quality of other social reforms that are essential for EU entry?

Likewise, due to serious problems related to stability, one got the - I don’t think the success of negotiations is measured by progress in the impression that priority is given to stability. It is important for us to dialogue between Belgrade and Priština. This is an important issue, but emerge from that phase, because I believe everything can be fixed and a specific political one, and apart from that there is also the accession I believe the enlargement mechanism has the possibility to change that process, which represents a set of very precise technical rules that are and intensify it again, shifting the focus to fundamental changes in the measured by the opening and closing of chapters, which is why I wouldn’t countries of the region. ■ confuse political and technical processes.

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B y L J U B I C A G O J G I Ć , P h o t o ZO R A N P ETROV I Ć

INTERVIEW

Historical Ties For Future

DEVELOPEMENT H.E. HARRY RICHARD JAMES KANDOU

AMBASSADOR OF INDONESIA TO SERBIA

The potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Serbia is limitless. There are many more avenues of cooperation that can be further developed and I hope they will be discussed extensively during the 4th Indonesia-Serbia bilateral consultation forum, which Indonesia plans to host in 2018 – H.E Harry Richard James Kandou

E

ntering the second half of his tenure in Serbia, H.E. Harry Richard James Kandou, Ambassador of Indonesia, is a witness to strong historical ties and bilateral relations between these two countries that played a crucial role in conceiving and nurturing the Non-Aligned Movement.

But ambassador Kandou has also been a strong advocate of the further development of economic relations with Serbia.

-I am very pleased about the increasing level of bilateral relations between the two countries. Over the course of the first half of my tenure we were able to deepen and develop relations even further, and we made numerous bilateral achievements. To name a few: The successful State Visit of President Tomislav Nikolic to Indonesia in April 2016; the inauguration of two Indonesian investments in Serbia,

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the exemption of visas for Serbian nationals for short visits of up to 30 days to Indonesia. I am happy to note that, as of 14th October 2017, the Serbian Government has also implemented a reciprocal decision granting visa exemption for Indonesian nationals for short visits of up to 30 days to Serbia. However, the potential for cooperation is limitless and there are many more avenues of cooperation that can be further developed, which I hope will be discussed extensively during the 4th Indonesia-Serbia bilateral consultation forum, which Indonesia plans to host in 2018.

■ You recently announced Indonesia’s candidacy to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2019-2020 period and sought Serbia’s support in the

RELATIONS

SUPPORT

PARTNER

I am very pleased about the increasing level of bilateral relations between the two countries

We sincerely appreciate the support and facilitation of the Government of Serbia towards Indonesian companies present on the Serbian market

Considering the current development in Serbia, we are very optimistic that Serbia will be a valuable partner for Indonesia in the region of Southeast Europe

2018 vote. How do you see the possible contribution of the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and respect Indonesia to the work of the security council, considering the territorial integrity of Serbia. today’s numerous political and security challenges?

- Since becoming a member of the United Nations, Indonesia has ■ Analysts estimate that Serbia, as successor state of the shown its strong commitment to achieving the principles and former Yugoslavia, does not sufficiently utilise its historical good relations with the countries of ASEAN. Do you purposes of the UN Charter through its active participation in and see any progress on that front? contribution to UN programmes and activities in the social, economic, environmental and humanitarian fields, as well as countless endeavours to promote peace and security. As a member, Indonesia is also active in the United Nations reform process, including the UN Security Council reform, where it fully supports a more democratic, representative and effective Security Council that reflects the current world realities and all regions equitably. While it is not an easy task facing the dynamics of global political and security landscapes, Indonesia will be able to draw strength from its vast experience in global and regional peace and security efforts, including during its three previous stints as a non-permanent member of the UNSC and active contribution to UN Peacekeeping missions.

As these points make up Indonesia’s posture and worthiness of becoming a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Indonesia’s greatest contribution to the Council will be its ability to act as a moderate voice and a bridge and consensus builder. These are inherent traits that derive from it being the fourth most populated country, - ASEAN commemorated its 50th anniBeing the fourth most versary on 5th August 2017. Established the third largest democracy, the largest Muslim populated country, the as an organisation with the primary population in the world and home to more than third largest democracy, objective of ensuring regional peace 300 ethnic groups, which have made Indonesia the largest Muslim and security, ASEAN has evolved into a true model of tolerance and pluralism. With a politically cohesive, economically these modalities and the support of Serbia and population in the world integrated, socially responsible and other member countries, Indonesia will play and home to more than truly rules-based, people-orientated a responsible and constructive role as a non300 ethnic groups, and people-centred organisation. permanent member of the UNSC and become a Indonesia is a true With over 622 million people, true partner for peace.

ASEAN’s potential market is larger model of tolerance than those of European Union or North ■ Does Indonesia intend to maintain its and pluralism America. It is also one of the most open stance of not recognising Kosovo independence? economic regions in the world, with - Indonesia consistently upholds the sovereignty and territorial total merchandise exports of over $1.2 trillion - nearly 54% of total integrity of the member states of the United Nations, in accordASEAN GDP and 7% of global exports, making it the fourth-largest ance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law. exporting region in the world. ASEAN and Serbia have maintained Therefore, Indonesia will maintain its stance of not recognising good relation over the years. Earlier this year Ambassador SloDECEMBER

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bodan Marinković presented to the Secretary General of ASEAN his credentials as Ambassador of Serbia to ASEAN. We look forward to strengthening relations and developing ever more intensified consultations with Serbia along with Serbia’s accession process to ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

■ Company Indofood, a world leader in food production, opened a noodle factory in the Serbian town of Indjija a year ago. How are the investors’ experiences?

- We sincerely appreciate the support and facilitation of the Government of Serbia towards Indonesian companies which have been present in the Serbian market.

Direct investments from Indonesia in Serbia are still limited, but I am expecting to welcome more, as Indonesia has a large upside potential for outbound investments. Indonesia’s stable economic growth for the last decade has allowed for the rise of a new class of companies with keen eyes on overseas investment opportunities.

energy, pharmaceutical, agriculture, information technology manufacture, fisheries, defence industry and others. Indeed, we have much to offer for those who seek business opportunity.

■ How present is Serbia on the Indonesian market and have any Serbian products managed to become recognisable?

- Indonesia trade relations with Serbia tend to be modest. The trade between the two countries in 2015 and 2016 amounted at USD 15.3 million and USD 28.1 million respectively. These figures indicate that although the economic and commercial relations between Indonesia and Serbia are showing positive trend, there is room for further improvement.

The potentials for partnership are enormous. Each country is endowed with goods, services, technical know-how and opportunities that the other needs.

Collaborating and cooperating with Indonesian businesses could enhance the presence of Serbia and Serbian product in Indonesian market.

■ You stated on one occasion in Čačak that an Indonesian company ■ Apart from noodle factories and is interested in constructing a large mushroom cultivation, do you see industrial centre in Serbia and is other areas with the potential to seeking a city that would provide a expand economic cooperation between Indonesia and Serbia? plot land of about 250 hectares, with - In recent years, there has been a subinfrastructure. Has any progress stantive growth in economic relations been made on that initiative?

- Indonesian companies recognise the between Indonesia and Serbia. The instant potential for exporting goods under noodle factory of Indo Adriatic Industry preferential terms that Serbia has in Indjija is a testimony of Indonesia’s with many countries. Indonesia is still initiative for strengthening economic exploring the possibilities and working and business ties with Serbia.

The agreement between the closely with the related institutions The inauguration of a mushroom and the government of Serbia to put plantation owned by Delta Danube in Government of the Republic that initiative into a concrete project.

Kovin on 15 th April 2016 is another of Indonesia and the indication of the importance of bilateral Considering the current development Governmentof the Republic of in Serbia, we are very optimistic that economic relations. Serbian market is Serbia on Mutual Exemption Serbia will be a valuable partner for wide open for the penetration of Indonesian products. Furthermore, Serbia’s Indonesia in the region of Southeast of Visa Requirements for unique geographic location and its trade Europe.

Holders of Ordinary agreements with various countries in the Passports marks a major step ■ To what extent can the mutual region have attracted Indonesian comforward in bilateral relations panies to invest. Indonesian investment abolition of visas be improving is rare in Serbia. However, it continues economic cooperation, but also to show a positive trend. better familiarising the peoples of Indonesia and Serbia It is heartening that the Indonesian investment is expanding. with one another?

On the other hand, it is also important to create a balanced and - The agreement between the Government of the Republic of sustainable two-way trade cooperation and further promote Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on Mutual Exemption of Visa Requirements for Holders of Ordinary mutual investment between our two countries. In this regard, I Passports marks a major step forward in the bilateral relations. would like to encourage Serbian businesses to capture huge and Visa facilitation can serve as a powerful incentive for the expandiverse opportunities by Indonesian economy. The sectors to sion of the scope of people-to-people communications, business be developed are wide-ranging: infrastructure, transportation, 16 |

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relations and development of trade. I am looking forward to visa the Yugoslav Film archives Cinematheque. The Indonesian Film exemption encouraging further exchanges between Indonesian Week is one of our ways to promote contemporary Indonesian and Serbian entrepreneurs, helping to culture and introduce Indonesian cinema implement mutually beneficial projects.

Indonesia trade relations to film lovers in Serbia.

Besides that, the Embassy always prowith Serbia tend to be motes cooperation in education and sports.

■ It seems that cooperation in the fields modest. The trade This November, in cooperation with the of education, culture and sports, as well Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic as cooperation among young people, between the two of Serbia, Indonesia will be present at the is becoming part of the main focus of countries in 2015 and International Sports Expo at the Belgrade Fair. relations between the two countries.

2016 amounted at USD We will introduce the traditional Indonesian How is that being realised at present?

15.3 million and USD martial art of Pencak Silat.

- The embassy always considers that cooperation involving young people is very 28.1 million respectively. important. This year, we are trying to be ■ How much interest exists among These figures indicate even more engaged with the young people young people in Serbia when it comes to that although of Serbia, one of our big project this sumthe scholarships granted by the governthe economic and mer was the Bali Wonderland Festival. ment of Indonesia for undergraduate It’s a new concept to promote Indonesian and master’s studies in your country? commercial relations culture with a mixture of traditional and - I believe that the interest is very high and between Indonesia and modern culture of Indonesia. We believe keep on growing. Therefore, we always Serbia are showing the Bali Wonderland Festival was a great encourage Serbian students and young genpositive trend, there erations to apply for these scholarships. To success, considering that there were more date, more than 100 Serbian students have than 5,000 visitors to that one-day event. is room for further received scholarships from the Indonesian To go further, this year the embassy also improvement government. ■ organised an Indonesian Film Week at

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CIVIL WAR

GLOBAL DIARY

“Let’s put an end to this European civil war, the existence of which we don’t want to admit, and stop constantly looking at whether we are better than our neighbouring country at this or the other thing.”

- Emmanuel Macron, French President

MELANIA TRUMP IN FLORAL FASHION DIPLOMACY ▶ U.S. First Lady Melania Trump made several floral sartorial nods to her host country on the American presidential couple’s trip to China, culminating in an opulent Chinese-style embroidered qipao by Gucci for a state dinner.

Peng Liyuan, folk singer and wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also went for a striking qipao for the state dinner, making her most daring selection for some time. Peng wore a sheer, looser-cut black qipao over a dark wine-coloured sleeveless dress.

The fashion parade started earlier that day when the two women visited a primary school.

For that event, Trump wore a long, floral appliqued $4,000 Dolce & Gabbana gown, looking a little overdressed. Peng wore a dark, double-breasted coat over a dark bronze qipao.

POPE FRANCIS HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ROMANIAN ACADEMY

Romania next year. He received official invitations from the Romanian Presidency and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

If he decides to visit Romania, Pope Francis would be the second pontiff to visit the country, following Pope John Paul II’s May 1999 visit.

RUSSIAN BANK CLIENTS REFUSE TO REPAY LOAN AS THEY ARE SOVIET CITIZENS ▶ Pope Francis accepted an invitation to become an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, after having met with a delegation of the Academy at the Vatican on 8th November.

Pope Francis accepted the high honor offered by the Romanian Academy “out of friendship for Romania,” and the academic emblems will be sent through the Apostolic Nunciature, according to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest.

Pope Francis is the second Pontiff of the Catholic Church elected an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, after Pope John Paul II, who became an honorary member in 2001.

His Holiness is expected to visit

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▶ Two brothers living in Vladivostok

in Russia’s Far East have refused to pay back a 1.5 million ruble ($25,000) loan to a local bank. They say they won’t pay the debt because they are Soviet citizens, not Russian.

The brothers refused to pay off the debt during a visit to the bailiffs

MELANIA TRUMP AND PENG LIYUAN

in Vladivostok. Demonstrating excellent knowledge of Soviet and Russian legislation, the men said they would not obey the ‘illegitimate’ requirements of the court, as they are not Russian citizens. They allegedly threatened to murder the bailiff and her family, calling her a “foreign agent.”

A few hours later they were detained by police and have been under arrest for seven days. Bailiffs have been granted permission by a court to seize two apartments as collateral on the debt.

WORLD'S RICHEST PEOPLE OWN HALF OF GLOBAL WEALTH ▶ The richest 1% of people in the world now own half of the planet’s wealth, according to a new report

ZIMBABWE'S NEW PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA SWORN IN ▶ Following the dramatic departure of Robert Mugabe after 37 years of authoritarian rule, Emmerson Mnangagwa has been sworn in as Zimbabwe’s president in a ceremony at a packed stadium in the country’s capital, Harare. Tens of thousands of people packed the National Sports Stadium in Harare to witness the inauguration. Pop singer Jah Prayzer provided the entertainment and, as people in the crowd danced, the atmosphere was closer to that of a concert. The opposition is urging Mr Mnangagwa, who has been part of the ruling elite, to “end the culture of corruption”.

Although Mr Mnangagwa, known as “crocodile”, managed to unseat Zimbabwe’s long-time ruler, he is still associated by many with some of the worst atrocities committed under the ruling Zanu-PF party since the country gained independence in 1980.

AGREEMENT

“We cannot afford as the international community to dismantle a nuclear agreement that is working. This deal is not a bilateral agreement ... The international community, and the European Union with it, has clearly indicated that the deal is, and will, continue to be in place.”- Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

CREATIVITY FUSES SERBIAN AND NORWEGIAN ECONOMIES ▶ During her visit to the Kingdom of Norway, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić - accompanied by Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia President Marko Čadež, visited the offices of company McCann Oslo and the Scandinavian Design Group, which operate as part of the Belgrade-based I&F McCann Group.

By investing in Norway, I&F McCann Group became one of the few Serbian companies operating on the Norwegian market. According to CCIS president Čadež, this is the best example of the capabilities and strengthening investment capacities of the Serbian creative industry to operate successfully, invest and employ innovative and creative people not only in Serbia and the region, but also on a demanding European market like the Nordic market. McCann Oslo and the Scandinavian Design Group provide creative and design expertise for numerous Norwegian and world brands, including the Norwegian National Bank and Norwegian Investment Bank, Innovation Norway – an organisation supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, the Norwegian National Football Team and companies Norsk Hydro, KLP and Tine.

that highlights breathtaking levels of global inequality.

The study reveals how the super-rich have profited from the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, seeing their proportion of the world’s wealth increase from 42.5% in the midst of the crisis to 50.1% now.

According to the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, the top 1% are now worth a total of €119.5 trillion – around eight times the size of the U.S. economy.

The wealthiest 10% of people,

meanwhile, own 87.8% of global wealth.

TRUMP PARDONS THANKSGIVING TURKEY

a large white bird named Drumstick.

Americans traditionally feast on turkey, stuffing and other delights on the Thanksgiving holiday, but Drumstick and his pal Wishbone were granted a reprieve.

▶ President Donald Trump couldn’t

resist a dig at his predecessor Barack Obama as he ‘pardoned’ a turkey in a Thanksgiving tradition.

Joined by his wife, Melania, and their son, Barron, Trump entered the Rose Garden for the annual presidential tradition and granted freedom to “I‘m pleased to report that, unlike millions of other turkeys at this time of the year, Drumstick has a very, very bright future ahead of him,” Trump said.

The turkeys will live at an enclosure at the nearby Virginia Tech university.

the Republic of Serbia in a formal ceremony in Buenos Aires. The square is located in one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods of the Argentine capital.

The formal inauguration was attended by Carmen Polledo, First Vice-President of the Buenos Aires City Legislature, representatives of the Serbian diaspora in Argentina, Vicar Bishop of the Latin American Diocese, Kiril Bojovic, and representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Argentina.

In a brief address, the Serbian Foreign Minister underlined the importance of ties and good cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Argentina, with bonds of friendship and a tradition of good relations characterising the two countries and peoples.

INAUGURATION OF SQUARE SERBIA IN BUENOS AIRES ▶ Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić opened the Square of

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FOCUS: LEGALISATION OF CANNABIS-BASED PREPARATIONS IN SERBIA

Cannabis On Prescription?

YES, NO, MAYBE! Cannabis is derived from the cannabis plant. It grows wild in many tropical and temperate parts of the world. Research has shown that medical marijuana can be used to treat chronic pain, muscle spasticity, anorexia, nausea and sleep disruption

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he possible legalisation of cannabis-based preparations in Serbia is being dealt with by the Ministry of Health, the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, the Working Group for the Legalisation of Marijuana for Medical Purposes, the Commission of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia, but also individual groups of citizens who believe that these preparations would ease the symptoms of severe illness.

It was in late 2014 that Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar announced the possibility of marijuana being legalised for medical purposes.

“For everything that gives results in treatment, even for marijuana, the Ministry of Health will not cause a problem with inclusion in medical circles... Nevertheless, we also don’t want to introduce anything overnight. We want to familiarise all citizens with what this is all about,” said Minister Lončar at the time.

In order to launch the process of applying cannabis-based medicines, a request for their registration was submitted to the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices. The Commission submitted to the Ministry of Health a list of registered cannabis-based medicines around the world. It was also agreed, with regard to the conclusion of the Commission of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Ser20 |

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bia for the use of medicines containing cannabis, that all national expert commissions tasked with determining indications for the use of cannabis-based medicines submit to the Ministry of Health their expert opinions on indications for the use of these medicines, as well as a list of doctors who will be authorised to prescribe them.

All of these procedures are still underway.

In the meantime, as of 2017, Australia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Germany, India, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay, and some U.S. states have the laxest cannabis laws, while China, Croatia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Macedonia, Nigeria, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam have the harshest cannabis laws.

ArcView Market Research predicted in its report that the value of the U.S. legal cannabis market will achieve annual sales totaling a whopping $21.8 billion by 2020.

For this issue of CorD, in order to ascertain whether and when cannabis-based medicines will be obtainable legally in Serbia via a doctor’s prescription, as opposed to only on the black market, we asked experts, doctors, specialists and citizens. ■

Therapy - Yes, Cure - No

THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The conclusion of the Commission for the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia (CCIS) is that internationally registered drugs that contain natural tetrahydrocannabinols, or the same compounds obtained by chemical synthesis, definitely have their place in treating the symptoms of severe illnesses, primarily multiple sclerosis

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nternationally published clinical trials (Bayer, 2013) showed that this preparation doesn’t cure or slow down the progression of multiple sclerosis in any case, but it certainly alleviates symptoms and improves the quality of life of the patient. This preparation also has similar effects on certain symptoms in oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Thus, these medications must be made available on prescription, to patients who need them. In order to start the process of utilising cannabis-based medicines, the Ministry of Health has submitted a request for the registration of these drugs to the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices. The Commission has submitted to the Ministry of Health a list of registered cannabis-based medicines worldwide. It has also been agreed that, in light of the conclusion of the Commission for the CCIS on the use of medicines containing cannabis, all National Expert Commissions that are authorised to determine indications for the use of cannabis-based medications must submit their expert opinions to the Ministry of Health on indications for the applying of these medicines, as well as a list of doctors who will be authorised to prescribe these medicines. All of these procedures are underway. With all expert opinions and a list of doctors who will be authorised to prescribe these medicines, the Ministry of Health will give an official statement after the submission of all necessary opinions.

In order to start the process of utilising cannabis-based medicines, the Ministry of Health has submitted a request for the registration of these drugs to the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices The Commission for the CCIS gave the recommendation that the use of cannabis-based medicines be allowed on the basis of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation that it did not recognise or approve the marijuana plant as a medicine, but it did approve two compounds containing synthetic cannabinoids, based on the results of several scientific studies which confirmed their therapeutic effects, and those are: • Dronabinol, a synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for the treatment of significant weight loss among HIV/AIDS patients, as well as for the treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, when other drugs do not help;

• Nabilon, a THC-like synthetic substance for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients who do not respond to conventional antiemetics (approved in the U.S. in 1985, in use since 2006); • Sativex, an oromacal spray containing natural tetrahydrocannabinol, for symptomatic relief of spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis whose spasticity is not adequately controlled by conventional therapy.

Studies confirm that the use of natural and synthetic cannabis preparations is most appropriate in the following indications: 1) MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: symptomatic relief of spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis whose spasticity is not adequately controlled by conventional therapy (Sativex - oromacal spray, applied in the UK); 2) MALIGNANT DISEASES: in patients with advanced/terminal malignant diseases and chronic mild to moderate pain - relieving nausea and vomiting in patients with malignant diseases who receive emetic therapy; 3) HIV/AIDS: in the treatment of cachexia/anorexia among these patients, in treating so-called Wasting syndrome (weight loss) to improve appetite; 4) OTHER NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS: it is not clearly proven to impact on the progression or reduction of chorea symptoms in Huntington’s disease, cervical dystonia, levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy (Epidolex for the treatment of Dravet’s syndrome-child epileptic syndrome) – accepted by the European Medicines Agency; 5) IT IS ALSO CONSIDERED IN THE TREATMENT OF GLAUCOMA; 6) RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. The Commission for the CCIS, based on the recommendations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that has not recognised or approved the marijuana plant as a medicine, has concluded that cannabis oil, which individual associations are seeking, should not be legalised, given the fact that no standards have been defined for the composition and production of cannabis oil.

Narco Lobby Behind Request To Legalise Cannabis PROFESSOR DR SC.MED. DANICA GRUJIČIĆ

HEAD OF THE CENTRE FOR NEURO-ONCOLOGY AT THE NEUROSURGERY CLINIC OF THE CLINICAL CENTRE OF SERBIA, PRESIDENT OF THE WORKING GROUP FOR THE LEGALISATION OF MARIJUANA FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES AT THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH

There is no such thing as medical marijuana – the only thing proven for certain about cannabis is that it is a drug. The working group met twice. Most members were opposed to legalisation, but attitudes were irreconcilable and further work was suspended

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he Ministry brought a decision, following the proposal of the Government Commission for Psychoactive Controlled Substances, that expert opinions on the legalisation of cannabis would be provided by the expert commission of the Ministry.

Behind the request for the legalisation of cannabis is a narco lobby that wants to ease the distribution and possibility of growing Indian marijuana, DECEMBER

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and the devastating consequences of its use for adolescents are well known.

The new draft law on PAKS does not allow for the legalisation of cannabis.

I would like to bust another myth. Individuals suggest that behind doctors who do not want to legalise cannabis (which is 99.9% of them) stands the pharmaceutical mafia. I’ve been treating people with the worst diseases for 35 years, and I wonder if anyone can really believe that there is a medicine that can cure someone who is seriously ill, yet I or my colleagues don’t want to prescribe it due to some pharmaceutical companies?!

German politicians voted for the use of cannabis under pressure from the public, as it was in their interests.

