Partners Germany - Serbia 2020

Partner

GERMANY - SERBIA

2020 The Year Of Jubilees

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

CONTENT

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HISTORY CONDENSED COMMENT

SPEED OF ACCESSION IN SERBIA’S HANDS

H.E. THOMAS SCHIEB, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA

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WE CAN STILL DO WONDERS

RONALD SEELIGER, PRESIDENT OF THE GERMAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (AHK SERBIA) AND CEO OF HEMOFARM (STADA GROUP)

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OUR COMPANY IS HERE TO STAY

UDO EICHLINGER, CEO, SIEMENS AND SIEMENS MOBILITY

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WE’RE HERE WHEN TIMES ARE HARDEST

LJILJANA TOPIĆ, DIRECTOR, GALENIKA PHARMACIA

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WE OFFER CONSUMERS JOY

ZORAN MITIĆ, DIRECTOR, DR OETKER SRBIJA

UP TO 1,100 JOBS WILL BE CREATED BROSE

SUPPORTING CLIENTS AT ALL TIMES

IVAN SMILJKOVIĆ, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF PROCREDIT BANK

27 30 31 ZF

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WE’VE QUICKLY LEARNT TO LIVE WITH THE CRISIS

DESIGN Jasmina Laković j.lakovic@aim.rs

PROJECT MANAGERS Biljana Dević b.devic@aim.rs Vesna Vukajlović v.vukajlovic@aim.rs Mihailo Čučković m.cuckovic@aim.rs

PHOTOS Zoran Petrović

OFFICE MANAGER Svetlana Petrović s.petrovic@aim.rs

COPY EDITOR Mark Pullen mrpeditorial@mail.com

EDITORIAL MANAGER Neda Lukić n.lukic@aim.rs

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GENERAL MANAGER Maja Vidaković m.vidakovic@aim.rs PUBLISHER Ivan Novčić i.novcic@aim.rs PRINTING Rotografika d.o.o.

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SERBIA WILL NEED TO SPEED UP

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GRUNER - EVERY YOUNG WORKER’S DREAM

WE OFFER SECURE JOBS

MILAN MANIĆ, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER OF LEONI SERBIA AND HEAD OF THE LEONI MALOŠIŠTE PLANT

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THE STORY OF GERMAN REUNIFICATION

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SEPTEMBER BRINGS A DEGREE OF OPTIMISM

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LOGISTICS OF THE NEW ERA

HISTORY

DOMESTIC PRODUCTS THAT WE ARE PROUD OF

DM DROGERIE MARKT

FINANCE Dragana Skrobonja finance@aim.rs

KRUNA GAVOVIĆ, CEO OF THE LEAN SIX SIGMA COMPANY CEE AND TMS CEE MARKETING AND ACADEMY MANAGER

TOGETHER FOR TOMORROW

“BUG” HUNTERS

PREDRAG SKOKOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUALITY HOUSE

GERMAN WOMEN THAT HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD

FRAUEN-POWER

RELIABLE ECONOMIC PARTNER OF SERBIA AHK SERBIA

NEW CHALLENGES DRIVE EFFICIENCY

VLADAN MARKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, VLADO BAUMASCHINEN

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BOOKS

10 GERMAN BOOKS YOU HAVE TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE KEY MESSAGES

GERMAN ECONOMY

MARTIN KNAPP, EXECUTIVE MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GERMAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (AHK SERBIA)

EDITOR IN CHIEF Ana Novčić a.novcic@aim.rs a.novcic@cordmagazine.com

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FFE HAS GOT THE MOMENTUM

NIKOLA ĆATOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, MACS ENERGY & WATER D.O.O.

VLADICA STANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR OF GRUNER SERBIA

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FRANK BAUMANN, DIRECTOR, GOETHE-INSTITUT

THE VISION OF NEXT GENERATION MOBILITY

HELP

44 47 48 52 57

IT WILL BE CONTINUED

BOJAN LASKOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CFND BELGRADE

Segedinski put 72, Subotica, Serbia BUSINESS PARTNER GERMANY Published by: alliance international media Prote Mateje 52, 11111 Belgrade 17, PAK 126909, Serbia Phone: +(381 11) 2450 508 Fascimile: +(381 11) 2450 122 E-mail: office@aim.rs;

office@cordmagazine.com www.aim.rs; www.cordmagazine.com No 20 ISSN: 2560-4465 All rights reserved alliance international media 2020 The views expressed in this publication are those of the presenter; they do not necessary reflect the view of publications published by

alliance international media THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE OF CHARGE

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

COMMENT

History

CONDENSED While we are celebrating many events and factors that make German-Serbian bilateral relations stronger, history might also be in the making. This largely depends on how the new Serbian government and parliament will deal with current accession issues