However, in practise 99 per cent of doctors refuse to prescribe cannabis because they know it’s not a medicine!

Another argument offered in the public is that marijuana has been legalised “for medical purposes” in some Western countries. I will give you the example of Germany, where politicians voted for the use of cannabis under pressure from the public, as it was in their interests. However, in practise 99 per cent of doctors refuse to prescribe cannabis because they know it’s not a medicine! Or the American example, which everyone cites, where it was stated in an official FDA announcement two months ago that there is no evidence that cannabis is a medicine after all the tests in which they have been involved (FDA, IND, DEA, CDER).

When I give a medicine to a patient, I need to know the exact composition of the medicine, what the indications are, and what the contraindications and side effects are, what dosage I should give to which patient, and who is responsible in the case that complications arise. Alleviating a patient’s pain, and not drugging them in the process, can be achieved with official medicines, provided you know how to use them.

The Ministry of Health has allowed the use of cannabis-based medicines: Marinol (dronabinol) and Sativex (nabiximols).

Essential Clear Message From The Profession And The State With appreciation for the discussion about cannabis’s role in the medical sector, there is a COLONEL PROFESSOR DR. RANKO RAIČEVIĆ real danger that this product is HEAD OF THE NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CLINIC considered a medicine for very OF THE MILITARY MEDICAL ACADEMY serious diseases, not only from the domain of oncology, where that is paradoxical, but also in the domain of neurology 22 |

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n modern medicine and contemporary neurology, the so-called concept of individual, personalised medicine is promoted, as the therapeutic process is increasingly directed towards ensuring quality of life. For some diseases we have defined treatments that do not cure, but which either slow down or modify a disease. However, a significant number of impediments exist that significantly impair patients’ quality of life.

When we conduct surveys among our patients, we discover that they would prefer to retain some symptoms of the disease that we doctors view as difficult. For instance, when it comes to those suffering from Parkinson’s disease – they would prefer to have a huge number of undesired movements that practically hinder them from eating, but not to have stiffness. Although it seems to us that these huge oscillations in movement are incredibly difficult for the patient, their experience is completely different.

In that sense, cannabis – from the domain of the personal attitude of modern medicine – has a place only in that symptomatic part for certain conditions that disrupt quality of life, but in no way for the treatment of disease. And that’s the fundamental – those two things mustn’t be combined.

The profession must have a clear view, because laymen don’t have to know that. For them, if their quality of life changes they think they have affected the actual flow of the disease. Cannabis enables an improvement of mood and increased mobility, and leads to the opinion that it has also impacted positively on neuronal function – which is not accurate.

In the specific case of neurology, these preparations are used in many countries around the world to relieve spasms in multiple sclerosis patients, post-stroke states and post-traumatic conditions, while they are used to alleviate pain in patients with various forms of cancer.

It must be clearly defined by the state, i.e. the profession and science, and then by the law, what we want to do, what preparations those are, from which manufacturers, how they are prescribed and who the doctors are that can prescribe them But, to be completely clear, before I give my vote for or against, the use of such preparations must be brought within clear legal frameworks; for it to be clearly known which preparations these are, which producers and which strengths. They must be standardised, like any medicinal substance, because supporting medicinal products must also satisfy certain toxicity capacities. Preparations must have certain parameters for their dosage and the control of that dose, and only then can we as a society assume a position regarding which diseases we could recommend for its use.

All of this that is currently happening poses a threat to patients who procure these products in various ways. Without any influence on who the producer it, and whether that is the only substance - whether there is only cannabis in the composition or if something else has been added.

Thus, it must be clearly defined by the state, i.e. the profession and science, and then by the law, what we want to do, what preparations those are, from which manufacturers, how they are prescribed and who the doctors are that can prescribe them.

Only then, in such a constellation of forces, would I be in favour.

INTERVIEW

Cannabis Oil Doesn’t Cure, But Does Help It was only around ten days ago that Poland became the 12th EU country to permit the use of cannabis oil for medical purposes, while in Denmark potential cannabis growers are registering, DR MILAN SAVIĆ because this country will – as of NEUROLOGY SPECIALIST AND DIRECTOR OF THE ST. SAVA HOSPITAL FOR 1st January 2018 – also allow the CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES use of derivatives from this plant for people suffering from cancer and multiple sclerosis; in Macedonia this practise became legal a year and a half ago, while in our country patients are still being supplied by the black market

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t is evident that relevant scientific research to date has proven that cannabis derivatives, primarily oil from this plant, do not cure diseases, but they do relieve many problems and are thus invaluable for patients who are no longer helped by conventional drugs and medicines.

on humans are published, nobody – with the exception of satisfied patients – can claim that cannabis cures. Unfortunately, these experiences cannot even be systematised, nor can they provide the basis to obtain relevant evidence. Medicine is science, and science is based on relevant data and evidence.

■ Opponents of legalisation claim that the legalisation of cannabis would lead to more severe forms of drug addiction, an increase in the number of addicts and patients with mental problems. What leads them to draw such conclusions when it comes to these unwanted symptoms and side effects?

- Cannabis oil has no addictive potential whatsoever, which means it does not cause dependence. That’s why the U.S. DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) has lowered its position on the list of substances with psychoactive effects. Patients who have used or use cannabis oil don’t feel any satisfaction, on the contrary. Cannabis oil does not cause relaxation, joy, euphoria or other pleasant feelings, but rather an ineptness and drowsiness. But that’s also the essence, in alleviating pain, nausea, involuntary movements and other negative symptoms that accompany various diseases and therapeutic methods, and not in enjoyment.

With us everything is excessively mystified, but the truth is that the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes brings absolute control over its use, because in countries where this has long been regulated it is known precisely which doctors can prescribe it, for which indications, and which patients can receive it. A patient with a prescription goes to the chemists, pays for their ration and doesn’t feel like a criminal.

Fortunately, decriminalisation is slowly coming with us too, so the police no longer arrest people in possession of cannabis oil for personal use, nor do prosecutors lead proceedings.

■ One of the key arguments of opponents of legalisation is the lack of evidence that this plant cures. What evidence is available to the authorities in countries where the use of cannabis for medical purposes has been legalised?

- Cannabis oil doesn’t cure, but does have proven therapeutic efUnlike smoking marijuana and hashish, fects, and anyone who monitors ■ Do you think the legalisawhich relaxes the user and improves medical achievements in develtheir mood, taking cannabis oil doesn’t tion of marijuana for medical oped countries can familiarise purposes would bring down bring any pleasure, but rather themselves with that. Its effectivethe price of cannabis oil and ness is indisputable when it comes make it more accessible to more ineptness and drowsiness, which to alleviating cancer pain, easing patients? creates repulsion and not dependence the side effects of chemotherapy - Yes, certainly, because demand treatment, relieving nausea, supis currently higher than supply. pressing muscle spasm in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, Considering that this oil arrives illegally in Serbia, in bags and but also with many other conditions and diseases. car boots from Croatia, Macedonia or Bulgaria, for now the price ■ Is there any evidence that cannabis helps with malignant tumours, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, severe dermatological conditions and some other conditions and diseases, apart from the numerous subjective positive experiences of patients?

- All studies on animals have shown that cannabis has anti-cancer, neuroprotective, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory and antiepileptic qualities, while numerous clinical trials on people are ongoing and their results are yet to be known.

Various other studies have shown the neuroprotective effect of cannabis, as it prevents or at least slows the degeneration of neurons, which is invaluable to all those suffering from Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

However, until the results of clinical trials and studies conducted

cannot be lower. If the oil was sold legally, in chemists, it would be cheaper and more patients could purchase it.

■ Do advocates for treatment using cannabis oil recommended its use alongside official medicine or does one exclude the other?

- It is estimated that several thousand people use cannabis oil in our country, including those who try in this way to alleviate nausea and other side effects of chemotherapy in oncology clinics. This best shows that patients who have given up on official treatment don’t decide to use cannabis, rather those who use it as a supplementary treatment prescribed by their doctor.

Some of them don’t say anything about that to their doctors, while others have actually been unofficially recommended by their doctors to purchase cannabis oil, because they are

not helped by any of the drugs intended to relieve nausea, cancer pain, involuntary movements in multiple sclerosis and other symptoms.

I have also been in a position to meet patients who took the oil at their own initiative in the treatment of various diseases, primarily malignant ones.

■ A special working group established two years ago by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia has recommended the use of two treatments containing synthetic cannabinoids and not to legalise cannabis oil. Is that a good decision?

- In all countries around the world that have approved the use of cannabis derivatives, both cannabis oil and synthetic cannabinoids, as industrially manufactured medicines, are used, so the patient can, with approval and at the recommendation of their doctor, choose their preferred treatment. Numerous studies have also shown that the oil is more effective and has fewer side effects than the synthetic drugs, which makes such a decision even stranger.

■ The Commission for the Application of Cannabis for Medical Purposes was guided by the recommendations of the FDA, which has not recognised or approved marijuana as a medicine, so it was concluded that cannabis oil should not be legalised because no standards have been defined for its composition and production. How can that be changed?

- When the initiative to legalise cannabis was initiated in Macedonia, they clearly separated the production and processing of plants, and the distribution of oil, in order to ensure against abuse. In their country it is today known precisely which doctors can write a prescription for cannabis oil and which indications provide the basis for that. This is a good example of how legalisation contributes to standardisation.

■ News arrives every day about the discovery of new medicinal properties of this plant and new countries that have legalised controlled production, processing, distribution and use of medical marijuana products. What prevents us from doing the same?

- I know that the Israelis, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, have gathered together the greatest experts from around the world who have studied the positive effects of cannabis oil use.

They are expected to find new evidence of the healing qualities of cannabis, because work to expand the list of indications is going on wherever cannabis is legalised.

From an economic aspect, it is also known that cannabis production is the world’s fastest growing industry in the U.S. The Netherlands, the U.S. states of Colorado and California, and many other countries around the world base a large part of their exports precisely on the production of cannabis.

■ Do you consider that the ban on the legalisation of cannabis denies patient their basic human right to treatment and life?

- If we agree that there is no cure for some diseases, but there is a way to alleviate pain and distress for the patient, and to improve their quality of life, then it is clear that banning the use of cannabis oil threatens a human’s rights to life and treatment.

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Preliminary Findings Of Controlled Trials Essential PROFESSOR DR. NEBOJŠA M. LALIĆ

FACULTY OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE CLINIC FOR ENDOCRINOLOGY, DIABETES AND METABOLIC DISEASES, CLINICAL CENTRE OF SERBIA

Before expressing my opinion on this topic, I feel obliged to emphasise that in my professional and scientific activity I am not directed to work with cannabis-based medicines

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n that sense, I am convinced there are people who are more competent to form a final opinion on this issue, so the further text is merely a response to the invitation to get involved in the discussion from the standpoint of some general postulates in medicine and long-standing professional experience as a doctor.

It is known that internationally registered drugs containing natural tetrahydrocannabinols or the same in synthetic chemical compounds have their place primarily in treating the symptoms of severe diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, malignant diseases of the terminal stage of HIV. In that sense, the Ministry of Health has recognised the need to introduce these drugs, in palliative therapy for patients suffering from the aforementioned diseases, and formed a Commission for the Application of Cannabis, which recommended the initiating of proceedings on behalf of the Agency for Medicines, for approving this type of medicine. However, the use of cannabis oil as a natural preparation is not recommended by the Commission, which is in line with the decision of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – one of the world’s largest regulatory bodies for evaluating the safety of medicines.

For the application of plant-based or so-called natural preparations, as well as all other preparations, it is necessary to collect enough positive findings from the appropriate controlled studies to enter into the further procedure Starting from my introductory remarks, I am of the opinion that only those products whose effect has been scientifically tested and proven in clinical trials, under the control of medical experts, can be forwarded for approval procedures by regulatory bodies. In this sense, for the application of plant-based or so-called natural preparations, as well as all other preparations, it is necessary to collect enough positive findings from the appropriate controlled studies to enter into the further procedure. This is the only way to prevent later surprises and therapeutic errors, especially in the appropriate groups of patients who are generally vulnerable due to the nature of their illnesses.

Cannabis Should Be Completely Legal Over the years, IRKA has become a symbol of knowledge and the struggle for the liberation of cannabis – not only in Serbia, but throughout the Balkans, and many MILOŠ SIMIĆ PRESIDENT OF SOCIAL activists, scientists and media from CANNABIS CLUB BELGRADE IRKA around the world are interested in the great successes of patients in Serbia who are illegally treated with cannabis bud extracts.

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esides our website, which is like an encyclopaedia of cannabis and the endocannabinoid system, we have recorded and published the largest archive of publicly documented video evidence, over 150 public testimonies of patients who successfully cure themselves of various diseases, with cannabis.

As the greatest achievement, we consider the knowledge and practise that we share successfully with patients throughout the Balkans. Thanks to advice and assistance from our members, thousands of patients are today successfully, though still illegally, healing themselves with top-quality

bud extracts, as well as cannabis buds, which are often self-made.

Every day we have many calls and consultations with members and patients who contact us for advice and help, with meetings, treatment workshops and panel discussions we organise whenever possible. We have organised two international seminars with scientists and professors from the U.S., Canada and Spain – experts for treatments using cannabis.

In contrast to successful treatments with cannabis, patients are under a complete blockade from media exposure and under constant law enforcement pressure. During the last two years some 14 members of our

Thanks to advice and assistance from our members, thousands of patients are today successfully, though still illegally, healing themselves with top-quality bud extracts, as well as cannabis buds, which are often self-made association, although ill, were arrested and prosecuted, even after public testimonies and appearances, including sick mothers with young children.

Synthetic cannabinoids that are legal in Serbia are not a solution, like anywhere else. Now we have standardised extracts and know the prescribed dosages. Our attitude, based on scientific knowledge and evidence, is that cannabis should be completely legal for all purposes, as the most useful plant known to man.

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FIC LAUNCHES WHITE BOOK 2017

Still A Long Way TO GO FOR REFORM The Foreign Investors Council presented the White Book 2017 to the highest Government officials and the stakeholder communityon 8th November.

The White Book is the main product via which the FIC has, for 15 years, given recommendations aimed at supporting economic growth and better living standards of Serbian citizens

FIC

members, who are a motor of the Serbian market, have invested their knowledge and expertise in this project in order to assist Serbia in creating a more attractive and sustainable environment, and achieving swifter integra-

tion into the EU economy.

The event was opened with a presentation acknowledging 15 years of FIC operations. In her introductory speech, FIC President Yana Mikhailova noted that “in-between two White Books the Government achieved good macro-economic results, but it is essential to instigate stronger economic growth. The FIC expects the joint Task Force formed with the Government to become a vehicle for accelerating reforms with two goals: accelerate the harmonisation of laws with EU regulations and improve law implementation.

It is therefore important that the Government continues accession negotiations with the EU, as means of improving conditions for doing business, both in terms of laws and their implementation,” Mikhailova added.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said that more than €8 billion has been invested in Serbia over the past five years and added that the Government of Serbia is committed to creating a favourable business environment to attract investors, but also to enable businesses are already doing business here to be satisfied and continue investing.

“Macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline have been achieved, public debt has been reduced, but we are aware that, despite the success, it is a long way to go for reform,” said PM Brnabić. “By the end of the year, the Tax Administration reform programme will be defined, which is important for more efficient tax collection and supressing the shadow economy,” said PM Brnabić at the presentation of the FIC White Book 2017.

Three key FIC expectations of the Government include the instigating of stronger growth by making fiscal consolidation sustainable, improving the implementation of laws and continuing the harmonisation of laws with 26 |

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EU regulations. Sustainable fiscal consolidation is possible only through strong structural reforms, focused on privatisation and the corporatization of state-owned enterprises. For the private sector, it is essential to introduce more consistent and efficiently implemented regulation, especially in the tax domain, which requires the modernisation of public administration, including tax administration. The focus of further harmonisation with EU norms should cover seven areas: tax, labour, inspections & food safety, real estate, digitisation & e-commerce, bankruptcy and foreign exchange.

In the active panel discussion on ways to improve the business environment in Serbia, opinions were exchanged between Prime Minister Brnabić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlović and Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Affairs Zoran Đorđević, as well as FIC President and Nestlé Adriatic Regional Director Yana Mikhailova, FIC Vice President and Telenor CEO Ingeborg Øfsthus and FIC BoD member and Regional Property & Expansion Manager of IKEA Srbija Vladislav Lalić.

The latest edition of the White Book introduces new methodology and rankings of all business climate areas presented in this edition, based on implementation of recommendations from the previous edition of the White Book. In the period between October 2016 and October 2017, most progress was marked in four areas: construction land and development, protection of users of financial services, transport and tobacco. The least progress during that time was marked in four areas: company law, corporate income tax, restitution and quality standards in dairy production.

This is an important year for the FIC, marking 15 years since its establishment. From an independent business association created by 14 companies, the FIC has remained faithful to their principles and grown to encompass over 130 companies from all around the globe who have invested €34 billion in Serbia and directly employ 97,500 people in the country, up from investments worth €150 million and 3,160 employees in 2003. ■

DECEMBER BUSINESS LEADERS’ MEETING POINT

ADIR EL AL Airport City CEO and Orchid group CEO

WANG YANMIN President of Huawei Device, CEE and Nordic

Long Distance Runner

Understanding Our Consumers’ Needs

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RADOVAN LALIN Lawyer

STOJAN RANGELOV Director, Putevi d.o.o. (Ltd.), Ivanjica

To Be Independent Is Most Important

License For Security PAGE 41

CORPORATE

ADIR EL AL, AIRPORT CITY CEO AND ORCHID GROUP CEO

Long Distance Runner “My company sees Serbia as a place where a lot of things could be done; Serbia and Belgrade are ‘virgin territory’ for us,” says Adir El Al, Chief Executive Officer of Airport City Belgrade

A

dir El Al is the CEO of Airport City Belgrade, which represents one of the biggest investments in Serbia, as a business park where more than 110 of the largest companies in the country reside and operate. And although it could be expected that, as the head of ACB and one of the key managers of AFI Europe in Serbia, he would locate his cabinet at the top of one of the most modern buildings inside this ‘city within the city’, CorD ‘found’ this student of Israel and London, who has amassed vast working experience from Africa to Europe, in a modest office located on the periphery of ACB, in a renovated hangar for World War I planes.

“I feel comfortable here, completely aware of the historical significance of this building, a dome built according to the design of Milutin Milanković, and I find some symbolism in all of this,” says El Al at the start of our conversation.

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■ The facts about Airport City are well known, but who came up with the ‘City within the City’ concept?

- When we came here in 2003, we already had a similar business park in Israel, interestingly with the same name of Airport City. One of our shareholders came together with us to Serbia and we were trying to implement the same concept from Israel here in Serbia, considering that it had proven to be a very successful concept. Airport City is a business park, representing a combination of several office buildings gathered together in one complex, which is able to provide all necessities required by users, to

I have huge respect for our competitors, though I still think Airport City is unique, because we give additional value to our tenants cater for all their needs, and that was how we came up with the concept and slogan ‘City within the City’. That’s because we provide whatever you need as an office user on a daily basis, whatever you need to consume.

■ Who do you consider as your main competitor in Serbia, given that the business park concept is a rarity in the country?

- There is no similar project. We are the only business park with such a

concept, but of course competition exists. There are other companies in Serbia, both local and foreign, that construct office buildings and complexes – though not business parks – and they are very present and competitive. I have never underestimated my competition, and I do believe the others are significant players in the office and residential market segment.

■ Airport City Belgrade isn’t finished yet. Can you envisage the final completion of the entire project?

- We have so far utilised about 50 per cent of the park. We still have vacant land under development and I expect this whole area to be finished in the next five to six years. When it comes to its future, we are planning to build two towers with 20 and more floors, and I’m hoping these towers will blend into the existing silhouette of ACB, which is already a symbol of the municipality of New Belgrade.

■ Skyline is the other, latest challenge for you, with initial works having commenced at the site in Kneza Miloša Street a year and a half ago?

- We took over the site in Kneza Miloša Street and managed to carry out a very thorough urban planning process. Three towers, one of which will have 35 floors, comprising two residential towers and one office

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tower, as well as a lot of accompanying commercial buildings, will compose this mixed-use complex. Everything will be connected not only with Kneza Miloša Street, but also with the Three Keys Park next to Gazela Bridge, which is being renovated by AFI. We have decided to make the renovation of this park our donation to Belgrade.

■ Given that Serbia is a relatively poor country, how can projects like this be profitable?

- We segmented it into phases. Each phase was planned to be sufficient for our capacities, and the capacities of the market itself. And the proof is that in our other projects we managed to sell apartments almost completely in advance. I think that part of our success is based on the fact that we are very conservative, in terms of planning and the ways we spend money, which is why we have never been ‘stocked in the corner’.

■ You are a very successful businessman and one of the top managers at AFI. Did you choose Serbia as your next destination 13 years ago, or did that decision not depend on you?

- When we decided to come to Serbia, we explored possibilities and the global market, attempting to find out where we can make better levels of gains in terms of generating profit, but also in terms of further development. We received warm hospitality from the Serbs and Serbian institutions. We were aware that our company could contribute a lot to the Serbian economy, while the most important fact is that more than 90 per cent of our investments stay in the country. I personally find Serbia very attractive for doing business.

■ As a real estate businessman, why do you consider Serbia a good place to do business?

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- A lot of my friends in Israel posed the same question to me. In a country where there is a lot of demand for residential and office buildings, where you can build relatively quickly, in a year and a half we can build huge capacities of buildings, in a country where the legislation is complicated yet still – for those of us who have been in the country for many years – manageable. We understand the system and cooperate with it, and there is mutual understanding in terms of the importance of Airport City Belgrade as a mega project in every sense. It is important both for the economy and for the people.

I have to underline that AFI Europe strives to plan in advance, to maintain itself in one place, for good reason, as long as necessary, and I do believe in such a ‘philosophy’, because I am a ‘long distance runner’ ■ Do you see your career as an obstacle or an advantage for your children, considering that they are growing up in a foreign country that also doesn’t happen to be the best place on Earth?

- This is not an easy question to answer. I have been talking with my wife a lot about this issue. Let’s say that

my three sons are very deeply involved in the Serbian community. They speak Serbian excellently, while on the other hand they attend an international school and have met a lot of other kids there who are in the same situation of growing up in a foreign country. I know that my sons enjoy both worlds that they have at their disposal here. When we are at home we are an Israeli family, but outside our home we all feel like Serbians, with a lot of Serbian friends who ‘adopted’ us. Living with so many differences, my wife and I believe strongly that our children are becoming better people. My family is part of this community, and even I can understand a bit of Serbian, while my wife and I are very fond of your culture and, of course, your kafanas.

■ Is Serbia just a phase in your career and your life, or something else?

- Serbia is not the first foreign country where I’ve worked, but in terms of the foreign counties that have featured in my professional career, I have spent the longest period in Serbia. And I consider that to be a positive fact in my life. I really like Serbia and wouldn’t have stayed so long if I didn’t like the country. However, to answer your question, it would be irresponsible to choose a side in this matter and say whether this is a permanent posting or just a phase. One can never predict everything the future will bring.

■ There is the saying in Israel that “Haifa works, Jerusalem prays and Tel Aviv plays”. What about Belgrade; does it work, pray or play?

- Belgrade does it all together. Although it reminds me of Tel Aviv the most, and a lot of my acquaintances perceive it as a place for fun. From my point of view, it is not like that; I see Belgrade as a place that channels work, pray and play. ■

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LOCAL NEWS

INTEGRATION “We are not a kind of Trojan horse for Russia in the EU. Russia is our important trading partner and our friend, but this, in any way, does not basically limit our strategic EU integration”— ANA BRNABIĆ, Serbian Prime Minister

SIEMENS

ENERGY

Takeover Of Milanović Inženjering Siemens plans to take over Serbian company Milanović inženjering – the Kragujevac-based manufacturer of body parts for rail vehicles. The price MILANOVIĆ INŽENJERING’S for the takeover of this company, PRODUCTION FACILITY which specialises in the production of aluminium components for the railway industry, remains a business secret. The acquisition process is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2018.

“With this acquisition, we have achieved an optimal position for future projects on the competitive global rail market. After fourteen years of successful operations at Siemens’ Large Drive factory in Subotica, we are proud that we will have another factory in Serbia,” said Siemens Srbija CEO Udo Eichlinger.

“I am convinced that, thanks to business cooperation with Siemens and the modern production capacities at its disposal, our factory will become an important centre for the production of components for rail vehicles in the period ahead,” said Milanović inženjering owner Bratislav Milanović.

The company was established in 2001. In 2016 it recorded a turnover of €15.3 million and it currently employs around 430 workers.

China's CMEC To Build 3rd Unit At Kostolac B Serbia’s government has said China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) will be in charge of the construction of a 3rd unit in Kostolac B coal-fired power plant. The 350 MW third unit of Kostolac B will produce 2.5 billion kWh of electricity annually, increasing the total output capacity of EPS by 5%, the government said in a statement on Monday.

Total investment in Serbia’s energy sector currently stands at about €3 billion, energy minister Aleksandar Antic said during the official ceremony for the launch of the construction project, according to a government press release. A total of €522 million will be invested in the construction of the new unit as part of the second phase of a project for the overhaul of Kostolac B at a total cost of $715.6 million, the government said.

The second phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2020 and 85% of the financing was provided through a loan with a seven-year grace period extended by Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM Bank). The loan will be repaid in 20 years.

Serbia has already completed the first phase of the overhaul project, having invested $300 million in the upgrade of units 1 and 2 at Kostolac B, part of coal mining and energy complex TE-KO Kostolac, Antic said earlier this month.

TE-KO Kostolac operates two power plants, the 310 MW Kostolac A, and the 700 MW Source: SeeNews Kostolac B.

UNICREDIT BANK

12 THINGS

Seven Best “Ideas For A Better Tomorrow” Rewarded With 35K

The UniCredit Foundation, UniCredit Bank, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation and SMart Collective presented the winners of the third edition of the competition “Ideas for a Better Tomorrow”, which aims to contribute to the development of social entrepreneurship and the finding of ideas for products and services that can improve Serbia’s image in the region and around the world.

TheCommissionunanimouslydecidedon20thNovember to allocate funds amounting to €35,000 to the following finalists: Initiative for Social Empowerment, the “Atina” Citizens’ Association for the Fight Against Human Trafficking and all forms of violence against women, the “Vunena” Citizens’ Association, the “Naša kuća” Association for the

YOU SHOULD NEVER DO AT THE OFFICE PARTY

Support of People with Developmental Disabilities, the “ZaJedno” Association for the Support of Persons with Psychophysical Disorders, the “New Perspective” Social Agricultural Cooperative and the “Liceulice” Citizens’ Association. Following official allocation of the funding, UniCredit Bank employees voted and selected two organisations to receive additional grants totaling €2,500 each, which they granted to “Naša kuća” and “Atina”.

TURKISH AIRLINES

Record Operating Net Profit Of All 3rd Quarters According to Turkish Airlines 2017 Q3 financial results, the successful 3rd quarter marked a 23 per cent increase in total revenue compared to the same period of 2016, reaching US$3.6 billion. Turkish Airlines, with 81.5%, reached the highest September load factor for the past five years.

The number of passengers carried increased by 17 per cent compared to Q3 2016, with the airline serving 21.3 million passengers.

“The net profit recorded in Q3 2017 clearly demonstrates our capacity to generate cash,” said Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee İlker Aycı. “As the Turkish Airlines family, with our common goal of becoming one of the world’s leading five-star airlines, we will continue this growth trend without ever compromising on our service quality. As Turkey’s largest exporter, our march will continue to position Istanbul as a major hub for international transport,” he added.

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This is the season for office holiday parties, which can be fun and festive if everyone is on their best behaviour — or disastrous when too many people decide to let loose.

If you want to keep your job and reputation intact, here are some simple etiquette rules to follow: 1. Don't skip it.

2. Don't dress inappropriately.

3. Don't fail to prepare your guest or significant other.

4. Don't get drunk.

5. Don't look bored.

6. Don't be anti-social.

7. Don't gossip or bad mouth your colleagues.

8. Don't go in without a plan.

9. Don't flirt.

10. Don't post photos or comments that could get you in trouble.

11. Don't make a fool of yourself.

12. Don't forget to acknowledge the person/people who planned the party.

IMF

AHK

“I would like Serbia to continue its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) until it enters the zone of investment grade credit rating, which would secure another investment orbit for the country” — DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ, Serbian Finance Minister

Perception Of The German Economy In Serbia According to research conducted by the German-SerbianChamberofCommerce(AHK)on the topic “perceptions of the German economy and investments by citizens of Serbia”, as many as a third of Serbian citizens see Germany as the most desirable investor, citing the reasons as the level of Germany’s business, economic and industrial development. The survey was carried

MARTIN KNAPP (left), H.E. AXEL DITTMANN and Dr RONALD SEELINGER

out on a representative sample of 1,200 citizens from all across Serbia. The results gained are not surprising, given that in real terms Germany is Serbia’s most important trade partner, with almost 400 companies having invested funds of more than €1.8 billion and employed over 35,000 workers.

“German companies are happy to do business in Serbia and are engaged in long-term engagements as reliable partners and responsible employers,” said German Ambassador H.E. Axel Dittmann. As the main reason, in as many as 60 per cent of cases respondents cited the country’s economic power, and not its politics, religion, tradition or some characteristics of the people themselves.

“Serbian citizens once again showed in this survey that they appreciate real values and that they care about a strong economy, efficient operations, quality products, on the one hand, and a fair attitude towards their work on the other,” said Dr Ronald Seelinger, AHK president and Hemofarm CEO.

USAID

Making Serbia A Better Place To Do Busisess The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a U.S. government agency, and the Serbian Government, celebrated the achievements of the USAID Business Enabling Project (BEP) – a seven-year, $19.5 million initiative that has helped make Serbia a better place do business.

U.S. Ambassador H.E. KYLE SCOTT “Since the very beginning, USAID supported the construction permitting reform – from the adoption of the Law on planning and construction to joint work with local governments on introducing e-permits.

During the past three years, Serbia progressed from the 186th position on World Bank’s ranking, to one among ten best countries in the world in the category of issuing construction permits,” said Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlović. “The World Bank Doing Business Report, the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report and the Financial Times’s FDI Benchmark rankings all indicate that Serbia is in a better position today,” said U.S. Ambassador H.E.Kyle Scott. “This is supported by improving employment numbers, positive GDP growth, and increasing foreign investments. A better business-enabling environment, which U.S. assistance helped the Government create, has contributed to these positive developments.”

MK GROUP

EBRD

MK Is Looking In Purchasing Victoria Group?

Funds To Boost SME And Mortgage Lending

MK Group have sent a bid for the purchase of the VictoriaGroupcompany, which is looking of getting a new owner readytobuyoutdebts of €275 million from banks. Radio 021 reported. According to the Radio 021, sources close to the purchaser claim that the positions of the two parties in the negotiations have been brought closertogetherandthatitcanbeexpectedforthearrangementtoberealizedbytheendoftheyear.MKGroupwould thereby gain possession of Sojaprotein, the Sid-based edibleoilplantMladost,theSuboticaVeterinaryInstitute...

“At this moment, we are unable to comment on the further plans and negotiations with potential partners,” Victoria Group told eKapija. Furthermore, they also say that all the business activities in Victoria Group are being carried out without obstacle. On the other side, MK Group says that they are planning new investments in the agrarian field and that they are analyzing several potential investments in the fields of agrarian business, banking and tourism, both in Serbia and the countries of the region.

In a move to bolster Serbia’s financial sector, the EBRD is providing €60 million in new financing to Serbia’s Banca Intesa and its leasing subsidiary. A €30 million credit line to Banca Intesa will be used for mortgage lending and a further €5 million will be on-lent to businesswomen as part of the EBRD’s Western Balkans Women in Business programme. Supported by international donors, it aims to increase access to finance and business advice for female entrepreneurs. In addition, the EBRD is extending €25 million to Intesa Leasing to provide long-term funding to Serbian SMEs seeking to lease commercial vehicles, equipment and property.

“These new funds – offering products geared to meet the needs of different borrowers – will further bolster the banking sector by deepening intermediation which will benefit the economy and people living in Serbia,” said Daniel Berg, EBRD Director, Head of Serbia Draginja Ðjurić, President of the Banca Intesa Executive Board, said: “Successful cooperation with the EBRD has enabled us for a number of years to bolster our own credit potential and provide our clients, both households and businesses, with access to favourable long-term sources of funding, “ said Draginja Ðjurić, DRAGINJA ĐURIĆ, President of the Banca Intesa Executive Board, and President of the Banca DANIEL BERG, EBRD Director, Head Intesa Executive Board. of Serbia

SSCC

Innovation Key to Swiss-Serbian Business Cooperation

H.E. PHILIPPE GUEX and YANA MIKHAILOVA

The Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SSCC) organised a conference entitled “Innovation: the driving force of Swiss-Serbian economic relations” at the Science and Technology Park in Belgrade. Distinguished speakers at the gathering included H.E. Philippe Guex, Swiss Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, Nenad Popović, Minister without Portfolio in the Government of Serbia, as well as Dr Olivier Küttel, Head of European Public Relations at the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne.

“Swiss companies, especially those from the IT sector, show increasing interest in the Serbian market, so members of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce expect the Government of Serbia to continue creating the framework conditions for the development of the national innovation ecosystem,” concluded SSCC President Yana Mikhailova, while Ambassador Guex stressed that innovation is key to the development of Swiss-Serbian relations.

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CORPORATE WANG YANMIN, PRESIDENT OF HUAWEI DEVICE, CEE AND NORDIC

Understanding Our Consumers’ Needs The region of Central and Eastern Europe is developing very rapidly and our key focus is on having a major contribution to this development. We understand how important Serbia is for our development and want to nourish this connection

O

ur main focus in Serbia, like all markets, is to continue along the path that we have embarked upon and continue growing in all aspects, says Wang Yanmin, president of Huawei Device, CEE and Nordic, who recently visited Serbia and spoke with CorD about Huawei’s ambitions on the global market and in the region. “We are today happy in the knowledge that our devices are recognised as good, high quality and premium for those seeking high-end devices and are affordable for different audiences,” says our interlocutor.

■ According to the data available, Huawei’s brand awareness in the countries of Northeast Europe averaged more than 60 per cent in 2015, while in Serbia and neighbouring countries it reached more than 90 per cent. How has the situation progressed in the meantime?

- For Huawei, our unwavering dream is to provide the best devices that will understand our consumers – their needs, habits, expectations – and, most of all, will be the best devices for them.

In order to achieve this, our focus is always on research and development; in 2016 we invested around 30 million USD in our R&D…every day. We will continue 34 |

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in our efforts to understand the market, in order to offer our best and produce products that will convince consumers to select our products. This has proven to be the right approach, and a highly efficient one, that has brought growth for Huawei in both the countries of Northeast Europe and Serbia and its neighbouring countries, raising the mentioned percentages to levels that we always believed were possible. We

We are observing this fast-changing world and adapting our products to consumer needs. For us, the future is now, and it arrived with the new Mate 10 Pro and the world’s first built-in AI processor are today happy in the knowledge that our devices are recognised as good, high quality and premium for those seeking high-end devices and are affordable for different audiences.

■ What are the most important factors that have driven recognition of Huawei handsets to such a high percentage?

- Besides research and development, we listen to the shifting needs of our consumers and constantly improve our devices, as well as ourselves. Each

of our devices is made of many different components that come together in the perfect symphony of a technological masterpiece. To make each of those components the best possible, we partner with the industry’s leading manufacturers and create devices together. Our latest flagship product: Huawei Mate 10 Pro, our intelligent machine, as we like to call it, is the newest testament to that. It is the first phone with AI installed and it provides many novelties that we believe our consumers will like – AI-aided scene and object recognition for professional-looking pictures by everyone, performance enhancement, battery life of up to two days and many more. We also always strive to give our consumers the possibility to choose – whether it is colour, shape, performance, price or design, our devices come with a variety of choices for everyone’s individual needs and desires. And that is what truly makes a difference.

■ Are there different patterns in the use of smartphones in the two markets you cover?

- CEE and the Nordic Region consist of 26 countries. Each country has a different culture, language and consumer habits, and we respect this diversity.

We work hard to adjust our activities on each market, with experts in every country responsible for identifying

each market’s needs, and this approach allows us to develop ourselves together with each of those markets.

■ What do you see as other specificities of the CEE market, and how does Huawei respond to observed trends?

- The main goal for us, as mentioned before, is to provide the best products that will understand the needs and expectations of our consumers on each market. We believe that every activity of ours should be a response to consumer habits; that the product should understand its owner and know how to work with him to deliver the best possible performance.

This is a trend we constantly follow on markets, not only in our region but worldwide.

■ HUAWEI eco-CONNECT | CEE & Nordic is an integrated conference for the Eastern and Nordic European ICT ecosystem, which took place in Vienna and Czechia in 2016 and 2017. How do you select countries for these events and do you consider Serbia as a potential venue for one of these conferences?

- Most of the biggest tech events are held in Western Europe or the U.S. At Huawei we believe that focusing on Central and Eastern Europe can be a one-time opportunity for us to meet great experts from this part of the world. As mentioned previously, this region is developing very rapidly, and our key focus is on providing a great contribution to this development.

■ What is the importance of such events for Huawei’s market position?

- We are now among the leaders in the CBG part and most of our consumers know us for the innovative and consumer-driven devices that we provide to the market. At the same time, we need to remember that the history of Huawei started in 1987 and the main focus back then was on Enterprise and Carrier solutions. We believe that com-

bining our heritage and an innovative approach can enable us to be a market leader. The Enterprise and Carrier network is still very important for us and our goal is also to be visible in this part of the tech market.

and their needs. We are observing this fast-changing world and adjusting our products to consumer needs. For us, the future is now, and it arrived with the new Mate 10 Pro and the world’s first built-in AI processor.

■ What is the major goal of your visit?

- As mentioned earlier, we are proud of the growth that we achieved in the last two years. Our main focus is to continue on the path that we have embarked

■ The Serbian Government has made its e-government agenda of one of its priorities, while it also considers m-government as an option. How do you see mobile phone use in terms of m- government and mbanking?

- The fast-growing popularity of all e-services shows that this is among the current trends. We know that those services are still developing in our region, but at the same time Western Europeans or Chinese people use various mobile services all the time. Personally, I am a big fan of “mobilesomething”, as it allows us to have whole world in the palm of our hand. I consider this as being one of the major advantages of technological revolution.

In 2016 we invested around 30 million USD in our R&D … every day. We will continue in our efforts to understand the market, in order to offer our best and produce products that will convince consumers to select our products upon and continue growing in all aspects. We believe that every market in the region is an important piece of the puzzle and Serbia fits seamlessly into this description. We understand how important Serbia is for our development and I want to nourish this connection.

■ Which trends does Huawei see on the smartphone market in 2018, generally and in this region?

- Huawei, as a tech company, needs to be constantly connected to consumers

■ How do these changes in the use of mobile phones – from simple calls and messaging to much more complicated trends – influence the physical shape and software of new generations of phones?

- During our recent “Who is Huawei?” event in Finland, we spoke with external and internal experts and journalists from across the region about what they would like to see from the smartphone of the future.

Journalists shared with us what they believe their readers would want from these phones and I saw many extremely interesting ideas that could be implemented in the future; interestingly, while many ideas were very unique, there was one that was predominant – having a foldable screen. Something that could fit in your pocket and expand to the size of a tablet. I, for one, am excited at what the future will bring and can’t wait to see it.■ DECEMBER

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REGIONAL NEWS

RECOGNITION “As far as I’m concerned, Kosovo should have already been recognised. Now our colleagues will be angry, and our attempts to make it happen have only created problems inside B-H, without helping Kosovo” — BAKIR IZETBEGOVIĆ, Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency member

CROATIA

HUNGARY

Nestlé Expands Pet Food Plant In Bük

Property Prices On The Rise Property prices in Dubrovnik are still the most expensive in Croatia according to latest figures. The average price per squaremeterofanapartmentorhouseinDubrovnikis€3,757.

Whilst the capital Zagreb is at €1,736 and Split at €2,430.

Property prices in Croatia in general have risen. In October house prices throughout Croatia rose by 5 percent compared to October 2016 with the most sought after properties in Split and Zagreb. After Dubrovnik the most expensive properties are in Opatija were prices average out at €2,955.

There is a huge difference between the prices on the Adriatic coast compare to continental part of Croatia. The average price in Slavonia is still well under €1,000 per sq/m, only Zagreb and Varaždin have average prices over €1,000.

One of the cheapest cities in Croatia for real estate is Sisak were prices in October averaged only €707 per sq/m.

MONTENEGRO

Cowi To Advise On Highways Projects Consulting engineer Cowi has been appointed bridge and tunnel advisor for the Smokovac-Uvac-Matesevo section of Montenegro’s Bar-Boljare highway project. Cowi will advise contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation on the 41km mountainous route which will be 60% bridges and tunnels, including 16 twin tunnel sections, mainly through flysch bedrock. It will offer advanced geological forecasting of rock mass conditions and interpretation of instrumentation and monitoring and the design of the primary tunnel lining support.

The Bar-Boljare highway, which is expected to open in May 2019, will run north to south from the main sea port to the Serbian border and play a “key role” in Montenegro’s tourism industry and economic development, Cowi said. Advice will be provided by engineers from Cowi’s Bridges International division based in Copenhagen and geotechnical centre of excellence in Glasgow.

The construction contracts for the southern and northern sections of the Bar-Boljare highway have not yet been awarded.

Swiss-owned Nestlé Hungária inaugurated a HUF 20 billion (€64.2 million) expansion at its pet food plant in Bük, western Hungary. About 90% of the plant’s output will be exported.

The 5,000 square-metre plant demonstrates Nestlé’s commitment to Hungary, said Minister for National Economy Mihály Varga, speaking at the opening ceremony.

Thiswillbethelargestfoodprocessingindustry investment in Nestlé’s history in Hungary, with the aim of further increasing its exports and turning the plant into its most significant pet food production centre in Europe.

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Koteks Opened New Plant In Zavidovici

ROMANIA

Romgaz Ups Net Profit By 66% Romanian state-owned gas producer Romgaz recorded a net profit of RON 1.18 billion (€253.8 million) in the first nine months of this year, up 66% over the same period last year. The company’s gas production increased by 23.6% to 3.75 billion cubic metres, according to a report submitted by the company to the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB). Its turnover thus reached €697 million between January and September, up 35% year-on-year. Gas consumption rose by 12% in Romania in the first nine months of this year, after a decrease of 4.6% in 2015 and moderate growth of 1.9% last year. Romgaz managed to increase its deliveries by 34.6% between January and September compared to the same period last year, thanks to rising national gas consumption. The company’s share in Romania’s gas delivery market reached 48.1% in the first nine months of this year, compared to a 40% share in the first nine months of 2016.

Company Koteks from Tesanj has opened a branch office in Zavidovici, in the former plant of “Stolicar” that operated within Krivaja.

BULGARIA

Emigrants – The Largest Investors According to a Eurostat study Bulgarians working abroad are contributing with more money in the country than foreign Investments.

They have transfered a total of €869 million in Bulgaria in 2016, and according to this indicator, Bulgaria ranks 4th in the EU. The amount of €869 million is much more than foreign direct investment in Bulgaria.

According to BNB data, foreign investment in 2016 was about €660 million.

Poland’s emigrants, who have imported €2.822 billion in the country, are at the top of the list. Following are Portuguese with €2.809 billion and Romanian €2.236 billion. Last year, personal money transfers from the EU to third countries amounted to €30.3 billion. And €9.9 billion were transferred from third countries to the EU. The majority of these money transfers are from emigrants to their home countries.

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This plant will be used for manufacturing of textile for the automotive industry and furniture industry, it occupies almost 2,500 square meters, and it is equipped with modern machines.

In the first phase Koteks hired around 50 employees, and at least 50 new workplaces will be available by the end of the year.

Their final plan is, according to Haris Sejdic from Koteks Tesanj, to fill the capacity of 250 workplaces. The whole production will be exported to European market.

14TH- 17TH DECEMBER, BELGRADE FAIR

Serbian Science Festival: Science & You - One on One

F

Are you more into space travel or diving deep under the ocean? Or do you prefer exploring your own body, with all its possibilities and faults? Ready, set, go! This year, science is on the move!

or the eleventh time, December in Belgrade will be in the brightest colours of science, thanks to the Science Festival – the region’s biggest event promoting science and education! From 14th to 17th December, in the four halls of the Belgrade Fair, visitors will be able to get up close and personal with some of the most exciting scientific experiments, adventures and challenges - one on one!

Introducing scientific stages, experimenting not only with science, but also with scientists and the ways in which science can be brought closer to the public, the Serbian Science Festival has opened the doors of the most prominent city institutions and spaces, proving that science can be found beyond laboratories, in places like urban parks, restaurants, squares and streets. Guests from the U.S., France, Poland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Austria and Israel will come together with Serbian scientists and scholars to show you how science can be exciting, playful and revolutionary! Whatever your interests, you’ll find your own scoop of joy at this year’s Science Festival! ▪ DECEMBER

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CORPORATE

RADOVAN LALIN, LAWYER

To Be Independent Is Most Important The legal profession is a domain that must be beyond all pressures and influences profession is constantly confronted by cases of misconduct. Why is that so?

- It is important for the legal profession to preserve its independence. Only an independent, free and professional legal sector is a guarantee of the protection and realisation of basic human rights and freedoms of the citizens of a state.

The legal sector will resolve all the problems that it has “internally” by itself.

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epresenting successful domestic companies and individuals abroad, as well as foreign companies in Serbia, forms the backbone of the work of Novi Sad-based Lalin & Partners Law Office. This law firm deals exclusively with items with an international element, making it specific and recognisable in Serbia. International business structuring, International tax planning, Family office, Successful succession, Residence and Citizenship planning, IT and IP international protection and development – there are only a selection of the specialised services offered to clients by this firm.

■ Lawyers have been in the focus of the domestic public in recent years, primarily due to the internal problems confronting the profession, but also in the context of relations with institutions. In terms of the problem, it is not exclusive to this profession, but it is interesting that such a respectable and successful 38 |

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■ As a specialist in the field of international business relations, how would you assess the environment for doing business in Serbia and which obstacles are confronted by foreign investors when they choose Serbia as an investment destination?

- When it comes to the environment for doing business in our country, alongside all the problems that arise, I must

note that the atmosphere in our country doesn’t differ markedly from other countries in the region. Of course, there is always room for improvement, such as, for example, more diligent work of the state authorities at the local level.

Likewise, a large number of regulations are not harmonised mutually or with EU regulations – such as, for example, when it comes to payments to domestic companies via the PayPal system. Serbia still needs to be actively engaged in the process of harmonising the entire body of its regulations with the EU acquis.

■ Your field of expertise is international law and foreign investment. To what extent have we managed to find the right way to attract investors and how is that done by other countries?

- All countries give their all to attract as many foreign investments as posIn 1987 he specialised in sible, in accordance with their own international public law, then needs. We have room for serious progress in this field. Many Euroin 1990 studied international pean countries, for example, attract private law at The Hague individuals and families, Academy of International Law. wealthy particularly from Asia, Russia and He studied further in London China, who are already successful businesspeople in their own coun(UK), Limassol (Cyprus), tries and who have vast knowledge New York (U.S.) and and experience, but who have to Nassau (Bahamas). In 2002 expand their businesses and seek he received the title of ‘Expert new countries from which to operate and where they will live better. With in International Tax Law special types of investments, they Cross-border Transactions’ most often gain the status of “nonin Switzerland domicile residence”. After that they

receive exceptional tax breaks and soon gain permanent residence, and then citizenship. In this way, these countries achieve large capital inflows that are measured in the billions of euros and gained qualified and capable businesspeople. This way of attracting foreign investors is practised by a large number of EU countries and the U.S. We attract investments by giving foreign investors 10,000 euros for every new job created, and as far as I know that’s a unique practise in the world. On the other hand, such investment incentives result in the creation of a large number of jobs, which is certainly positive.

In future we need to expand and modernise our range of investment incentives, which would certainly yield good results. An example of this are the incentives offered in the film industry, which is slowly growing in Serbia and already yielding positive results.

■ You are also known for having once fought as a lawyer to protect the EXIT FESTIVAL from excessive charges for the use of phonograms. According to your judgement, to what extent has the problem of protecting intellectual property rights been systematically resolved?

- We fought not only to protect against excessively high charges for the use of phonograms, but also for fair payments for the use of copyrights according to SOKOJ (the Serbian Music Authors

developed countries when it comes to the music business. SOKOJ used to charge 10 per cent of all organiser’s revenues for the use of copyrighted works, while today 1.5% is paid for the same. And OFPS (the Organisation of Phonogram Producers of Serbia) now seeks a realistic percentage in relation to previously applicable tariffs.

Generally speaking, when it comes to the protection of intellectual property rights I think Serbia has achieved a certain, relatively high level, but on the road to EU accession that level must be implemented consistently in practise. Intellectual property must, finally, be valued and its use must be paid for appropriately.

■ It is not as well known that you also compose music and have even released an album. Is music a hobby or an alternative profession?

- I compose music for film and that’s my great love.

I have so far released one solo album, which sold out and I don’t have any copies left, so because of that I should perhaps record a new one.

I sell my music abroad more, and I collaborate with famous musicians who have performed with groups like Stelly Dan, the Doobie Brothers and Mungo Jerry.

■ Yours is the only law office in Serbia that is a member of MERITAS, the global association of independent legal and law offices. What is the effect of The recently current “Paradise membership in MERITAS? Papers”, after the “Panama - Meritas is the leading global alliPapers”, are in my opinion ance of independent law firms, which sensationalist journalism provides legal and business representation in 89 countries worldwide aimed at revealing “exotic” through joint work, with 7,614 lawyers information publicly, and that’s from 182 law firms. You can become ■ It is also known that you deal information that is almost a member exclusively by invitation, with humanitarian work, which is worthless in the legal sense. following extensive checks on the not the norm for a law office. quality of your work. There is no - I wouldn’t quite say that it is Of course, you don’t need to permanent membership in MERITAS – unusual for law firms to deal with absolve the culprits – those the process of membership recertifihumanitarian work. As far as I who are really proven to have cation is carried out every other year, know, many law offices help their evaded tax. But no one can be local communities in various ways. in order to continuously maintain and improve the level and quality of legal placed on the “pillar of shame” In particular, the LALIN & PARTNERS Law Office helps children and advocate services provided to if they comply with laws and and victims of domestic violence, clients. LALIN & PARTNERS has been other legal regulations in and provides free legal assistance a member of MERITAS for 21 years altheir operations ready. It is a great honour and a great to those most in need. My friend responsibility to be in such company, Mungo Jerry will get involved in and a significant number of contacts and such a humanitarian event in Novi Sad Organisation). We succeeded in changing the conditions in both cases and recommendations of clients don’t enable in January and will perform a free concert for them. And, of course, I will play they are now far more acceptable and you to reax and allow the quality of your in his support band. ■ aligned with the practises of the most own professional work to fall.

DECEMBER

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WORLD NEWS

PROMISE

“We are ready to create all the conditions for foreign businessmen to feel comfortable on the Russian market. We will continue to improve the regulatory framework and compliance practises. We will remove excessive administrative hurdles, invest our resources in infrastructure development and the raining of specialists,”— VLADIMIR PUTIN, President of Russia

ITALY

10 THINGS

Centuries Old Italian Silk Mill Still Weaving Founded in Florence in the eighteenth century (1786), Antico Setificio Fiorentino is located in the heart of the San Frediano historical quarter. Today as in the past, it weaves made-to-measure fabrics on antique looms following Florentine tradition From a distance, the looms of the Antico Setifico Fiorentino silk-weaving mill sound like a steam train -- one that has been traveling for centuries. The patterns produced here go back to the golden years of the Renaissance, with one of the machines still in use today having been built

by Leonardo da Vinci himself.

According to Niccolo Ricci, CEO of Stefano Ricci, the company that now owns the mill, all but one of the women who work here today are from Florence. Their efforts, skills and understanding of these machines are what keep the art of silk-weaving alive, and produce some of the most sought-after fabrics on the planet.

YOUR EMPLOYEES WANT THIS CHRISTMAS

U.S.

Uber's Plans For Flying Taxis Commuters of the future could get some relief from congested roads if Uber’s plans for flying taxis work out.

The ride-hailing service unveiled last month an artist’s impression of the sleek, futuristic machine it hopes to start using for demonstration flights in 2020. The company aims to have its first paying passengers in various cities around the world by 2023, though the plan still faces major hurdles.

The battery-powered aircraft looks like a cross between a small plane and a helicopter, with fixed wings and rotors.

It was presented at an international technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

The vehicle is intended to soar over traffic congestion, sharply reducing city travel times. Uber hopes it will eventually become a form of mass transport and cost commuters less than using their own car, though initially it will be more expensive than that, Uber’s Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden said.

Uber is keen to move on from a troubled period in which its image has been damaged by investigations that found rampant sexual harassment of employees and multiple reports of drivers assaulting passengers.

FRANCE

Alstom TGV Trains To Merge With Siemens The maker of France’s iconic TGV trains announced in November a “merger of equals” with German industrial leader Siemens in a giant and politically tricky deal to create a new European rail champion. The group headquarters will be in the Paris area and 50 per cent of the shares in the new entity owned by Siemens, an Alstom statement said.

The Alstom-Siemens merger has been mooted for years and completes the transformation of the French group which sold off its energy business to American rival General Electric in 2015 for €9.5 billion The French state has shed its stake in the new entity, which has an order backlog of €61.2 billion and a combined revenue of €15.3 billion, according to information from the last annual financial statements of both groups.

The board of directors of the new group will consist of 11 members. Six of them will be designated by Siemens, including the chairman. However, Henri Poupart-Lafarge will continue to lead the company as CEO and will be a board member.

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Employees, who are working hard with their employers, have wishes they want to come true this Christmas. The following are 10 things that your employees want this Christmas.

1. CASH GIFT: Since cash is liquid and transferable, your employees can use it, not only for themselves, but also for their family… unlike a gift in kind.

2. THANK YOU: Employees want just a simple “thank you” as long as it is sincere and from the bottom of your heart.

3. APOLOGY: This Christmas, they are waiting for their boss to admit his or her mistakes, instead of passing the blame to them.

4. EMPOWERMENT: Employees want training to grow more personally and professionally.

5. PROMOTION: Promotion is a concrete form of recognition, recognizing an employee’s performance, achievements and potentials.

6. SALARY INCREASE: A promotion won’t be economically right if there is no favorable wage increase. Salary increase is also.

7. VACATION: Employees are eager to receive, not only cash gift, but also a gift of time or longer vacation leave that they can use to spend with their loved ones.

8. COMFORTABLE AND SECURE WORKPLACE: Who wants to work with a comfortable office chair or to work with a fast computer? Your employees of course.

9. RESPECT: Expect that your employees want respect from you, not only this Christmas, but all year round.

10. THE THING YOU THINK YOUR EMPLOYEES WANT:You can trust your instinct or you can personally observe and understand your workers. Here, you can add your own thing.

CORPORATE STOJAN RANGELOV, DIRECTOR, PUTEVI D.O.O. (LTD.), IVANJICA

License For Security Putevi d.o.o. (Ltd.) Ivanjica is a company that has been operating successfully and overcoming challenges for 55 years

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there is a gap between the profession and investors. I think a good solution would be to form a council composed of top experts from this field, designers, the faculty for construction, contractors, engineers, and of course state representatives which would provide guidance on the needs, dynamics and methodology for carrying out works or projects. Nevertheless, the most important thing is that Serbia is building more rapidly.

ocated in the town of Ivanjica in southwest Serbia, it deals with the maintenance of state roads, the construction and reconstruction of roads and streets and the construction of smaller structures. It has a complete production process, from the production of stone and stone aggregates at its two quarries, to the production and installation of asphalt, concrete and concrete prefabricates. As of the past five years, it has been the exclusive partner of Deltabloc International, from Sollenau, Austria, for the territory of Serbia, and manufactures and installs under license concrete safety barriers and anti-noise road barriers. The company has been led for over 25 years by c.e. Stojan Rangelov.

Our combined systems, safety barriers and anti-noise barriers are unique in the world and bring significant savings

■ Mr Rangelov, as a professional who is at the head of a company focused on road construction, how would you explain the fact that Serbia has been unable to resolve the issues of its own infrastructure for decades?

- Resolving this issue has for years been hounded by a series of objective and sometimes subjective circumstances.

Primarily, the country in crisis, lacking its own financial resources, previously also sources of credit, objectively couldn’t solve many infrastructure issues. Really a lot is being done on that today, but in some places the impression remains that

- Our partner, Deltabloc International, part of the Austrian-based “MABA” and “Kirchdorfer” groups, operates on almost all continents and in more 55 countries worldwide. Almost all over the world, including in our country, European Traffic Safety Standards (SRPS EN 1317) are becoming the norm. In Europe, the standards are being upgraded every day, it is requested higher standards for the safety both the vehicles and the passengers. In Serbia we have the Rulebook with mandatory application, but obligation is determined by the will of the participants. What we, as “Putevi” Ivanjica,

■ You are the only company in the country licensed to produce security and noise barriers. In your opinion, is setting noise and safety barriers becoming a standard practise in Serbia?

can say is that we have contributed to education and, with the local production and installation of over five kilometres of security barriers, traffic safety. We are particularly proud of the part of the Zrenjanin Road where there hasn’t been a human casualty since the moment we installed the system, while the number of serious accidents has also fallen drastically. We have prepared solutions for the “Northern tangent” and for the highway through Belgrade and also have unique bridge systems that do not transfer energy impacts to the bridge structure and which provide the highest prescribed level of protection.

■ Are you satisfied with the status of domestic companies in your field, given that the jobs you deal with are on the up throughout the country?

- We realise that our roadworks companies are in crisis; we are among only five or six that are liquid and have overcome difficult times, but I think that by associating, through joint ventures, we can successfully and professionally perform the jobs entrusted to us. It was precisely this shortage of work from public enterprise “Putevi Srbije” and the state that compelled us to turn to private investors, prefabrication and municipalities. I understand that the competent Ministry is taking steps to engage domestic companies, especially on the rehabilitation of state roads, where we are subcontractors, and think that they will be very satisfied with the choice they made. ■ DECEMBER

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By

INTERVIEW

SONJA ĆIRIĆ

Silk Scarves

AND IRON VIKTOR KISS

SCULPTOR

“Believe it: Serbia is a great place for many branches of the arts. Services, transport and labour are much more reasonably priced than in other countries.

There are tradesmen on every corner, and this would also be an opportunity for them to earn more money than they do on regular jobs. These are also advantages that Serbia should promote, in order for art to slowly become a branch that brings money, but also improves image”

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he structure of a wooden house that served as the exhibilarge-dimension sculptures, about Ciglana and the DEV9T Festival that tion space for the ‘Four countries, one language’ project at he founded there, about his collaboration with the group The Prodigy this year’s International Book Fair in Belgrade, which was and his participation in Nevada’s Burning Man Festival. used by Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to present literary works in German, is set to become the ■ You are a sculptor, while you graduated from the Belgrade gallery space for Ciglana - a Belgrade art quarter Faculty of Applied Arts’ Department of located between Karaburma and Višnjićka Banja.

Ceramics. These two areas have almost I claim that you can slip This very popular place was first ‘discovered’ nothing in common. What attracted you a silk scarf through my less than five years ago by Viktor Kiss (born to sculpture, in your case; was it the lure sculptures without 1973), a sculptor and a very special and attracof making large sculptures from iron? tive figure in the city, simply because he has the - Ceramics was the first material I was introduced it getting snagged. courage and audacity to live and think in a way to, because my father worked at the Technical Although they are that suits him, and because he has converted College in Aranđelovac and brought clay home made of iron, every one this abandoned urban area into an artistic for me. It is therefore understandable that I first of my sculptures zone with workshops and studios, making it got interested in pottery/ceramics. However, a favourite destination for everyone who loves during the time of studying a young man is is gentle visually modern art and socialising. full of new ideas and wishes; it’s then that he and to the touch Here we speak with Viktor Kiss about his gets interested in technologies that were not 42 |

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previously available to him, and that’s how I was attracted to sculpture and iron. Clay is a material that requires many processes to be turned into a work of art: first you wait for it to dry, then you process it, then you bake it twice… It can happen that it breaks when you bake it... I’m impatient by nature and so much waiting for the realisation of what I’ve imagined didn’t suit me. With iron you don’t have those problems - however you shape it, it stays in that position.

■ Meaning you are self-taught; that you uncovered the secrets of sculpture by yourself?

- I started dealing with welding during the course of my studies, for about ten years I made fences, terraces and gates for the buildings of Belgrade. That’s like a kind of jewellery for buildings. I had a family and had to support it. It was strenuous being at the university in the mornings and the workshop in the afternoon. Nevertheless, that’s how I learned my craft. I learned to feel how iron behaves, I mastered the statics, meaning everything it’s necessary to know in order to make an iron sculpture. Then I also started experimenting with the material, combining ceramics and iron, making unique bathroom reliefs instead of tiles. As I told you, that wasn’t easy for me and I could barely wait to start working on sculptures. I had great support from my wife and family, and I succeeded.

■ It’s difficult to describe your sculptures: although they are monumental and made of iron, they appear gently and alive.

How do you make them?

- I don’t sketch them – I skip that stage. Thanks to my experience in the construction industry, I know what possible problems and statics and everything else I can expect. I don’t see any reason why I would sketch them when I see everything clearly in my mind. I claim that you can slip a silk scarf through my sculptures without it getting snagged. Although they are made of iron, every one of my sculptures is gentle visually and to the touch.

■ That’s perhaps why they didn’t appear awkward or out of place when you exhibited them in Knez Mihailova Street’s ‘Progres’ Gallery – an environment accustomed to classic works and certainly smaller dimensions. That was the 2013 exhibition “Elements”. How come you exhibited at ‘Progres’?

- They invited me. I wasn’t interested in exhibitions; I didn’t want to exhibit my works at all, in any gallery, because I didn’t like the behaviour of gallery folk towards the artist. In order for an artist to set up an exhibition, they have to organise everything themselves, from cleaners to newspaper advertising and marketing. Gallery folk believe that their engagement ends with them having an exhibition space. I think they are wrong, which is why I didn’t want to exhibit. However, when they called me from ‘Progress’, I didn’t want to refuse. It was a great challenge for me to place my large sculptures in the middle of Knez Mihailova Street.

And, voila, it turned out that they fit in well and proved agreeable.

■ It was also around that time, in 2013, that your engagement began with Ciglana. How did you discover this place?

- I was working in the attic of a locksmith’s workshop, in a low-ceilinged and cramped space. I had to make sculptures in parts, to bring each part down into a larger space, and to then assemble the sculpture. That’s why I started looking for a new space; a space with dimensions that correspond to the dimensions of my sculptures. I came upon Ciglana.

The “Trudbenik” factory used to produce bricks there, but the source of DECEMBER

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- And I’m very pleased about that. Ciglana has connected me with people with whom I am bound by a wonderful friendship. I will mention Italian Ambassador to Serbia, Mr Giuseppe Manco, and Austrian Ambassador to Serbia, Mr Johannes Eigner. Both of whom, unfortunately, will soon leave to take on new posts. They provided Ciglana with exceptional assistance, bringing artists to the DEV9T Festival. If you wonder why they came here specifically, I have the impression that it’s because I worked with them more than, for example, some of our institutions. I also established cooperation with German Ambassador Axel Dittmann and Goethe-Institut Belgrade, headed by Mr Baumann. I’m not mentioning their names to elevate the reputation of Ciglana; they behave like ordinary people, like you and I, but they think about how their countries can help our culture and our artists, and that’s a rare shale dried up and the factory didn’t have anything to use to make bricks. treasure. It was their initiative for Ciglana to get the wooden house, the I rented one of the workshops and made another space into a bistro. My structure housing their stand, after the Book Fair. We will create a gallery in that space, which will significantly idea was to use coffee sales to pay the rent improve the life of Ciglana. for the workshop. And so it began.

Of course, folklore and

tradition are things that needs

■ This is also an opportunity to men■ You soon received company... to be noted about us, but on tion local organisations that helped - Yes, artists soon started coming to Ciglana, the economic front we would this abandoned factory area to beand the abandoned spaces of the factory became artistic units. Artists are individugain a lot more if we revealed to come Ciglana. als, loners, but it is as though Ciglana has the world that we are a country - Yes, the Municipality of Palilula, on whose brought them together. As such, it has territory Ciglana is located. They installed with capable and skilled people street lighting throughout the area, which helped them, but also itself, because it is who know how to implement now considered an artistic place, a special was really a huge advance for Ciglana. place in the city. I don’t understand why their artistic works.

■ You could think yourself fortunate there aren’t more such places in Belgrade. in life, because you succeed in accomplishing what you intend It’s not hard to convert an abandoned industrial space into something – here I mean the fact that you are now making sculptures attractive, which is used for culture and, therefore, for the whole of society.

Believe it: Serbia is a great place for many branches of the arts. Services, transport and labour are much more reasonably priced than in other countries. There are tradesmen on every corner, and this would also be an opportunity for them to earn more money than they do on regular jobs.

These are also advantages that Serbia should promote, in order for art to slowly become a branch that brings money, but also improves image.

I don’t understand why Serbia doesn’t use what it has. I don’t understand why it doesn’t present itself as an idyllic place for producing works of art. Imagine how good it would be for artists from all over the world to shine in Serbia! They have everything they need here, cheaper than in their countries. This is not known. Foreigners think all we have in Serbia is folklore! Of course, folklore and tradition are things that needs to be noted about us, but on the economic front we would gain a lot more if we revealed to the world that we are a country with capable and skilled people who know how to implement their artistic works.

■ For now, foreign residents of Belgrade know about your Ciglana and are frequent guests at gigs in the extremely attractive club.

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nor do we organise transportation.

But still people came, and in numbers that aren’t small for alternative art. This autumn we’ve launched another festival, ‘Spajalica’ (Connector). A special characteristic is that the programmes overlap: the beginning of one programme overlaps with the end of the previous, in order to connect their audiences and artists.

instead of ceramics, as you wished, and that you have a working space that’s bigger than you imagined, and we don’t even need to mention the encounter with The Prodigy. Well, I know everyone asks you about that, but please tell CorD readers how you met the members of that famous group.

- By accident. Prodigy was in Novi Sad, at Exit’s Warrior Dance Festival, for which I created sculptures. I decided to enrich their backstage with sculptures too. They liked how I’d done that, so they sought me out. I remember that I was working on a sculpture for some sponsor when they appeared and said, “come for a talk when you have the time.” Probably during our first conversation I acted more like a star than them! It was an unexpected experience: you realise it’s possible to remain true to what you are despite being mega popular. They bought a sculpture from me and I took it to London.

There they took me to a studio where, apart from them, many stars record, including Madonna, and introduced me to British artists...

It was unforgettable.

■ Why are you doing all this?

Wouldn’t it be easier for you to behave like all other artists?

- From birth, you are subordinate to society and its system. The system dictates how you behave in society, how to please it. Nobody offers you the chance to think about yourself. That’s why within this system you have to find a system to think about yourself, because you are the tool that contributes to society. Otherwise you become a screw that has no individuality. This is the time when people are made into screws, and there are lots of clever people and it’s not fair that people become screws. It is necessary to liberate the need to create. ■

■ And “Burning Man” in Nevada? It’s rare for our artists to appear at that festival. You were there two years ago. What makes it special?

- It’s held in the Nevada Desert and it really is special. Many artists bring their sculptures and stick them in the sand. Of course, I did so myself. I made a giant iron man throwing his head into the sand. Burning Man is the biggest show of festival art. In my opinion, art shouldn’t be separated, but... Works of high art are made during the course of this festival. It’s a shame that they are set on fire at the end of the festival, but – that’s the rule. They say: art is not important; people are important. That’s why they burn everything that’s made there. My sculpture was called Changes, because I experienced some changes there in Nevada.

■ In comparison, what does the DEV9T Festival you founded at Ciglana look like?

- DEV9T is a festival of all arts, not just fine arts. This summer it will be held for the fourth time. Last year we had 35,000 visitors in seven days, and I think that number says enough about DEV9T. Entrance is not free, DECEMBER

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COFFEE AROUND THE WORLD

Irreplaceable Taste Of THE BLACK

BEVERAGE

Worldwide we consume about 150 million bags, or almost 10 million tonnes, of coffee per year. Nations across South America, Africa and South East Asia produce it, but none of them are among the top consumers ESPRESSO ROMANO — Italy

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hile the earliest evidence of coffee drinking appeared in Yemen in the middle of the 15th century, the image of an Italian espresso is often what many associate with a classic cup of coffee. But actually neither of these nations appear in the top ten in terms of how much coffee each citizen consumes. A simple cup of filter drip coffee with milk and sugar is the norm in the U.S., although coffee is served in more ways than you can imagine all over the world. In Portugal, for example, people often drink Mazagran, an iced coffee beverage with lemon juice. Café de Olla, coffee simmered with a cinnamon stick, is a favourite in Mexico. People the world over follow a very similar ritual: wake up, grab a cup of coffee.Here’s a breakdown of how coffee is served around the world.

KAFFEOST — FINLAND Hot coffee is poured over chunks of juustoleipä (cheese curds) in Finland. While it may sound unappealing, Finnish people adore this unique combo.

TÜRK KAHVESI — TURKEY Finely ground coffee beans are simmered in a special copper or brass pot called a cezve. Turkish coffee is special in that it is prepared unfiltered, and so the grounds settle to the bottom. Yes, that means you drink it with sediment.

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YUANYANG — MALAYSIA This deliciously powerful drink, which can be served hot or cold, is three parts black coffee and seven parts Hong Kong-style milk tea, a mix of black tea and milk.

FLAT WHITE — AUSTRALIA Similar to a latte, though smaller in volume, this Aussie fave is made by pouring microfoam (steamed, velvety milk) over a shot of espresso.

FRAPPÉ — GREECE Invented by a Nescafé representative in 1957, the frappé is a popular summer beverage in Greece, consisting of iced instant coffee drowned in milk foam.

ESPRESSO ROMANO — ITALY A true Italian espresso comes with a slice of lemon, which is said to bring out the java’s sweeter flavours.

TÜRK KAHVESI — Turkey

CÀ PHÊ ĐÁ — VIETNAM Known to be both very sweet and very strong, this Vietnamese iced coffee is made with coarsely ground dark roast coffee, which is brewed straight into a cup of condensed milk and ice through a French drip filter.

CAFÉ DE OLLA — MEXICO Simmered with a cinnamon stick, traditional Mexican coffee uses piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) and is served in a clay mug, which locals believe brings out coffee’s flavours.

CAFÉ TOUBA — SENEGAL This drink is flavoured with Guinea pepper and occasionally cloves.

The spices are mixed in with the coffee beans and roasted, then ground and filtered for a coffee with a kick.

CORPORATE GTC COMPANY

Latest Trends And Affordable Prices

CAFEZINHO — BRAZIL While many consider the caipirinha Brazil’s national drink, cafezinho is by far the most popular drink for locals. Similar to an espresso, cafezinhos are small, strong cups of coffee. The only difference is that cafezinhos are pre-sweetened, generally brewed with the sugar.

The Ada Mall shopping centre, currently under construction near Ada Ciganlija, will bring innovation to the Serbian market

CAFE BOMBON — SPAIN For those who enjoy their coffee on the sweeter side, Spain’s cafe bombon is sure to please. Intensely thick and sugary, an equal amount of condensed milk is stirred into black coffee.

IRISH COFFEE — IRELAND This coffee-cocktail hybrid consists of hot coffee, Irish whiskey and sugar, and is topped with a thick cream.

WIENER MÉLANGE — AUSTRIA Similar to a cappuccino, this drink is espresso topped with steamed milk and milk foam, and often also some whipped cream and cocoa powder.

CAFÉ AU LAIT — FRANCE The French love to take their morning drink with equal parts steamed milk and freshly brewed coffee. The trick here is to serve it in a big cup — to make for easy croissant dipping.

SPICED COFFEE — MOROCCO This fragrant blend of dark coffee fuses together warm spices like cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

CAFÉ CUBANO — CUBA It may be small but it is strong — a café Cubano is espresso brewed with sugar.

PHARISÄER — GERMANY Pharisäer is a decadent drink that hails from Germany. It’s made with coffee, rum and sugar, and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

MAZAGRAN — PORTUGAL This refreshing coffee drink consists of espresso and lemon juice or lemon soda, providing a unique twist to your typical iced coffee. Mazagran originated in Algeria, but it was the Portuguese who started adding lemon flavouring instead of water to the icy coffee beverage.

QAHWA — SAUDI ARABIA Coffee in Saudi Arabia and other Arabic countries is made with a mix of spices including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, saffron and ginger. To offset the bitter taste of the strong coffee, qahwa is often served with dried dates. ■

A

da Mall will differ from other shopping centres not only in terms of its specific design, but also the fact that it is built according to green construction standards.

“Ada Mall recently received a prestigious reward at the international “European Property Awards” competition. This award was granted by an expert jury comprising experts from the world of design and innovation. We wanted to transfer a part of Ada Ciganlija to Ada Mall and this was made possible by London-based studio Design International, which derived the shape of the mall from the shape of the lake, which follows the configuration of the terrain and will have plenty of lush greenery. Ada Mall is designed according to LEED Gold/Platinum standards, which will be incorporated into the complex. We will also use the latest materials and equipment that comply with all domestic and international standards. Our visitors will recognise top quality, a unique ambience and an original design, besides a great offer,” noted GTC Company CEO Peđa Petronijević.

GTC Company is investing more than €100 million in the construction of Ada Mall.

With regard to the tenant mix, Petronijević explained that Ada Mall would bring some new brands to the Serbian market. “We are proud to announce that CineStar Cinema, a completely digitised cinema, equipped to the latest technological standards, will be part of our centre, appearing in Belgrade for the first time. We will also present other newcomers, like fashion brands Mohito and Forever 21, which will bring to Serbia the latest trends at affordable prices for the first time.

The Ada Mall shopping centre will also have the first mono brand Asics store in Belgrade, among other sport brands like Sport Vision, Planeta Sport, Nike, Buzz and Under Armour. We are in communication with many fashion retailers, including H&M, Reserved, Sinsay, Terranova, Calliope, LC Waikiki, Orsay, Tom Tailor, Fashion&Friends, Guess, Replay, Superdry, DM Drogerie and many more. Our main goal is to provide the best tenant mix that will satisfy all the needs of our future customers.” ■ DECEMBER

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Czech National Holiday The Embassy of the Czech Republic organised a reception to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the founding date of the independent Czechoslovakia.

Ambassador H.E. Ivana Hlavsová and her staff welcomed representatives of the Serbian Government, the diplomatic corps, the Czech national minority, culture, media, education and other friends of the Czech Embassy. The ceremony was also attended by Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Affairs Zoran Đorđević, Equality Commissioner Brankica Janković and Czech writers Petar Hůlová and Marek Toman, who participated in this year’s Belgrade Book Fair.

In her welcome address, Ambassador Hlavsová stressed the importance of this holiday, celebrating the act that formed the basis of modern Czech statehood.

She also recalled that this year is the 80th anniversary of the death of the first president of Czechoslovakia, T. G. Masaryk, and his affection towards the southern Slavs, especially Serbs.

H.E. IVANA HLAVSOVÁ 3/11/2017

30/10/2017

National Day Of Turkey Marked

Italian Armed Forces Day

Turkish Republic Day, the national day of Turkey, was marked by a celebration in Belgrade that was organised by Turkish Ambassador H.E. Tanju Bilgiç.

Turkey celebrates this holiday in remembrance of 29th October 1923, when then Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk formally proclaimed the country a republic.

The reception was attended, among others, by Serbian government ministers Ivica Dačić, Rasim Ljajić, Aleksandar Antić, Goran Trivan and Nebojša Stefanović, as well as representatives of the Serbian Army, the diplomatic corps, the Turkish community in Serbia, business partners, religious community leaders and personalities from the media, public and cultural life of Serbia.

The Embassy of Italy in Belgrade ceremoniously marked the 99th anniversary of the end of World War I, which Italy commemorates as the Day of National Unity and Armed Forces Day. This occasion saw Italian Ambassador H.E. Giuseppe Manzo and Italian military attaché Colonel Paolo Sfarra lay wreaths at the large altar of the Italian military cemetery, where 1,063 Italian soldiers who lost their lives during WWI were laid to rest.

As part of celebrations commemorating Italian Armed Forces Day, Ambassador Manzo and his wife hosted a reception at their ambassadorial residence that was attended by representatives of the Government of Serbia, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of Italian companies, religious communities and other distinguished figures.

TANJU BILGIÇ, Ambassador of Turkey

TANJU BILGIÇ, Ambassador of Turkey, and Minister NEBOJŠA STEFANOVIĆ

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H.E. GIUSEPPE MANZO with wife ALMA HADO MANZO and embassy staff

The Foreign Investors Council, FIC, has presented the White Book 2017 to top government officials and the stakeholder community. The White Book is the main product of the FIC, which it has used for 15 years to issue recommendations aimed at supporting economic growth and better living standards among Serbian citizens.

FIC President Yana Mikhailova noted that “in-between two White Books, the government achieved good macroeconomic results, but it is essential to instigate stronger economic growth”.

Also speaking at the launch, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić noted that “Macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline have been achieved, public ZORANA MIHAJLOVIĆ and ANA BRNABIĆ debt has been reduced, but we are aware that, despite the success, there is a long way to go with reforms”.

An active panel discussion that formed part of the event saw opinions exchanged between Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlović, and Labour, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Affairs Minister Zoran Đorđević, as well as FIC President and Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic Yana Mikhailova, FIC Vice President and Telenor CEO Ingeborg Øfsthus and FIC BoD member and IKEA YANA MIKHAILOVA, FIC Vice President Srbija Regional Property & Expansion and Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic Manager Vladislav Lalić.

08/11/2017

FIC Launches White Book 2017

Ambassador NIEGODZISZ with members of the Krakow ensemble

9/11/2017

National Independence Day Of Poland Commemorated The Embassy of Poland in Belgrade commemorated the National Independence Day of Poland with a number of culture events throughout November.

The first in the series of events, formally opened by the Ambassador H.E. Tomasz Niegodzisz, was the “Retrospective of the Films of Andrzej Wajda” at the Yugoslav Film Archives Cinematheque. This Polish film and theatre director, winner of Cannes’ Palm D’Or, the Golden Lion in Venice, the Golden Bear in Berlin and an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Oscar, was also among the founders of the Polish Film School.

Under the auspices of celebrations marking the National Day of Poland, the Embassy also hosted a concert of the “Capella Cracoviensis” vocal ensemble from Krakow. This concert at Kolarac Endowment Hall was attended by numerous lovers of music and representatives of the Serbian Government and members of the diplomatic corps.

H.E. TOMASZ NIEGODZISZ

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16/11/2017

Algerian National Day

The Embassy of Algeria in Belgrade celebrated the 63rd anniversary of the start of its national liberation war, which took place on 1st November 1954.

Speaking at the reception formally marking this anniversary, Ambassador H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub stressed that the two countries enjoy good bilateral relations and mutual support. He also thanked members of the Algerian Friendship Society for their efforts aimed at preserving and strengthening the friendship between the two nations.

The reception was attended by representatives of the Serbian Government, members of the diplomatic corps and figures from cultural and public life. The national anthems of Algeria and Serbia were performed by the H.E. ABDELHAMID CHEBCHOUB Barili Choir from Požarevac.

25/11/2017

8th BELhospice Ball Held

H.E. LEO D'AES with wife

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The eighth BELhospice charity ball, under the slogan “Let’s bond for the ones in need”, organised in partnership with hotel Hyatt Regency Belgrade, saw a total of €134,000 collected for help in the care of oncological patients in the advanced stages of the disease and for the construction of the first hospice in Serbia.

The charity ball, inspired by themes from films about the world’s most famous secret agent, James Bond, brought together more than 350 representatives of the diplomatic corps, the corporate sector and public figures, who donated funds by buying tickets and participating in auctions.

BELhospice Director Vera Madžgalj announced the completion of works on the reconstruction of the Hospice Day Centre in 2018, creating innovative services of the day centre and the acquiring of permits, adding that over 800 oncological patients were cared for during this year through 1,767 free home visits.

BELhospice is the only specialised charitable organisation in Serbia that has been providing palliative care completely free of charge to oncological patients and their families on the territory of Belgrade for the past 13 years.

CARTWRIGHT, SAINT-LOT AND BESEDIĆ

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SERBIA 2017/18

BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOCIETY!

INTERVIEW

Tax Breaks Would Encourage Donations For 15 years already, the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia, in public and among its members, has promoted the key principles and values of social responsibility, while the National Award for Corporate Social Responsibility was first established in 2007

DUŠAN STOKIĆ Director of the CCIS Centre for Environmental Protection, Standards and Technical Regulations

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xperience shows that the drivers of social responsibility in Serbia are often larger companies whose business policies and practises incorporate the basic principles of social responsibility. Still, the concept of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia’s (CCIS) National Award for Corporate Social Responsibility equally encourages small and large enterprises to give their contribution to society. Tax breaks would additionally encourage this kind of activity.

• What do you consider as the CCIS’s main accomplishments in the CSR field since this award was first presented?

- One of the key achievements is the fact that, from year to year, we have

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continuity of interest among companies wanting to register for the first time, but also those who have participated numerous times, as they still want to evaluate their operations and compare themselves with others from the aspect of social responsibility. In the six cycles of the Award over the past 10 years, a total of around 350 organisations have participated. These companies are the best emissaries of the principles of social responsibility, both among their partners and suppliers, and with the general public in the broadest sense.

• To what extent has unique the methodology introduced by the CCIS contributed to expanding the engagement of companies in the field of CSR? - It is very important to highlight the fact that the National Award is based on strict rules and procedures based on three basic principles: 1) equality of all participants, regardless of the size, ownership type and location of the organisation; 2) objectivity of the person verifying results

and uniformity of criteria, and 3) the secrecy and confidentiality of statistics and information. It is precisely by insisting on clear methodology, well-known criteria and the comprehensive evaluating of all key CSR issues that the CCIS has built trust and recognition through this award, such that new companies appear year after year, especially among micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, that increasingly understand the importance of their role in the community within which they operate.

• Your questionnaire covers the five basic pillars of CSR: employees, environment, market, property and community. Which areas are given the most importance by companies that apply for the CCIS Award?

- According to the methodology we apply for the National Award, equal value is given to the issues of health and safety of employees, equality and labour rights, and the balance between life and work, then the quality and safety of products, adequate pricing

policies, ethical advertising, the fight against corruption and bribery, followed by financial power, the diversity of management bodies and the availability and accessibility of statistics and information. However, it is also simultaneously important to consider the organisation’s attitude towards the rational consumption of natural resources and savings in energy, water and raw materials, eco-innovations, as well as the care of vulnerable groups like children, the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as support for the youngest, the most talented and the most in need.

We have so far had the most projects in the area of assistance to the local community, and that has been through support for education, scholarships for talented individuals, people with special needs, as well as in the field of environmental protection, through education and raising awareness, but also specific activities and campaigns for recycling, cleaning, gentrifying and regulating public spaces.

• The Council for Corporate Social Responsibility was established in 2016 as a consultative body comprising representatives of all stakeholders in the society. What are your expectations of this kind of composition of the Council?

-The CSR Council of the CCIS was established in July 2016, and its composition includes 16 companies and organisations that are recognised for their engagement and action in the field of socially responsible operations. The key tasks of the CSR Council are: promoting socially responsible ways of doing business in the economy, launching initiatives for improving tax policy and stimulating donations for the benefit of the public, in order to improve conditions for the development of corporate philanthropy and donation, then support to the presenting of awards in this domain - The National CSR Award, the CSR Index, VIRTUS, and the development and improvement of the area of social entrepreneurship. Specifically, the

CSR Council initiated a dialogue with the state on the introduction of incentives for general-useful purposes. Domestic legislation only envisages tax deductions for donations by companies that are calculated according to a company’s total annual gains. However, in practise, although the largest part of donations

It is extremely important for examples of good practise, equally as bad ones, to be exchanged and shared with others, in order for each organisation to find the optimal model of its CSR policy and practise is directed towards public institutions, companies have huge problems utilising this mechanism and accessing incentives.

• To what extent has the attitude of companies towards corporate social responsibility changed since 2007?

- This attitude evolves over time and companies adapt to new concepts, guidelines and standards. Considering that practises, experiences and ideas for new CSR projects are constantly exchanged, companies continually review their CSR policies and priorities.

• To what extent have companies managed to maintain their commitment to CSR during these times of general austerity and other market challenges?

- Social responsibility is a voluntary category, so from a narrow business perspective it is completely natural that, during times of austerity, everything that does not contribute directly to profits and successful operations is placed on the back burner. However, it is a mistake to think that only the financially strong can be socially responsible. Social responsibility is still often wrongly equated with philanthropy and corporate donations, which is a rather narrow observation. A voluntary action which employees participate in and which results in something useful and necessary for any target group in the local community can be a good example.

• Does a company’s size impact on its attitude towards social engagements and, if so, to what extent?

- The “large” should influence the “small” with its positive examples, influencing all its partners, suppliers and users by educating them on the importance of applying basic social responsibility principles. However, both "large" and "small", each in accordance with their own resources and capabilities, can implement important social responsibility projects, but the extent to which they are successful must be evaluated according to the level of importance of solving specific problems in the local community and contributing to the environment and quality of life, and not only according to the amount of funds invested.

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• What are the key global trends in CSR today?

- Among today’s organisations, both in Serbia and elsewhere, new business models are increasingly being implemented that have a common goal - SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. International Standard ISO 26000: 2010 - Guidelines on Corporate Responsibility - inspired the adoption of an entire array of new standards and guidelines on sustainability. Just some examples include the standard ISO 20400 - Sustainable Procurement, which encompasses the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Then there’s the latest standard, ISO 37001: 2016 - Anti-bribery management systems, which provides a chance for organisations to contribute proactively to the problem of bribery, both through application of the anti-bribery management system and through the dedication of management to establishing a culture of integrity, transparency, openness and coherence. A new concept that has emerged in recent years is the ‘circular economy’, which attracts the attention of both creators of strategies and sustainability policies at the international and national levels, as well as the institutions responsible for transposing the key principles of this concept into laws, technical regulations and standards.

The British Standards Institute this year published the BS 8001 standard, which helps organisations better manage resources by applying circular economy principles to achieve financial/economic benefits, social benefits and environmental benefits.

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• To what extent do domestic companies succeed in keeping pace with these trends?

- There are around 20 companies in Serbia today that report on their sustainable operations according to principles and standards that are internationally recognised. However, there is also an entire range of SMEs that follow and

Companies can also, with minimal investment, initiate projects and activities that have social responsibility at their essence learn from them. Moreover, there are dozens of good examples and success stories that apply some principles of the circular economy. Even start-ups are appearing that develop eco-innovations and solutions for "smart" cities.

• How much do domestic companies recognise the advantage of networking in international associations like the United Nations Global Compact?

- The UN Global Compact exists in 162 countries and has over 97,000 members. The Global Compact is a

framework for companies to comply in their activities with ten universal principles in the fields of human rights, labour, environmental protection and anti-corruption. The Global Compact has existed in Serbia since 2007 and has 115 members at the local level, 57 of which are companies. Viewed regionally, in terms of numbers of members, the Network in Serbia is one of the largest.

• What good CSR practises would you single out?

- I would not single out any specific example of good practise, although there have been many. But if we want to define a good CSR project, then I would say that is a project that has the full support of company management, involves employees, the use of a company’s own products and services, which is a priority for the target group for which it is intended, and which is simultaneously connected to the company’s core business. A good CSR project is the product of cooperation and discussion with the local community, allowing employees to show innovativeness and creativity, and involving several different partners in its realisation.

• What are the CCIS’s further plans when it comes to promoting CSR? - The CCIS will continue to promote principles and good practise of social responsibility, primarily among its members – companies, but also among the general public at the broadest level.

It does this, and will continue to do so, via the National Award for CSR, the activities of the CSR Council, the UN Global Compact Network, the organising of public gatherings, seminars and debates, as well as through active participation in creating a better business environment and applying contemporary business concepts and models that promote sustainable development and social responsibility. ▪

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CORPORATE IVANA TODOROVIĆ, HEAD OF EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, SOCIETE GENERALE SRBIJA

Support To Entrepreneurship And Innovations Societe Generale Srbija marks a significant jubilee this year – 40 years of doing business in Serbia. During the previous decades, besides the development of its own operations, the bank has been dedicated and contributed to the community in which it operates.

Speaking about the key values in terms of corporate social responsibility that are led by this bank, which is one of the leaders on the domestic financial market, is Ivana Todorović, head of external communications at Societe Generale Srbija

R

esponsibility, dedication, innovation and team spirit are the values with which we manage every aspect of our business. They are embedded in our business policy regarding employees, clients and the environment, and through the granting of added value to the local community. Our corporate social responsibility strategy rests on four pillars of support to the local community. These are support to entrepreneurship, innovations, culture and vulnerable sectors of the population.

• How significant is the role of the corporate sector when it comes to developing CSR and do you see some new trends in this area?

- The development of a society is not possible without close cooperation between all stakeholders, and the role of the corporate sector is very significant, but not only due to its financial support, because socially responsible initiatives also offer added value to the local community that they target. Concepts like mentoring, training, competition, promotions among the general public and networking and expanding networks of partners will become ever more important.

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Another trend is certainly networking among partners from different sectors. Just as different industries come together in business, so social responsibility concepts will develop in this direction. I consider by networking we can provide a bigger contribution to society and create a greater influence.

When it comes to trends, the results of the last Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Questionnaire, conducted by the Forum for Responsible Business, are encouraging and show that in the five years that this survey has been conducted investments in CSR activities have increased 2.5-fold, while significant growth has also been recorded in the number of volunteer hours, projects dedicated to corporate volunteering and resources invested in environmental protection and employee development.

This shows that the corporate sector is advancing markedly when it comes to socially responsible practises.

We are very proud that Societe Generale Srbija has been included since 2016 on the list of the Responsible Business Index – the first national platform for assessing corporate social responsibility, which enables objective comparisons of the effects and impacts companies have on society through their operations.

• In the last two years you have been turned towards stimulating entrepreneurship. Technological entrepreneurship in particular has been in your focus, especially start-ups that require support the most at the start of their development.

What have your results in this field been like to date?

- We wanted to provide our contribution to empowering technological entrepreneurship in Serbia and we supported ICT Hub, the centre for technological entrepreneurship and innovation. We are pleased that our cooperation has exceeded the scope of purely financial support and that we have created a long-term partnership with benefits for all parties involved, because we recognised that there are various ways in which we can cooperate.

As a corporation, we started developing a start-up mindset - the way and methodology that start-ups use in their work, as well as their completely different stance and view of business.

The start-up environment encourages us to launch into a project courageously, to be flexible and agile, so the bank's employees – through various activities, using knowhow, tools, methodologies and the energy of technological start-ups – are encouraged to innovate. The result was that we recognised new market segments, created new products and improved our services and processes.

We have organised various events together, such as two fintech hackathons and the Open Innovation Challenge, which rewarded teams with the best ideas applicable in the development of the future of banking.

Moreover, cooperation opened the door for the bank to new partners from the start-up ecosystem, which are developing innovative products and services for users in an increasingly developed digital environment.

Start-ups have also taught us that there is no innovation without abandoning one's comfort zone and accepting failure as an integral part of advancing in business. We decided to work together to change awareness of this important topic, in order for us to help present and future entrepreneurs to commit and to gain additional courage and energy in their endeavours.

• You launched the Generator – a platform intended to support innovative entrepreneurship.

How did this project originate?

- In the year when we are celebrating 40 years of doing business in Serbia, we wanted to celebrate this jubilee

by looking to the future, creating a system of support for innovations that can grow and develop in the years ahead.

On the other hand, a need arose for us to strategically unify everything we've done in the field of innovation during the last couple of

SCENE FROM THE FIRST HACKATHON

The Generator platform, which we launched through a competition to select 40 entrepreneurial innovations that are innovative, viable and sustainable, attracted applications from 780 projects, which we consider a great success and yet more proof that the entrepreneurial spirit certainly exists years. Thus we devised the Generator platform, which we launched through a competition to select 40 entrepreneurial innovations that are innovative, viable and sustainable. The competition was supported by our partners Vip mobile, Maxi, KupujemProdajem and ICT Hub. Some 780 projects submitted applications for the competition, which we consider a great success and yet more proof that the entrepreneurial spirit certainly exists. That's why we believe the valuable prizes in this competition for the best innovation according to the opinion of an expert jury, the public

OPEN INNOVATION CHALLENGE

award and partner award, as well as networking among innovators and promoting their projects in public, will provide a strong “tailwind” for all 40 of the selected innovations.

• What are your plans and what will be in your focus during 2018 when it comes to CSR? Are you preparing new initiatives?

- We see the Generator as a long-term platform that will exist in the future as a place where initiatives and events contributing to the development of innovation and entrepreneurship will be promoted. The slogan “Priključi se” [get involved] is an invitation for all those who want to delve into entrepreneurial waters or expand their existing business to follow our activities, whether they want to connect with us or some of our partners, to be participants in some of our events, such as hackathons and other gatherings focused on innovation, or to be part of events and conferences that promote digital operations and entrepreneurship.

We want to thereby provide our support to empowering different ecosystems and to encourage the development of innovation and entrepreneurship. ▪ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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CORPORATE MILOŠ PAVLOVIĆ, DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF DRAMATIC ARTS, BELGRADE UNIVERSITY

The Mona Lisa Was Also Made To Order “Airport City gave us complete freedom in creating a corporate film that students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts will film for this company,” says Miloš Pavlović, Dean of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, speaking to CorD

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hat is the correlation between business and the freedom of artistic expression? This question, unless you are a benefactor, actually remains without an answer, i.e. it sounds nonsensical in itself, if not placed in a particular context. Even though benefactors, as we know of them from the history of art, have long since been consigned to legend, they can even appear during this time of algorithms, corporations and profits incidents, and are “threatening” to become a rule, at least in one case. Specifically, one casual conversation between Miloš Pavlović, Dean of the Belgrade Faculty of Dramatic Arts, and Marina Deleon, communications advisor for Airport City Belgrade, grew into a serious cooperation project between this prestigious 70-year-old arts faculty and a company that is the pioneer of the “City within the City” business concept in Serbia.

“Airport City needed a corporate film, and Marina and I came up with the idea to – instead of paying an expensive agency that would record the film “by the book” – leave this job to students of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts,” says Pavlović speaking to CorD. - We generally provide schooling for directors, producers, editors, cameramen and actors in both bachelor and master studies. We have

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the Copywriting subject in bachelor studies and teach them to create campaigns. Without any dilemma, the Faculty of Dramatic Arts has the intellectual, creative and artistic potential to satisfy the criteria of a project of this kind.

Our capabilities and Airport City’s needs came together. As far as I know, this is the first time that a company has given full creative freedom to students to express themselves artistically.

• When you say that they give you freedom, what do you mean specifically – considering that it’s difficult to reconcile the corporate and artistic ways of thinking?

- You’re mistaken, and I’ll explain why. I sent the first emails to students of master’s studies on media and advertising and the interest was huge. Then we arranged a visit to Airport City, where its CEO Adir El

Marina Deleon, ACB Communications Advisor:

“The most important instruction to the Faculty of Dramatic Arts team was to freely express the visual code of their generation. We believe in their creativity and I know we’ll all be proud in the end. The shared act of giving is also important for the ACB team”

Al led us through the whole project , telling us about how he sees the development of the company, its mission and vision, and then finally telling us “Now it’s open, it’s up to you”. He gave us the complete freedom to create the film in the way we think best.

I have a lot of experience in advertising, both in the country and abroad, and I have to say that it’s rare to come across such an approach. They usually ask you to work within some strict frameworks “by the book”, as it is imagined by management and corporate bureaucracy. But this is something completely different.

• And why would a young artist studying at your college be inspired by the tasking of making a corporate film?

- And to answer with rhetorical questions - was it inspiring for Leonardo da Vinci to paint the Mona Lisa as an ordered portrait or for Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to order? John Ford made all his films according to ordered scenarios. We are professionals and we move within frameworks that are given to us, and here we don’t even have them. I’ll use a metaphor. If the frame within which you are doing something, recording a corporate film for example, are coasts, then the filmmakers represent a powerful river flowing between those coasts.

of Education and the Government of Serbia, especially the Prime Minister, as her agenda includes innovation, technological development and digitisation.

• Would the possible centre at your faculty also be the largest production and postproduction centre in Serbia?

- I will give you the example of New Zealand, which became a powerful post-production force that earns huge money after the shooting of the Lord of the Rings franchise, precisely in postproduction. They hadn’t previously dealt with this business at all, but now their state and economy benefit greatly from that. We already have certain capacities at the Faculty – laboratories for sound, digital arts and theatrical and performing arts. Thanks to professor Ivana Vujić, • How will this project unfold in particular?

- We did an internal competition that created interest among students of directing and production, and even dramatists, alongside students who deal with advertising, media and marketing. So, it is necessary to develop ideas for the film and for the bearers of those ideas to gather together the teams they need to bring the film to a conclusion. We encourage with points for teams formed by students from various departments and subjects within the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. They also received a budgeting framework, so students are now in a position to create the project from start to finish, at both artistic and budgetary levels. We will select the best work by the end of December, while filming and the beginning of the project depend on the ideas themselves, but also on weather conditions. I would add that I have already seen some concepts and there are very creative but also unexpected works.

The most difficult part of the job will be selecting a winner.

• How unusual is it for a profitable company that has no reason to be interested in art, or to have any expectations from art, to cooperate with an art college in this way?

- It didn’t used to be unusual long ago.

But what we are currently trying to do at

the Faculty of Dramatic Arts is for our cooperation with Airport City not to be forgotten, given that we’re recording a corporate film, but rather for it to mark the beginning of a new era. Specifically, the idea is to form a creative development centre at the Faculty and, instead of sending students to various agencies as fresh reinforcements, to engage them at the faculty to develop – alongside the regular curriculum – their professional and artistic capacities. I envisage that Centre having several directions, from advertising, digital media and video games, and then to deal with digital and new forms of performing arts. I think this could also be interesting to the Ministry

Marina Deleon, ACB Communications Advisor:

“In the case of Airport City, CSR has never been merely about corporate obligations or PR. We have never chosen the most popular activity or most visible in the media, rather we’ve considered how our help can have the best effect” who leads this third area, Belgrade will next year host the World Congress of the Federation of Theatre Researchers. That means a 1,000 people from which our city will have multiple benefits. Imagine that we have a Centre and are developing the area of sphere photography, how much that would help court institutions and the prosecutor’s office, or VR, to help, say, students with disabilities who could have a 3D education in their home. Or to engage Spielberg to give us a lecture for 300 students who would sit in a hall in Belgrade and have the impression that they are in the same space with him. Let me note that the digital era, despite having many drawbacks, simultaneously has great advantages, and I think we should take the best from it and adapt it to ourselves and our own needs. ▪ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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CORPORATE JASNA UZELAC BRAUNOVIĆ, HEAD OF MEDIA RELATIONS & SUSTAINABILITY, UNICREDIT BANK, SERBIA

Responsible Approach

To All CSR Activities ics as inclusion and financial education, or philanthropic activities in support of social inclusion. We believe strongly that when communities are able to offer a diverse range of opportunities they are the best facilitators for the development and growth of their members and businesses.

UniCredit plays a major role in a complex value chain, the inputs of which – financial, human, social and environmental capital – have an impact on our ability to contribute to the economy and society as a whole.

These capitals support our business model and present added value to the quality of the products and services we provide

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SR is a question of prestige in the business of companies that care about their reputation. UniCredit bases its own business philosophy and social responsibility on a value defined as INTEGRITY. • What does integrity mean in terms of CSR? - By definition, integrity in terms of CSR can be described as voluntary and consistent adherence to a set of human characteristics and values that are applied to all facets of business operations. UniCredit Group’s value system is based on integrity as a condition of sustainability, which makes it possible to transform profit into value for our people, customers, investors, local communities and the whole of the society with which the corporation strives to be on good terms. For us, integrity means identifying with a set of strong and shared

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values, which must influence our daily behaviour and help create a perceived reputation on the market. For us, being sustainable in the long term means “to do our job well”. To do our job well means working according to the values identified and applying them in our daily behaviour.

• Every company has the primary goal of generating profit. Why have you decided that corporate social responsibility is an integral part of your business philosophy?

- Given our pivotal position in the value chain, we take care to carefully consider the impacts of our operations - we are always conscious of the major role we play in the economies of the local communities where we operate. We adopt a responsible approach in all our activities, whether they are typical banking operations or corporate citizenship initiatives focused on such top-

• Social responsibility is a fairly broad concept. UniCredit Bank has decided to invest in the local communities where it operates, support youth, vulnerable sectors of the population, culture and the youngest in sports. Which criteria form the basis for you to select priorities in this area?

- We changed our CSR Strategy two years ago from only philanthropic to predominantly employee engagement. Why did we do that? First of all because human capital is the main asset of UniCredit Bank. In accordance with that, we realised that we can provide added value to the society that can be used in the long term – the knowledge and expertise of our employees. Moreover, we wanted to involve employees in everything we do for local communities, in order to raise their awareness about the importance of being a responsible citizen.

We have to say that the results of changing the bank’s orientation have been fantastic. We have managed to engage almost 50% of employees in different activities.

UniCredit Bank joined activities implemented by the organisation Junior Achievements in Serbia. In the last two years, over 60 employees participated as mentors and jurors in more than 10 "Business Challenge” competitions and helped nearly 300 high school students to develop business plans.

One of our colleagues was declared ‘Best Mentor’ for the entire 2016 edition of the competition. Additionally, we also organised volunteering activities involving the arranging of the yards of various schools

in four regions of our branch network. The results of our teamwork can be seen in schools in Pirot, Novi Pazar, Zrenjanin and the Gerontological Centre in Belgrade.

With these initiatives, we not only showed our commitment to local communities, but also additionally reinforced our team spirit, which undoubtedly improved relations among us and influenced the achieving of a better business performance.

There is also another initiative we are very proud of and which we have been conducting for almost 10 years, and that is the humanitarian initiative “Old doll for a new smile”. During December we invite our employees and their kids to pack their used toys and clothes and send them to children living with mental disabilities who are cared for in foster homes. In this way we engage entire families in sharing in the joy of giving.

Moreover, we also included families in our CSR activities this spring – we invited them to participate at the Humanitarian Fun Run during the Belgrade Marathon. Thanks to their high involvement, UniCredit Bank was able to donate significant financial resources to BelHospice.

We are also proud of the eight years of continuous support provided by UniCredit Bank to traditional events with a cultural character and significant importance for local communities, such as the Days of Bora Stanković, Days of Zoran Radmilović and Days of Mokranjac events.

There are also various UniCredit Group initiatives that we support at the local level, such as the Gift Matching Programme – the biggest initiative of the UniCredit Founda-

tion, which encourages employees in their charitable commitments and matches their donations by doubling them.

• Which project would you consider particularly important in terms of its effect on the company, but also from the perspective of your company?

- Since 2012, UniCredit Bank and UniCredit Foundation have been supporting the development of social entrepreneurship in Serbia though the competition ‘Idea for a Better Tomorrow’. We have so far granted over €100,000 to 16 ideas for products that can improve the image of Serbia in the region and worldwide. This year we launched the third edition, within which we

The proof that we are on the right track and shouldn’t change our CSR strategy is provided by our employees, who are already contacting us and proposing different volunteering activities for the next year have already selected the seven best ideas that will receive grants in the coming period totalling €40,000 and that will participate in the mentorship programme, in order

to ensure they become successful and sustainable businesses.

When we look at the results enabled by the first two editions, there are 40 representatives of social enterprises involved in skills development programmes, 35 new jobs created, which had a positive impact on more than 200 family members and at least 800 people from local communities who benefitted as clients and/or suppliers.

In addition, UniCredit Bank continuously supports beneficiaries from all editions. For example, we provide them with catering for various events, buy their products as New Year’s presents for our clients, as well as presenting their business ideas as best practice examples on the local market to both our colleagues from the Group and our clients.

• With the end of 2017 fast approaching, what specific CSR plans do you have for 2018?

- As mentioned before, we are strongly committed to the development of local communities at various levels, thus also in 2018 we will continue to implement different activities that can contribute to improving living conditions in local communities, while at the same time we will work on additionally engaging employees in projects of broader social significance.

The proof that we are on the right track and shouldn’t change our CSR strategy is provided by our employees, who are already contacting us and proposing different volunteering activities for the next year. ▪ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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CORPORATE GORAN JANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, INMOLD PLAST D.O.O. (LTD.)

Caring For Others Instead Of A Hobby “We are turned towards young people and through dual education we create an advantage for the future in relation to the competition,” says Inmold Plast Director Goran Janković

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lthough it is in the category of small and micro enterprises, Inmold Plast, a family company known for the production of tools for injecting plastics and non-ferrous metals and IML robots, is very committed to socially responsible operations, which is why it was declared a Leader of Social Responsibility by the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia. Asked why such a small company would “give up” part of its profits and devote them to some public interest, director Goran Janković is precise in his response: “I am a resident of Serbia and Požega. For our country to be better everyone must strive to give part of themselves to it”.

- I don’t have a spare country and don’t want one. I live in Serbia and, although I travel a lot, I always come back. Here I’ve achieved everything I’m proud of and that fulfils me, starting from school, to the job I do and love. I’ve created a company here that I can take pride in. My wife and I have four children, for whom Serbia is their homeland where they are growing up and slowly becoming serious businesspeople. These are all reasons why I return part of everything I’ve achieved to the environment and surroundings where I’ve achieved all of this, through socially responsible operations.

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• Inmold this year received a prestigious award from Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia, CCIS, as one of the leaders of social responsibility. Which specific principles form the basis of your business strategy for CSR? - We are committed to environmental protection; we take care of the health of our employees, as well as safety in the workplace and preventative measures to avoid injuries. We are also particularly dedicated to investing in the education and professional devel-

I consider socially responsible operations as a way of repaying my debt to my country and my city opment of all employees, to improve their existing knowledge and skills. As the company is turned towards young people, our doors are always open to young people wanting to familiarise themselves with our activities, production processes and working methods.

We also provide school pupils and students with scholarships and enable them to gain practical work experience in our company. We are also turned towards sports and culture, so

we sponsor sporting events, help writers and painters, and are also involved in donations to religious events, both in our region and throughout Serbia.

• The CCIS Award was explained as being awarded, among other things, due to the fact that you’ve been successfully conducting a dual education programme for four years for more than 60 pupils, and that this job implies complete dedication every day. How do you even form the boundary between social responsibility and business, which must ultimately be the priority for any firm to survive on the market?

- In order for us to create experts it is necessary for us to invest in education and I consider this a very important job. Instead of having a hobby, I take care of the students who are having work experience practise with us. Dual education contributes to raising the expertise of students and increases their ability to start working immediately after finishing school. At the company we have a team dealing with that and this is our advantage, because we create and educate our experts in advance, and that gives us an advantage over the competition for the future. ▪

APATINSKA BREWERY CORPORATE

“Beer Print” For The Welfare Of The Community The most important words at Molson Coors are “BEER PRINT”. At this global brewer, of which the Apatinska Brewery is a member, they believe that every time a beer is picked up there is a beer print left behind. Wherever they brew and sell beer, they leave an imprint on the communities, environment and business, and through its socially responsible projects and partnerships in Serbia, Apatinska brewery is making sure it’s a positive one

ZERO WASTE TO LANDFILL BY 2025 Did you know that the goal of Molson Coors is to achieve zero waste to landfill at all of their major manufacturing facilities by 2025? All members of the group are actively engaged in this task and are responsible for managing waste responsibly and recycling.

The campaign ‘You recycle too’ was launched in 2008 in order to raise public awareness about the importance of recycling and the posibilities of reusable packaging in the long run.

Through educational activities and cooperation with the Faculty of Applied Arts, the brewery animates consumers and visitors at festivals, combining art and recycling. Numerous exhibitions of artworks made from recycled plastic bottles and cans have been realised to date, while this year saw the presenting of the first sunshade made from 800 PET bottles, four metres tall and weighing more than a tonne.

Under the framework of the campaign “Cap for handicap” another "personal record" of the brewery was broken in 2017. Through the participation of consumers in prize games, the company has collected more than 2,350,000 bottle caps, and through the engagement of its employees has collected more than 500kg of caps. Strong support was also secured through a partnership

with the Gomex, which led to the collecting of more than a tonne of plastic bottle caps in just three months.

ONE-HORNED DEER At the beginning of this year, the Paralympic Committee of Serbia and Apatinska Brewery presented the platform www. sampionisvakidan.rs for people with disabilities. Inspiring events held in towns and cities throughout Serbia encouraged local communities to launch candidacies

for their projects that participated in the final competition of ideas, with the brewery rewarding three of the best projects that will enable athletes with disabilities to engage in sports more successfully.

The projects to be implemented in 2018 are those “Move yourself and Train” of the “Pora” Athletic Club from Užice, “In the sun

and the rain, we will train together”, on behalf of the Takovo Athletic Club from Gornji Milanovac, and “Support to international tournaments in wheelchair basketball” of the Singidunum Basketball Club.

DECADE OF THE CAMPAIGN “WHEN I DRINK I DON’T DRIVE” If you’ve had a drink, call a taxi, call on a friend, wait for a bus or walk. This is the message that the company has sent to drivers throughout Serbia for ten years, via its partnership with the Traffic Police Directorate of the Ministry of Interior and the campaign “When I drink I don’t drive”.

Since its launch, the campaign has toured a large number of cities and festivals around the country, in order to promote responsible consumption of alcohol and relay the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol. In order to help ensure even more efficient traffic control, the brewery has so far donated over 100 of the latest model alcometers to the Traffic Police Directorate.

Within the framework of the “School of safe driving for young drivers” at the NAVAK centre this year, safety training was organised for a hundred high school graduates from Apatin and Sombor. Adult high school pupils who have a driver’s license underwent the training and learned to recognise the dangers of driving. ▪ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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CORPORATE EUROBANK SRBIJA

Long Tradition And Great Experience In CSR

Already for a full decade, Eurobank has been implementing its social responsibility programme in Serbia, targetting the most vulnerable sectors of society. In March 2006, when Eurobank first positioned itself among the leading banks on the Serbian market, a comprehensive corporate social responsibility programme was formed, under the title “We're investing in European values“

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ore than €4.5 million has been invested in this programme to date, in continuous support of staff: education, ecology, equality, culture and health.

Eurobank is the first financial company in Serbia to be awarded a certificate of socially responsible operations by the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED). This recognition is confirmation that the bank operates in accordance with the highest standards of CSR, and do so in five certified areas: corporate governance, market, local community, environment and working environment.

The certification of companies that operate according to responsible principles is very important in Serbia today, as it allows actual contributions of companies to the local community to be measured for

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the first time. The CSR certificate represents a guarantee for clients and business partners that a company operates fully in accordance with the law, domestic and international standards and principles of social responsibility.

In addition to this, Eurobank is a five-

Eurobank is the first financial company in Serbia to be awarded a certificate of socially responsible operations by the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED). It is also a five-time winner of the VIRTUS Award for its long-standing and dedicated work on inclusion and the integration of the most diverse parts of society

time winner of the VIRTUS Award and a genuine example of a company that stands out in its long-standing and dedicated work on inclusion and the integration of the most diverse parts of society, as well as dedication through investing in the most important social aspects, such as education, health, environment, culture and art .

One of the trademark projects of Eurobank is the Big Heart, which the bank has now been conducting, together with the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, for seven years, making childhood better for children in nurseries and primary schools throughout Serbia. Under the auspices of the Big Heart humanitarian project, 42 nurseries and primary schools throughout Serbia have been upgraded, with more than 15,000 children receiving better conditions for playing, learning and growing up, thanks to the 22,000 users of this unique humanitarian MasterCard card. The card with a big heart - MasterCard “Big Heart” - is a standard credit card, but its ultimate goal is to improve conditions for a carefree childhood in Serbia. Citizens who opt for this card do not have any additional costs, but by using it they contribute to an important humanitarian goal – the reconstruction of schools and playgrounds, as well as the introduction of libraries into preschools and schools throughout Serbia.

Together with our long-standing partners from the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, in 2017 Eurobank succeeded in helping to restore or improve conditions for a better childhood in several important institutions in Serbia. We started the year with renovation of the playground at the “Mila Jeftović” Nursery in Belgrade, then we bought new hospital beds for the Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery in Belgrade, helped install heating for pupils at the “14th October” School for the children with disabilities in Niš, while we also renovated the playgrounds of the nurseries “Neven” in Pirot and “Snežana” in Šabac. ▪

SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING

Key Issues For Further Developing Corporate Communications

Due to the obvious changes in the natural environment, (e.g. climate change and its consequences) material effects of the global ‘lifestyle’ on the environment and a lot of social problems, there has been an increasing awareness in a lot of countries that the natural environment and its resources, as well as society at whole, are the major elements that are crucially necessary for the future of mankind

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his awareness has led on one hand to regulatory activities of national and supra-national institutions and on the other to a change in the public concern about environmental and social issues. As a consequence, the concept of ‘sustainable development’ of societies was globally accepted as a core of national and international policy at the end of last century.

This more or less global commitment and conviction has – besides other aspects – also drawn very much attention to the impact of companies' activities on the environment and society and has led to the concept that the performance of a company should not only be measured according to its financial but also environmental and social performance, meaning the positive and negative impacts on the social and natural environment.

Sustainability reporting is a very important part of today's external cor-

porate reporting. Adequate inclusion of sustainability issues in company's reports (firstly, as a part of annual reports, then environmental, sustainability and, as of recently, integrated reports) is one of the key issues for further development of corporate

For Serbia, this reporting area will become especially important at the time when accession negotiations to the EU regarding this chapter are open communications with stakeholders.

That has caused the development of a large number of sustainability reporting guidelines, among which guidelines established by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) are the most significant, globally accepted and used one (GRI, 2016). The growing importance

of sustainability reporting nowadays has been demonstrated by a number of studies conducted by audit firms such as KPMG and Ernst & Young. For Serbia, this reporting area will become especially important at the time when accession negotiations to the EU regarding this chapter are open. Sustainability reporting is relatively new for Serbian companies, and most companies are still trying to find their interest in this area and to become familiar with the sustainability reporting guidelines, reporting methods, significance of assurance etc. In order to determine the achieved level of sustainability reporting by Serbian companies, an empirical research, which part of the results will be presented in this paper, was conducted for the first time on the territory of Serbia. ▪ From “Sustainability Reporting - A Challenge for Serbian companies”, by Maja Stojanović-Blab, Daniel Blab, Dejan Spasić (epub.uni-regensburg.de)

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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PROFILE

The Future’s CHRO Is CEO’s Strategic Partner It was two months ago that I found myself in a new role, which was familiar at first, albeit from a different perspective, as I transitioned from being an advisor to becoming an executive.

Nevertheless, both my education and my career thus far have taught me that the first step towards success is to embrace change and learn from every possible opportunity

MILICA JOVIĆ CHRO, NELT

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here is no training anywhere in the world that produces readymade CHROs. However, I do believe that a CHRO’s role is one of the few functions for which natural predisposition balances technical knowledge that could be learned along the way.

With the increasing globalisation of business, the importance of HR function is rising.

Under the mantra of maintaining revenue and profit, industry leaders are becoming behemoths that feed on constant growth and must be on an endless quest into the unknown, whether it be a venture into a new line of business or an expansion into a new location. To succeed, businesses must have the ability to deploy the right people to the right places as swiftly and promptly as possible. Agility, a capability renowned in modern business, is becoming unvaryingly applicable to both financial and human capital.

The journey which CHROs embark on nowadays in many ways resembles the transition from the accountants of the 1980s to the CFOs of the 2000s. The business community is starting to realise that it is people that generate value, not businesses. As a consequence, human resources are becoming as paramount as financial resources, and the CHRO is becoming an equally important strategic counterpart, akin to the CFO. The most vital task of the CHRO is to identify means to use human capital in order

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to create or unlock value. In order for the CHRO to become a visionary and a strategist, the whole HR function must move a step beyond transactional and administrative tasks. Internally, HR must transform its mindset from being a cost centre to acting as a value creator. It should not succumb to the standard constraints of budgeting processes by sheer inertia. We, as a company, have recognised this need and started to transfer some traditional HR responsibilities to a separate unit that will provide key services to the business under the umbrella of a shared service centre.

The CEO has great responsibility in enabling the CHRO to act as a partner. He should equally leverage both the CFO and CHRO, in order to comprehend the connection between business performance and organisation. Ultimately, financial results are delivered by the people who produce them.

The journey which CHROs embark on nowadays in many ways resembles the transition from the accountants of the 1980s to the CFOs of the 2000s Vice versa, the CHRO must draw from his courage and integrity to support the business lifeline. He should be empowered to allocate the right talent to the right opportunities, in the same manner as financial investors deploy material resources.

A CHRO has to lead the process of not only nurturing and assigning talent, but also

identifying the most important roles that are critical to business performance and sustainability, and linking them with right talents. This two-way process is becoming known in the HR community as the principle of “linking talent to value”, which provides understanding of the link between people and the potential for value creation.

Academic research has shown that capital reallocation is truly rewarded only when coupled with flexibility of business’s human capital, and a CHRO should be mandated to recommend the reassignment of talent to positions that will generate additional value.

Today’s organisations are just starting to embrace the concept of human capital flexibility. We still seldom encourage our colleagues to step outside of their comfort zone. We tend to reward top talents by allowing them to climb the organisational hierarchy, a process which overshadows other aspects of the organisation.

In order to enable our organisation to adopt human capital flexibility, we became pioneers in the field of organisational health in our region. We focused our efforts on connecting all our employees to the purpose of their work. By building a framework to encourage and reward certain behaviour embedded in our values, we encourage our employees to actively contribute to the achievement of sustainable long-term growth. We support our employees in their daily work by clearly communicating our goals, how we achieve them, how we can improve and achieve more, and what impact we are creating. By so doing, we are preparing our key resource, our people, for another 25 years of sustainable growth. 

B y R A DM I L A STA N KOV I Ć

MY LIFE

Communists Didn’t Like

JAZZ

VOJISLAV BUBIŠA SIMIĆ MUSICIAN

He was four years old when jazz started being playing in Serbia. Today has reached the ripe old age of 93! He founded the first jazz orchestra in Serbia and was its conductor for 30 years, and has also met and heard the world’s greatest jazz musicians. He claims that jazz was viewed in post-WWII Yugoslavia with great suspicion; that the communist authorities didn’t like jazz, but he didn’t like the communists, so they were all square

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n the territory of the former Yugoslavia there is no older jazz musician than him. Vojislav Bubiša Simić (93) is incredibly vivacious – a fact he convinced visitors to the Belgrade Jazz Festival in the Belgrade Youth Centre this autumn. On an evening dedicated to late

jazz musician and great saxophonist Milivoje Mića Marković, Bubiša spoke unscripted for fifteen minutes about his junior colleague by 15 years, speaking with unmistakable precision when manifesting his fascinating memory. And for this interview he also effortlessly recalled what the times were like seven and eight decades ago.

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Bubiša is a child from a good home, as it used to be said, and is now said for someone who’s the son of a distinguished lawyer, and was raised in his grandmother’s house at 39 Majka Jevrosima Street in downtown Belgrade. He graduated from the famous Second Boys Gymnasium (High School), whose teachers were among the academics of the time, and whose pupils became academics, Belgrade University professors Milan Bartoš, Bogdan Bogdanović, Pavle Savić et al. He graduated from the Music Academy, while his

the old piano. Sometime in the late 1970s I visited the Music School in Zemun and saw the old piano that I’d sold. I was very excited, so I sat down and began playing. However, I started to recall memories from that time when my grandmother bought it, so I got up and left the room, so my colleagues wouldn’t see me crying. That’s how my old piano and I broke up, and I never saw it again.”

When he was 15 years old in 1939, Bubiša’s father bought him for his birthday two records of Count Basie, in the music store at 23 Terazija. The records contained Basie’s great hits, and this was Bubiša’s first encounter with this jazz great. All Bubiša’s records were destroyed, snappedin half, during the bombing of the house they lived in, and Bubiša was very sad about that. When he participated in the jazz festival in Juanles-Pins in France in 1960, Bubiša wrote the composition Greetings to Count Basie, and with it his orchestra won at the festival. Five years later he met Count Basie in Munich and handed him the composition dedicated to him: “He promised to perform it as soon as he could... In 1975 I was director of the Belgrade Spring festival, and in this capacity I was the host of Count Basie when he held a concert in Union House.

During my stay in the U.S. in 1982, Basie had a concert with Have you noticed that some scenes love for music defined his future life Sammy Davis junior at Cesar’s of post-war domestic films were very Palace. I went to the concert, from early childhood: “My mother, like all the good enjoyed it, and then wanted to similar? For example, whenever a city girls of that time, knew French see him after the concert. They German appears, a domestic traitor well and played piano. I was 12 did not want to let me through, or a prostitute, it is usually in a bar years old when I began to play the but his son was there and I exwhere jazz is playing. This music was plained to him that we knew each keys. She saw that I had talent and took me a piano teacher, and after most suited to our directors when they other and that I was his great admirer. He let me through, and a year I could play Chopin’s easier wanted to show enemies, to my great sadness, I saw an old waltzes. When I graduation from or negative characters man in a wheelchair with slightly primary education, or turned 14, little lazy eye that wandered. I my grandmother bought me a piano asked him to give me an autograph and he barely signed a picture that was placed in the salon on the first floor and I practised there. with his trembling hand. It was unbelievable: on stage, in front of On 6th April 1941, German planes started bombing Belgrade and my family fled to Ripanj, a village near Belgrade, where my father, the piano, it was that Basie of 1938, because jazz brings him back a reserve officer, had been stationed. We returned to Belgrade to life. Only jazz kept him alive. He died a year later.” after five or six days and found our house half-demolished. Below After World War II, in 1946, Bubiša founded the amateur jazz the ruins we saw my piano, we barely dug it out and everything orchestra ‘Dinamo’, the first big band in Serbia. From 1953 to 1985 he wooden on it was broken, but it produced sound. After a month was the conductor of Jazz Orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade, with of work, the piano master recomposed it, I started practising on it which he travelled throughout almost the whole of Europe and achieved again, and after the war I enrolled in the Music Academy, continued great successes. The most significant was first prize at the aforementioned Jazz Festival in Juan-les-Pins in France in 1960. In his books he practising on it and prepared for my graduation exam. I graduated has described events from the time when jazz was on the margins of in conducting, aware that I would never become a pianist, and sold 68 |

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the music scene in Serbia, and in response to the question of how that This music was most suited to our directors when they wanted to time from the beginnings of jazz in Serbia looks today, whether that show enemies, or negative characters”. was the conquest of freedom or a boyish game, he tells CorD: In 1956 Belgrade hosted the orchestra of Dizzy Gillespie, which “It may sound pretentious, or even pathetic, if I say that it was had two concerts, one at Kolarac and the other in the hall of Garda conquering freedom. But it was rather than us playing. When we House in Topčider. Quincy Jones was playing a trumpet in the line, founded the jazz orchestra in 1946, nobody thought about banning like some accidental. This was Bubiša’s first live encounter with a it, but, as my grandmother said, they gave us dirty looks. We were jazz great. He had a place on the balcony of Kolarac and he leaned viewed like every novelty, which jazz undeniably was in those post-war so far over the balcony to see every musician that he almost wne years, which meant that we all were restrained and suspicious. As a rule, we were very educated as musicians, because you couldn’t play jazz if you did not have a musical and a general education. We all came from urban families where one graduated to having a good upbringing, a good general education, and no fear of the great world. Alongside that, there were no communists among us, because communism and jazz didn’t go hand in hand.

Otherwise, very, very rarely you could find among jazzers someone who was not from the urban class that - clearly – was not valued in the period after World War II. Jazz was not seen as a profession, but rather a hobby. I loved jazz like a first love that I never left.”

Regardless of the authorities who didn’t look favourably on the jazzers who persisted with their choice, it could be said that this was For Bubiša, the alpha and omega of thead over heels. A few years later still a time of freedom for this music jazz was Duke Ellington, the American came the Oscar Peterson Trio, Ella in the then Yugoslavia, because the Fitzgerald and others. situation was much worse in all pianist, conductor, composer and The first time that the Radio other socialist countries, especially arranger, who he first heard at the Jazz orchestra of Radio Belgrade in the Soviet Union. Tstifying about jazz festival in Prague in 1969. This launched an international tour that today, Bubiša says: musician came to Belgrade with was in early March 1957. It was “Interestingly, prior to World a three-week tour around the War II, jazz was very developed his orchestra the following year then East Germany. That same in some of those countries, like year they also toured Hungary, and Bubiša used the money they Czechoslovakia, for example, but after the war it was all suppressed. American songs and American vocals were avoided, as it earned there to buy an East German magnetic cassette player that was considered a bad influence on the youth who loved to listen was so heavy he could hardly carry it off the train. In the winter to it. Also, here it was thought that jazz was not artistic music at of 1958 they had a tour of Poland, then returned to Hungary... all, that musicians did not know notes, but we all knew the notes and on 25th May 1959 Bubiša met Josip Broz Tito. He conducted a festive concert for Tito’s birthday at the Belgrade Fair, and afand plus we knew almost all the compositions we performed by ter the concert they were told to come to the reception that Tito heart. Nevertheless, the struggle for jazz was current for all the was organising. When he approached him to wish him a happy years after the war and we didn’t relent. It can’t be said that anyone birthday, Bubiša, who was otherwise an anti-communist, like his persecuted or arrested us, because the then communist regime was father, asked Tito: “Is it true you don’t like jazz?” To which Tito threatened much more by writers, dramatists and even painters. immediately replied: “No, it’s not true. I love it, especially the Have you noticed that some scenes of post-war domestic films were original type. See, I was just in Sudan and had the opportunity to very similar? For example, whenever a German appears, a domestic listen to it. However, the Americans commercialised jazz”. traitor or a prostitute, it is usually in a bar where jazz is playing.

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The newspapers that then existed carried Tito’s sentence, Bubiša gained great fame in Radio Belgrade, and after that the attitude of Radio Belgrade’s leadership towards the members of the jazz orchestra relaxed slightly, and they could play more freely and have a greater choice when it came to the compositions performed. Tito, however, never again mentioned the word jazz publicly: “When Tito began to pursue a policy of opening up towards the West, Yugoslavia had to open up. American films arrived, American

fun music (rhythm), instruments (electric guitar, electric bass, synthesizer), even saxophones and trumpets, and gained immense popularity.

However, real jazz musicians, and they exist all over the world and here, regardless of the money, don’t want to play anything but jazz.”

For Bubiša, the alpha and omega of jazz was Duke Ellington, the American pianist, conductor, composer and arranger, who he first heard at the jazz festival in Prague in 1969. This musician came to Belgrade with his orchestra the following year, and Bubiša prepared

SIMIĆ WITH HIS IDOL, DUKE ELLINGTON

music, and jazz began spouting like a tsunami. Its enormous ascent was followed here by the great interest of the public, and that all lasted until the appearance of the Beatles. They appeared like something completely new, but they also performed good music that flooded the Planet.”

BUBIŠA AND COUNT BASIE

The fact that this music was underrated by the authorities after World War II is no surprise, but Bubiša was surprised that neither musicologists nor music critics wrote about jazz as a musical form and direction that had many fans and followers in Serbia

a huge surprise for him: with the orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade, he practised from memory Take the A Train, the Duke’s trademark track. The entire orchestra went to the airport, set themselves up in the hall, and Bubiša awaited Duke as he disembarked from the plane. And when they entered the

BELGRADE JAZZERS, AMONG THEM DUŠAN VIDAK, SENKA VELENTANLIĆ AND VOJISLAV SIMIĆ (1963)

SIMIĆ AND DUKE ELLINGTON

This conductor and composer doesn’t think jazz began losing the competition with rock and that the rock was an enemy of jazz. In his opinion, the greatest enemy of jazz was the newly-composed folk music: “That newly-composed folk music was the only one to cause jazz to suffer in our country. That’s also so today. This music took elements of

hall, the music thundered. Duke and the members of his orchestra were stunned in wonder; Duke approached and began conducting. When the famous composition had been performed, Duke approached each member of the RTB Orchestra and greeted them: “Ellington’s music is the very core of jazz. I think that was the best

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Photo by Đorđe Đoković

jazz concert the Belgrade audience ever heard in its own city. In the whether they are in shape, how they live, how much they sleep...” break between the two concerts, in the improvised cloakroom we Bubiša never smoked and didn’t even drink unless he needed prepared various specialities from the restaurant Kasina, but he just to make a toast, but didn’t avoid the taverns and liked to travel, asked for strong beef soup, because that gave him strength. When I visiting jazz clubs around the world, and today he’s sorry to see saw him off at the airport, he thanked me for my attention, gave me that there are much fewer than decades ago, especially in America a program of concerts with an address which read: To Airport Or- the land where jazz was born. For him, jazz is a constant gig and chestra - Buona fortuna. I could only laugh at it. He forgot everything a constant tour, which is nowadays an ever-rarer phenomenon: that I told him about who we were and what success we had as a “I was lucky to be dealing with jazz in the years when the national jazz orchestra. He remained in the belief that we were an airport orchestra! Two years later, in 1972, at the Edison Hotel where I spent my stay at the Newport Jazz Festival, I met the members of his orchestra who remembered who I was after the welcome at the airport. They were passing through New York because they played in Cotton Club in Harlem that night where Duke began his career. I asked them to take me to hear them, but they told me they didn’t dare, because they feared for my safety as a white man.

They told me that I could only be safe in Harlem if I was personally brought there by Mr Ellington. I didn’t manage to find Duke, so I didn’t go to the Cotton Club. And today I’m sorry about that.”

When reconstructing his memory and recalling his knowledge of the history of jazz, CorD’s interlocutor concludes that jazz came “The world I belonged to as a musician orchestra I conducted for 30 to Serbia in 1928. And has been years spent most of its time on was a world devoid of vanity, or to consistently present since then, tour. And there was no greater say that among jazzers was the least satisfaction than getting a new with lesser or greater successes.

The fact that this music was undercrowd joining jazz from cirt to vanity. We recognised each other rated by the authorities after World wherever we met and acknowledged city, meeting colleagues, musicians, various celebrities. I never War II is no surprise, but Bubiša each other for what we were feared the authorities or liked was surprised that neither musiable to do…” cologists nor music critics wrote them, whatever government it about jazz as a musical form and was. My world was records, instruments, good music and good musicians. The world I belonged direction that had many fans and followers in Serbia: to as a musician was a world devoid of vanity, or to say that among “That ignoring of jazz lasted for many years. It was always somehow on the margins, but with jazz it is a big problem that it has its jazzers was the least vanity. We recognised each other wherever permanent followers, and that musicians who choose jazz don’t give we met and acknowledged each other for what we were able to do.” it up easily. There was always the story that these musicians were It should also be mentioned in this story, however, that Bubiša either drunks or on drugs. Of course, there was also that. There are spent his whole life surrounded by his family, which gave him well-known stories about how famous singer Billie Holiday used peace and stability. Even today, as we speak, his caring wife Edit opiats, as well as many other jazz musicians, but they were primarily is beside him, his two daughters and grandkids live their own great musicians. I know many who couldn’t play without alcohol, lives. After several books he has written about his life and work, but they were brilliant musicians nonetheless. Of course, I’m saying he is fianlising a new one. He says that he still wanted to record all of this about jazzers who I knew, listened to, loved. Drugs later some of the history of jazz that should remain recorded. No other took the lives of some musicians, as today. However, jazz musicians musicions in Serbia have had such a rich life, and even fewer of are on the same level as other musicians and have to take care of them have endured as long as Vojislav Bubiša Simić. ■

CULTURE CALENDAR

Exhibition “Petar Lubarda 1907-1974-2017” Throughout December – Heritage House

Following exceptional guest appearances at Montenegro’s Petrović Palace Centre for Contemporary Art in Podgorica (3rd August – 2nd September) and Novi Sad’s Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection (7th September – 5th November), the exhibition “Petar Lubarda 1907-1974-2017” will on display at Belgrade’s Heritage House (46 Knez Mihailova Street) until 6th January 2018. This exhibition represents part of a joint project of Heritage House and the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the birth of this celebrated Montenegrin artist.

Exhibition “View of My Neighbour” 1-5 - French Institute In an effort to encourage regional integration and better familiarisation and recognition among youth from the members of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), which was established

on the eve of the Paris Conference on the Balkans on 4th July 2016, six young photographers from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia have been invited to travel around the Balkans and compile a photo report.

Their photos will be exhibited along with accompanying texts they have written in order to share their experience. This exhibition represents the fruit of a joint project of the French Institute in Montenegro, the Petar Petrović Njegoš Foundation and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

Concert Rose of roses (Rosa das rosas) 2 - Church of St. Peter the Apostle, 23 Makedonska Street - 19.00

The Embassy of Spain in Belgrade and the Cervantes Institute will enable us to enjoy songs dedicated to the Holy Virgin (Cantigas de Santa María), written in the Galician language and recorded at the court of King Alfonso X the Wise during the second half of the 13th century. These writings comprise one of the most important collections of monophonic songs of Western European medieval literature. Even today, these popular cantigas are performed around the world by numerous music groups interested in medieval music.

Eminent artists, musicians and connoisseurs of medieval arts from Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia have come together around the project “Rosa das rosas” (Rose of roses), with the aim of presenting the artistic richness of medieval Spain in an

Opening of the exhibition “15 Pearls of Spain” 4 - Instituto Cervantes - 19.00 The Cervantes Institute in Belgrade recommends that you travel through the most beautiful parts of Spain this winter.

The exhibition “Spanish Cities on the World Heritage List, 15 Pearls of Spain”, features over 60 photographs of the most important buildings, places and lesserknown corners of the fifteen Spanish cities listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Alcalá de Henares, Ávila, Baeza, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Mérida, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona, Toledo and Úbeda.

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These fifteen cities will reveal to curious travellers and exhibition visitors all their beauty and uniqueness: history, architecture, geography and customs.

This exhibition, which encapsulates the beauty and significance of these Spanish pearls, is intended for lovers of travel who enjoy discovering new destinations, especially those that are less familiar but no less interesting, but also tour operators who want to expand their offer with exciting travels inspired by art and history.

The exhibition was organised by the Group of Cities on the World Cultural Heritage List, in cooperation with the Turespaña institute for the promotion of tourism, with the aim of promoting the tourist offer of these cities, and with the network of Cervantes Institute centres, in an effort to present Spain’s cultural heritage abroad. The exhibition runs in Belgrade until 6th February 2018 and entrance is free.

IWC Bazaar 3-Belgrade Fair, Hall 2 – 10-18.00 Experience the joy of the holidays with the spirit of giving. Bring your family and friends to the IWC annual culture and shopping fair. Buy gifts for loved ones, try an international selection of food, handicrafts and drinks and win presents. All the proceeds of the Bazaar go to assist the neediest in Serbia. The Charity Committee will carefully select the beneficiaries in areas such as the elderly, authentic and original way. Their cooperation resulted in the creation of the CANSO international ensemble for medieval music. Prior to the recital, Dr Alvaro Saldivar Ph.D., professor of musical aesthetics and history at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Murcia (Spain), will speak on the basic aspects of this type of music, as well as the role of songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the political and cultural context of the time of Alfonso X, whilst not neglecting analysis of traditional interpretations of these works, as well as the musical value of this remarkable repertoire.

St Petersburg Ballet on Ice 6 – Sava Centre – 21.00

The spectacular ballet on ice presenting the work “The Nutcracker”, performed by Russia’s St. Petersburg State Ballet on ice – founded in 1967 by exceptional choreographer Konstantin Boyarsky and the successor to the extraordinary tradition of the classical ballet schools of St. Petersburg – will be performed 6th December at Belgrade’s Sava Centre. All shows are performed under the guidance of chief choreographer Konstantin Rasadin, a Russian artist worthy of credit. This is the first time in the world that a classical ballet, with classical ballet costumes, is being performed on an ice rink set on the actual stage of the theatre.

This production has been performed successfully over the last five years on the best stages of the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, China, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Switzerland and South America. It is now coming to the main stage of Belgrade’s Sava Centre.

Mariza 7 – Sava Centre – 20.30 The world’s biggest star of fado music, Mariza, will again serenade the Belgrade audience again with a concert at the Sava Centre on 7th December. This Portuguese diva is returning to this prestigious Belgrade concert hall, which she has already filled

children, the disabled, victims of domestic violence, economic empowerment of socially vulnerable groups and projects promoting inclusive education. several times, after a long break. She will perform hits from her current world-renowned album “Mundo”. In the opinion of many, Mariza earned the title ‘queen of fado’ – the specific Portuguese music style that is full of passion, sadness, jealousy

and melancholy – with her albums “Terra” (2008) and “Fado Tradicional” (2010), as well as numerous tours and concerts in prestigious concert halls around the world, such as Paris’s Olympia, the Sydney Opera House, New York’s Carnegie Hall etc.

Mariza’s current release, “Mundo” (2015), is a tour album that takes us from the islands of Cape Verde, with “Padoce de Céu Azul”, to flamenco with the song “Adeus” and touches on tango with “Caprichosa”.

Forró in Belgrade 8-10 – Centre of Brazilian Culture, Belgrade

The Forró genre encompasses various dance styles and numerous different musical beats, and has gained widespread popularity in all regions of Brazil. Over the course of three days, the Centre of Brazilian Culture in Belgrade will host a Forró marathon at its Bulevar Vojvode Mišića venue.

Through the Barra Pulmão Association, attending professors André Vieira and Pablo Dias will have a unique opportunity to experience practical and theoretical Forró classes.

Vasil & Bojan 10 – Kolarac – 20.00 Vasil Hadžimanov and Bojan Zulfikarpašić, who performed together for the first time in 2015, with

unforgettable concerts at Kolarac Endowment Hall and the Novi Sad Synagogue, have announced a new concert and promotion of their CD at Kolarac on 10th December. For their third performance at Kolarac, Vasil and Bojan are again preparing an excellent repertoire that will certainly once again comprise their own compositions and famous works of modern and traditional music reworked in their arrangements.

This concert will simultaneously promote their album “Concert at Kolarac”, recorded in February and October 2015 at Kolarac Endowment Hall. This edition will be released by Metropolis Music on 1st December, under its label Metropolis Jazz, and after the 10th December concert Vasil and Bojan will take time out to sign discs in Kolarac’s music gallery.

Jazzanova Live featuring Paul Randolph 12, 13 – Novi Bitefartcafe – 22.00 Jazzanova Live featuring Paul Randolph arrives in Belgrade on 12th and 13th December as part of the Musicology Barcaffe Sessions concert series at the Bitefartcafe club. The only constant for this eclectic composition from Berlin is change and an ever more progressive sound. Jazzanova emerged in 2009 as a live band performing its own tracks, with its producers, Stefan Leisering and Axel Reinemer, succeeding in their long-standing endeavour of rais-

9 – Culture Centre GRAD – 18.00 This event is an experiment of two writers on the road: France’s Frédéric Ciriez, who studied literature and linguistics, and Germany’s Sascha Reh, who studied history, philosophy and Germanism. Their paths have never previously passed, but here they are walking through Belgrade, in the company of Mostar-born Vladimir Tabašević, who studied philosophy in Belgrade What do they notice? How much do their views of the world, Europe, Serbia and Belgrade differ? What is literature for them? Why do they write? What ing the energy of their productions, remixes and live DJing on stage. All who’ve had the opportunity to hear them live describe the experience as unforgettable. The band succeeds completely in conveying the magnificence of its productions.

First 100 Years of Jazz 16 – Sava Centre -20.00

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN John Green 2480rsd

preoccupies them: which topics, materials and formats? How do younger generations of writers see the role of literature in the era of the internet, social networks and TV series?

Welcome to the conversation!

The partners of this event are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Germany, the Literary Colloquium Berlin (LCB) and Culture Centre GRAD. world. This year’s jubilee concert, officially entitled “The First 100 Years of Jazz”, announces a rich domestic and international concert scene in 2018, during which the Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra will represent the art of its capital city at a larger number of international jazz festivals across Europe.

Ballet “Who’s Singin’ Over There?”

22 - National Theatre - 19.30

The wait is over! John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars, is back, with a book hailed by The Guardian as ‘a new modern classic’.

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. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

QUEENS OF THE CONQUEST: ENGLAND’S MEDIEVAL QUEENS Alison Weir 2480rsd

The repertoire for this year’s Belgrade Dixieland Orchestra concert will be devoted to early jazz works by the great artists who were responsible for the very emergence of this beautiful art form.

The audience will travel with the band on a time machine back to the earliest gems of blues, gospel and Dixieland music, which heralded the emergence at the beginning of the 20th century of a completely new art that would go on to flourish around the

Gala New Year’s Concert of the Children’s Philharmonic Orchestra 17 – Sava Centre – 19.00 Every December sees the Children’s Philharmonic Orchestra traditionally perform its New Year’s Gala Concert - Winter Music Magic, intended for classical music lovers of all generations. This year’s concert will be the jubilee tenth edition, “The Magnificent Ten”, and will present the hits of the Children’s Philharmonic – the most popular compositions of various genres, which have been performed throughout previous years at various concerts, and which will be followed by the release of a jubilee CD. Alongside popular classics like Strauss, Offenbach, Beethoven and Bach, the repertoire will also include music from hit films like Star Wars, Frozen, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mary Poppins etc., but also recognisable domestic pop hits

RECOMMENDS

Allons enfants

This ballet show is an adaptation of the cult Serbian film “Ko to tamo peva”, made way back in 1980.

Developed according to the script of ingenious author Dušan Kovačević, who we interviewed at the beginning of the year, the show features the music of Voki Kostić and the choreography of Staša Zurovac. A show that has been delighting ballet lovers since its premiere 14 years ago, it is also appealing to foreign guests.

Belgrade Phil’s New Year’s Concert 30 - Serbian National Theatre, Novi Sad - 20.00

The story of England’s medieval queens is vivid and stirring, packed with tragedy, high drama and even comedy. It is a chronicle of love, murder, war and betrayal, filled with passion, intrigue and sorrow, peopled by a cast of heroines, villains, stateswomen and lovers. In the first volume of this epic new series, Alison Weir strips away centuries of romantic mythology and prejudice to reveal the lives of England’s queens in the century after the Norman Conquest. Beginning with Matilda of Flanders, who supported William the Conqueror in his invasion of England in 1066, and culminating in the turbulent life of the Empress Maud, who claimed to be queen of England in her own right and fought a bitter war to that end, the five Norman queens emerge as hugely influential figures and fascinating characters.

5 INGREDIENTS QUICK & EASY FOOD Jamie Oliver 4290rsd

and traditional songs. The orchestra will be conducted by Ljubiša Jovanović. This year's “magic” will be complemented by opera singer Katarina Jovanović, who will provide a genuine musical treat.

The Children’s Philharmonic also presents its new soloists each year, young musicians and winners of numerous awards at domestic and international competitions; and this year we will also have the opportunity to see the first generation of soloists who are now studying at prestigious academies all over the world.

The Musical Youth of Novi Sad is organising this year’s New Year’s concert of the Belgrade Philharmonic at the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad on 30th December. You are also invited to be part of this unforgettable musical event on the eve of New Year’s Eve. Treat your loved ones to a musical journey through the hits of the most famous movie creations, which you will find on the evening’s programme, and which will be led by one of the best national orchestras and exceptional maestro Alan Bjelinski.

Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated - that’s why Jamie’s 5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food is sure to become your new best friend in the kitchen.

It’s all about making the journey to good food very, very simple. Every recipe uses just five key ingredients, ensuring you can get a meal together fast, whether it’s finished and on the table in a flash, or after minimal hands-on prep, you’ve let the oven do the hard work for you. It’s about spending a little time to deliver a lot of flavour.

Each recipe has been tried and tested (and tested again!) to ensure the book is packed with no-fuss, budget-friendly dishes that you can rustle up, any day of the week.

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CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Chanel Eau De Parfum Spray

FOR THOSE WHO

Purely femine Chanel blossom based on a bouquet of white flowers.

Price: €85

Chunky Knitted Cardigan Soft and cosy, it's crafted in a chunky knit and features multi-coloured metallic detailing.

Price: €47

DeserveYour Love Christmas is here and it’s time to work your way through the list of people in your life who deserve gifts, big or small. Finding great Christmas gifts in this busy gift-giving season can be a unique challenge.

In Serbia, Christmas can even be celebrated twice: according to the Julian calendar, on 7th January 2018, but also two weeks before that, on 25th December (according to the Gregorian calendar). Both holidays are celebrated

in the same way – the people don’t go to work, families gather for a festive lunch and family members exchange Christmas gifts.

Whether you’re just starting your Christmas shopping for the special people in your life, or you’re still on track but have a few stubbornly uncommon people left to buy for, we’ve got you covered with some gift options again this year, as we have for the previous 14 years.

Blue Moccasin Slippers Whether it's a chilly morning or the end of a hard day, you'll love sinking your feet into these cosy-soft slippers.

Price: €40

Another year is approaching and before you blink, the calendar will soon be reading 2018.

This also signifies that the Christmas holidays are just around the corner, and with that you have to start thinking about the best gifts to buy for your love ones

Chloé Small Faye Suede Shoulder Bag Crafted in smooth leather with a sumptuous suede flap front.

Price: €1,050

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William Sharp Swarovski Embellished Hat Scattered with shimmering Swarovski crystal embellishment.

Price: €290

Annoushka Bracelet This bracelet has been crafted from 18kt yellow gold and is hand set with striking red rubies.

Price: €1,570

Alexander McQueen Skull And Hearts Scarf

Robert Rodriguez Silk Top

This lightweight scarf is perfect for adding designer appeal to casual looks.

Price: €260

Complete the chic look with wide leg trousers and heeled sandals.

Price: €290

Bvlgari Eau Parfumée, (150ml) A delicate fragrance with a captivating and intimate nuance that pleases those who seek deep relaxation.

Price: €105

Marc Jacobs Wallet This compact style is perfectly sized for keeping you neatly organised in the most minimal way possible.

Price: €175

Barbour Waterproof Jacket This entirely waterproof designed Jacket will protect you from the rain or snow, while vents enhance breathability.

Price: €190

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CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Navy Canvas Hat Cotton canvas with a protective brim and a small tab.

Price: €34

Paul Smith Print Silk Tie Luxuriously crafted in Italy with pure silk.

Price: €90

Beoplay H9 Headphones Beoplay H9 Headphones combines minimalist Danish style, fantastic sound, and endless comfort.

Price: €560

Burberry Cotton Shirt

BOSS Leather Briefcase A refined business staple in textured saffiano leather, Italian-made, modern and classic.

Price: €730

Classic design with embroidered motif to the chest and buttoned point collar.

Price: €280

Mulberry CrocEmbossed Bifold Wallet This wallet boasts eight card slots and two interior slip pockets.

Price: €140

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Christy - Deep Sea 'Supreme' Robe

Grey Knit Scarf Great gift to any outfit this winter Price: €17

Cotton towelling robes which offers comfort and style with a shawl collar and cut velour finish.

Price: €75

Black Leather Gloves

Daniel Hanson Silk Pyjamas A genteel set for the modern man's wardrobe, these striped silk pyjamas are crafted from pure silk.

Price: €755

Price: €40

Burberry Belt Sophisticated leather belt in a textured finish for contemporary style.

Price: €330

Dolce & Gabbana Pocket Square Pure silk fabrication for a luxury feel .

Price: €105

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AFTER WORK

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

01 NOV

Doing Business Index Success

The 2nd annual conference “Doing Business 2018: Strengthening Serbia’s Competitiveness”, held at Belgrade’s Hyatt Regency Hotel and organised by NALED, with the support of USAID and the Netherlands Embassy, and with attendees including Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlović, saw participants conclude that the development of e-government and electronic services is key to the further progress of the economy.

Electronic construction permits and more efficient procedure for establishing companies helped Serbia achieve its best ranking on the Doing Business index in the last 12 years – 43rd among 190 countries, while in the category of issuing permits, Serbia entered the Top 10 countries with a leap of 36 places.

“Since 2014, when the Serbian Government began dealing systemically with the improving of the business climate and creating conditions for new investments, we have been constantly advancing on the “Doing Business” index. Now that we are near the top, further advancement is specific type off challenge, because the better ranking we have, the tougher it is to advance. That’s why we are immediately continuing with reforms,” said PM Brnabić.

01 NOV

Days Of Finnish Film

Finnish Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Pertti Ikonen, officially opened the Days of Finnish Film event at the Yugoslav Cinematheque Film Archives.

The Days of Finnish Film opened with a screening of director Aki Kaurismäki’s film “The Man without a Past”, while the audience also had the opportunity to enjoy five productions shot during the period from 1922 to 2002, including “The Unknown soldier” (1955), Edvin Laine, the most watched Finnish film of all time and the one to also have the highest number of remakes (1985, 2009 and 2017).

01 NOV

New HBA Board Appointed

Representatives of the member companies of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia selected a new managerial board at a session of the HBA General Assembly. This occasion saw the appointments of the following members: President Zafiris Lampadaridis (Hyatt, Mercure Hotels), Vice President Vasilis Kakagiotis (Robne Kuce Beograd/Department Stores Belgrade), Treasurer Giorgos Panoutsopoulos (ICAP, Cycle Credit) and members of Stilianos Zakof (Chipita) and Rita Lozinski (Alumil YU Industry).

The new managerial board members stated that the HBA will continue to work on improving communication between existing and potential Greek investors and the Serbian authorities, as well as providing a platform for the development and promotion of business, and providing information to members – all with the aim of providing support to the Greek business community and achieving better economic cooperation between Greece and Serbia.

AMBASSADOR H.E. PERTTI IKONEN

The Embassy of Mexico in Serbia, headed by Ambassador H.E. Marco An02 tonio García Blanco, and in cooperation NOV with the Cervantes Institute in Belgrade, organised the Days of Mexico event. The event began with the formal opening of an exhibition dedicated to the Day of the Dead, which was officially opened by Ambassador García Blanco and Cervantes Institute Director Enrique Camacho Garcia.

The Days of Mexico event ran from 2nd to 14th November and included exhibitions, a projection of Spanish journalist Joaquín Soler Serrano’s 1977 interview with Mexican writer, screenwriter and photographer Juan Rulfo, a screening of the film “Pedro Paramo”, as well as an academic gathering on the topic of the Ambassador H.E. MARCO ANTONIO GARCÍA BLANCO anniversary of Juan Rulfo’s birth.

Days Of Mexico

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08 NOV

Finland Marks 100th Anniversary Of Finnish Independence

09 NOV

AmCham: How To Develop Excellence?

Finnish Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Pertti Ikonen, commemorated the centenary of Finland’s independence (Suomi Finland 100) at his ambassadorial residence in Belgrade, using the opportunity to plant five birch trees, with the assistance of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The celebration was also attended by other ambassadors of Nordic countries to Serbia – Swedish Ambassador H.E. Jan Lundin, Danish Ambassador H.E. Anders Christian Hougard and Janne Knutrud, Deputy Head of the Norwegian Embassy.

“This is an excellent opportunity to talk about the preservation of nature, as one of the basic values of our society. Finland and its Nordic friends are among the world’s leading countries when it comes to environmental protection. We want Serbia to join our team, and that’s the reason why we are today planting trees with President Vučić,” said Ambassador Ikonen.

MS. JANNE KNUTRUD, H.E. PERTTI IKONEN, PRESIDENT ALEKSANDAR VUČIČ, H.E. JAN LUNDIN AND H.E. ANDERS CHRIS

09 NOV

BITEF: Award Ceremony And Donors Evening

Following the close of the 51st Belgrade International Theatre Festival (BITEF), festival director Ivan Medenica presented Belgian director Jan Fabre Gran with the “Mira Trailović Grand Prix”, on behalf of the 51st Bitef Festival and the 40th Politika Award for best direction, for the play “Mount Olympus – To glorify the cult of tragedy, a 24-hour play”.

Bitef continued its activities during November, with 15th November seeing the organising of its first donors evening, in cooperation with marketing agency McCann Group, which was attended by the ambassadors of Montenegro and Switzerland, as well as many other representatives of cultural and public life.

BITEF director IVAN MEDENICA and JAN FABRE

As part of the “SMART Trio” discussions organised by AmCham, Belgrade’s Startit Centre hosted talks on the topic of “excellence”, which included the participations of AmCham Management Board First Vice President and CEO of Philip Morris International for Southeast Europe, Jelena Pavlović, Director of the Mathematical High School in Belgrade, Srđan Ognjanović, and Serbia Country Director for company Symphony, Ivan Dragošan.

Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear what excellence means to the speakers, in the context of both their personal and professional lives.

Following its successful “SMART Talk” series of events, AmCham launched “SMART Trio” as a format that sees important and inspiring topics and values discussed by prominent members of the academic and business communities, as well as significant personalities from the spheres of culture, education, the arts and sport.

10 NOV

Aleksandrov Park Opens In Belgrade

A ceremony was held in the immediate vicinity of the ‘Ruski Dom’ centre for Russian science and culture to honour Russia’s famous “Aleksandrov” ensemble and Russian-Serbian friendship. The unveiling of a memorial plaque and planting of a birch tree symbolically marked the opening of Aleksandrov Park, which boasts a monument to Russian Tsar Nikolai II Romanov, the last Russian emperor.

Russian Ambassador in Belgrade, H.E. Alexander Chepurin, thanked the leaders of the City of Belgrade and said they would work together to make the park more beautiful and give it more contents.

The event was also attended by Belgrade City Manager Goran Vesić, chief urbanist Milutin Folić, Serbian government ministers, representatives of the City Administration, the army, the church and numerous citizens.

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AFTER WORK

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14 NOV

Presentation On Issues Facing People With Disabilities

4 Japanese-Serbian Film Festival

15 NOV

IWC Monthly Meeting Announces Charity Bazaar

Mrs Hager Bjørnstad, spouse of the ambassador of Norway to Serbia, organised a presentation on issues confronting people with disabilities at the Norwegian Ambassadorial Residence.

The purpose of the seminar was to introduce the community of expatriates living in Belgrade to the situation of persons with disabilities in Serbia and what is being done to improve their quality of life. Speaking on the various aspects of this problem were Ivanka Jovanović, from the National Organisation of Persons with Disabilities of Serbia, Dr Damien Tatić, of the UN Convention Committee, Vesna Dejanović from UNICEF, Jelena Tepavčević, Human Resources Manager, and Mrs Slađana Martinović, IKEA Belgrade East.

MRS HAGER BJØRNSTAD

16 NOV

French Week

DRAGOLJUB DAMJANOVIĆ, SANJA IVANIĆ, DEJAN MARKOVIĆ AND JEAN PIERRE GASTAUD

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The fourth annual Japanese-Serbian Film Festival opened with a collective exhibition of photographs of Belgrade with special guest photographer Yuya Matsuo, who calls himself “A photographer travelling the world”.

This year’s JSFF festival again consists of a competitive, review and accompanying programme (cultural, artistic and educational content) on the topic “TABOO”. The aim of the 2017 edition of the festival was to re-examine, question and compare personal and national taboos.

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The International Women’s Club of Belgrade held its official monthly Coffee Morning on 15th November at the Mexican Ambassadorial Residence, kindly hosted by Mrs Eloisa Mendez, spouse of the Mexican Ambassador.

This time the IWC Coffee Morning was a working gettogether rather than a social event, packed with activities, voting for two new board members, planning sessions and distributing duties for the upcoming traditional IWC Charity Bazaar – the IWC’s biggest annual fundraising event, to take place this year on 3rd December in Hall 2 of the Belgrade Fair.

The IWC cordially invites all CorD readers to visit the Charity Bazaar, enjoy themselves, bring their family and friends, and share the joy of giving.

This year’s French Week event, under the slogan “Live in digital”, was officially opened by the President of the FrenchSerbian Chamber of Commerce, Dragoljub Damjanović. Guests were also addressed

by CCFS General Director Sanja Ivanić, Head of the French Embassy’s Economic Department, Jean Pierre Gastaud, and Schneider Electric Director Dejan Marković.

One of the main events of the 5th French Week in Serbia was the Online Job Fair, which ran throughout the seven days of the event, from 16th to 23rd November. CCFS member company Schneider Electric, which celebrated 15 years of operations in Serbia during this year’s French Week, organised the debate “Digitise your future”, which offered participants the chance to familiarise themselves with the ways French corporations work. During the course of French Week, CCFS gave to children of several Belgrade schools and nurseries sundials with French themes, as a reminder not to forget about play even though they live in the digital age.

17 NOV

SPK Martinovanje 2017

Ambassador of Slovenia H.E. VLADIMIR GASPARIČ

20 NOV

The Slovenian Business Club celebrated the Martinovanje holiday again this year. This traditional Slovenian holiday marks the period when young “must” wine becomes old wine.

Alongside culinary specialities and wine from Nova Gorica, organisers succeeded in conjuring that which is characteristic of this 70-year-old city in western Slovenia.

Guests present at the celebration in Belgrade’s Skadarlija Bohemian Quarter were welcomed by Matej Arčon, Mayor of Nova Gorica, Dajana Baša, sommelier and head of the Tourist Information Centre of Nova Gorica, SBC President Danijela Fišakov and the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Serbia, H.E. Vladimir Gasparič.

Addressing those present Ambassador Gasparič noted: “Cooperation is ever better between the two countries, but there are still plenty of possibilities and huge space for cooperation and advancement in the fields of tourism and the economy, with the goal of creating the greatest possible regional integration”.

Forum Serbia-Greece: Business Opportunities In The Food & Beverage Sector

22 NOV

The Embassy of Greece in Belgrade, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia and Greek development agency “Enterprise Greece”, organised a Serbian-Greek business forum entitled “Serbia-Greece: Business Opportunities in the Field of Food and Beverages”, which was held at Belgrade’s Hotel Metropol Palace on 20th November.

The forum included the participation of 22 Greek and 60 Serbian companies from the food and beverage sector.

Expressing his satisfaction with the business gathering, Charalambos Kounalakis, minister plenipotentiary for economic and commercial affairs at the Embassy of Greece in Belgrade, explained to those in attendance the situation in the Greek economy with regard to the food sector and its contribution to Greece’s GDP, as well as highlighting the opportunities available to both Serbian and Greek companies.

SEE MIKTA – Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The National Alliance for Local Economic Development, NALED, and the Embassies of the countries of the MIKTA Platform – Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey and Australia – organised a seminar under the title “SEE MIKTA - Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, with the aim of sharing the world’s best experiences and practises in the development of start-up firms.

The seminar was formally opened by Turkish Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Tanju Bilgiç, while guests were also addressed by Mexican Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Marco Antonio García Blanco, who spoke about Mexico’s experiences of creating a favourable business environment and an entrepreneurial society. The director of Start-up Alliance Korea, Lim Jung Vok, emphasised the importance of developing entrepreneurial culture, incentivising regulations, involving experienced entrepreneurs as mentors, as well as the necessity for the state to launch a programme of financial support to start-up firms at an early stage.

Attendees were also addressed by Felix Petersen, director of Samsung NEXT, which represents a new source of financing as a major corporation, and NALED Executive Chairman Dejan Đokić, who emphasised that initiatives like tax exemptions in the first year of operations, reform of the lump sum taxation system, as well as the creation of registers of non-tax levies and procedures, will be the first steps in creating a favourable business environment for start-ups and helping to encourage innovation and creativity among young people in Serbia.

Twitter/Tanju Bilgiç

23 NOV

Presenting Of The “Eunic Air” Residential Programme

EUNIC, the association of European Culture Centres in Serbia, presented its multidisciplinary AIR (Artist In Residence) platform, under the auspices of which Belgrade is currently the residence of Swedish industrial designer Kristoffer Sundin, French illustrator Antoine Eckart, Italian director Gianluca Barbadori and German authoress Maxi Obexer.

In a conversation moderated by Jean Baptiste Cuzin, president of EUNIC Serbia and director of the French Institute in Serbia, these artists shared their impressions of the residency scheme, working conditions and networking with colleagues available to them during their stay in Serbia, as well as discussing how these residence studies impact on their work and their personal and professional development.

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23 NOV

European Movement In Serbia Marks 25th Anniversary

24 NOV

International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women Marked

Serbia is on an irreversible path of EU integration and the prospects of its EU membership have never been clearer nor more tangible, said Mihailo Crnobrnja, president of the European Movement in Serbia (EMinS), at a gathering marking the 25th anniversary of this organisation’s founding. ‘’Our goal has never been closer. Credits go to every citizen, everyone who cherished the European idea and advocated for persistence on the EU path over the years, regardless of the price he or she often had to pay for those efforts’’, said Crnobrnja.

The European Movement in Serbia was founded in 1992 as a non-governmental organisation that researches, teaches and advocates for European integration.

EMinS has more than 700 members, with 14 councils in cities across Serbia, and is also a member of the European Movement International network based in Brussels. Over the years, this organisation has been led by renowned experts and intellectuals like Vojin Dimitrijević, Mirko Tepavac, Desimir Tošić, Živorad Kovačević and Vlastimir Matejić.

H.E. JULIA FEENEY AND H.E. OANA CRISTINA POPA

Australian Ambassador H.E. Julia Feeney and Romanian Ambassador H.E. Oana Cristina Popa co-hosted a networking breakfast at the Australian Ambassadorial Residence to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th November.

This excellent initiative was attended by Israeli Ambassador H.E. Alona Fischer Kamm, UN Resident Representative and Head of UN Office in Belgrade SimonaMirela Miculescu, Brazilian Ambassador H.E. Isabel Cristina de Azevedo Heyvaert, Indian Ambassador H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador-Designate of Canada H.E. Kati Csaba, Macedonian Ambassador H.E. Vera Jovanovska, NALED Executive Director Violeta Jovanović, British Ambassador H.E. Denis Keefe, UNCHR Representative Hans Friedrich Schodder and other representatives of international organisations and civil society.

24 NOV

Facebook/ Oana Cristina Popa

AFTER WORK

SEE MORE: WWW.CORDMAGAZINE.COM

Serbian Visons 2017

President of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK), Ronald Seeliger, opened the third Serbian Visions multi-congress on 24th November, with the event orgsanised jointly by AHK and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia.

Speaking at the event’s opening, Seeliger said that Germany and Serbia share a vision of the government, NGOs and the business world representing a “troika” for the advancement of society and Serbia’s best route to its European future.

Also speaking at the opening, CCIS Vice President Mihailo Vesović said, “It is very important for us that the conference will include discussion of three strategic topics for the economy of Serbia, and those are digital economy, electronic trade and dual education”. State Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Stevan Nikčević, noted that the topics addressed by Serbian Visions coincide with the chapters in Serbia’s EU accession process.

For the first time, the ceremonial opening of this year’s two-day multi-congress saw awards presented for the best vision and the best social engagement. AHK Director Martin Knapp presented the Best Vision Award to the Central European Development Forum, CEDEF, while the Best Social Engagement Award went to the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM).

AHK President RONALD SEELIGER

AHK Director MARTIN KNAPP and MOMČILO ŽIVADINOVIĆ, Project Manager at YUCOM Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights

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