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As such, 2020 might prove to be an historic year for ong before the pandemic turned our world upside the region. There are several reasons for that: first, the down, it was well known that 2020 would be a year EU strongly demonstrated its interest in the region during packed with historic events. Included among them the crisis. This was demonstrated by EU financial support are undoubtedly the anniversary of three decades of of €3.3 billion to Serbia and rest of the Western Balkans; the reunification of Germany, a jubilee passionately debated activation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism during both within German borders and around Europe. Here in the time of the pandemic and the expected inclusion of Serbia we are marking half of the century of the work of the the region in the EU developmental package including the Goethe-Institut and preparing for the celebration of two a European Green Deal. decades of the existence of the German-Serbian Chamber For their part, North Macedonia and Albania are right of Commerce, technically in 2021. All of these events seek in the middle of their preparations for accession talks, a different size and scope of thorough contemplation, and which is an important milestone, while Serbia itself has the fresh ideas about what to do next. possible momentum required to galvanise its somewhat Even without different kinds of jubilees, the year stalled accession negotiations. itself could have been remembered Indeed, such a shift seeks signifias an historic one, both at the global It seems that 2020 might level and at the level of national cant effort from the new Serbian govbecome an historic year in economies. Early 2020 was marked ernment and parliament to embrace by acceleration of the trade war Serbian records, as the one in a faster pace of reforms, in terms between U.S. and China, troubleof the rule of law and, in particular, some Brexit negotiations and, as a which no negotiation chapters judicial reform, media freedom and consequence, a slowdown in global were opened. However, things the fight against corruption. As Gereconomic activity. This gave eveAmbassador to Serbia Thomas may look up before Germany's man Schieb put it: “the more progress rybody a headache – from strong EU presidency ends. on the rule of law, the more chapter economies like that of Germany, to openings are possible.” the much smaller ones, such as the Furthermore, there is obviously the issues of the Serbian, which is strongly dependent on its largest trade normalisation of relations with Kosovo, as well as the and investment partner. general alignment of Serbia’s foreign policy record with Then the pandemic emerged, ensuring - among other that of the EU. things - that Germany’s EU presidency would a very difficult One also has to keep in mind that 2020 might be an period in which many historical moves had been, and still historic year in Serbian records as the one in which no have to be, taken. The list is already long: an agreement chapters were opened. Yet, as the clock ticks, space for on the multi-annual financial framework for the EU for optimism still lingers in the air. the next seven years, plus an additional package of 750 Consequently, this edition of CorD, in which we address billion euros aimed at helping the recovery of the European all of the aforementioned issues and many more, might economy. The further complication of negotiations with become an important piece of evidence on how history the UK, as well as the most important topic for our part has turned, one way or the other. of the world – the future of the EU enlargement process.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

INTERVIEW

H.E. THOMAS SCHIEB, GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA

SPEED OF ACCESSION

In Serbia's Hands

There is a danger of an imbalance between the overall pace of negotiations and the pace of rule of law reforms. Therefore, the basic equation is quite simple: the more progress on rule of law, the more chapter openings are possible - Thomas Schieb

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he annual report of the European Commission, which has been announced for publication in October, should evaluate how far Serbia has progressed in the implementing of reforms linked to EU membership. At that time there will be discussion within the EU over whether some new chapters in the accession negotiation process could be opened,” say H.E. German Ambassador Thomas Schieb, speaking to CorD Magazine. Turning to the recent renewal of dialogue on the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Priština, ambassador Schieb says that the essence is to ensure that “both sides reach a legally binding agreement that enables both Serbia and Kosovo to pursue their EU accession aspirations and fulfil their rights and obligations as EU members”. Asked whether that process also implies that Serbia must recognise Kosovo’s

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independence, Schieb says: “In my political imagination ... it would be hard to envisage such a solution without Serbia recognising Kosovo”.

Your Excellency, Germany took on the presidency of the European Union during the very difficult period of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In your opinion, what will be the biggest challenges for Berlin until the end of 2020?

- The Council Presidency of the European Union is always a very challenging responsibility. And it goes without saying that this is especially true now, given the COVID-19 Pandemic – a health crisis on a global scale with enormous economic and political repercussions. The logistical difficulties of a situation when physical meetings and travel have become part of the problem alone make it challenging to organise

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

ECONOMY

INVESTMENTS

EU

The green transition and digital transformation will play a central role in modernising the economies of the Western Balkans

Germany is Serbia’s biggest trading partner; German companies’ investments in Serbia are significant: around 450 companies in Serbia have created about 64,000 jobs to date

EU is not only an economic union, but also a union of values. Democracy and rule of law are key elements of that union. Without sharing these values, no country can and will join the EU

a presidency. The German EU Council Presidency does everything in its power to deal with this situation.

When addressing the economic and social consequences of COVID-19, it is important to do this in a smart, intelligent way. The objective is to ensure a transition towards a sustainable economy, also taking account of the EU Commission’s proposal for the so-called “Green Deal”.

At the very beginning of our presidency, we reached an agreement on the multi-annual financial framework for the next seven years. This agreement provides for a total volume of more than 1074 billion euros. An additional 750 billion euros will support the recovery of the European economy by the end of 2023.

Beyond COVID-19, there are other difficult issues on the agenda, foremost concluding negotiations with the UK on future trade relations in order to avoid a hard BREXIT. And, lasty, maintaining the momentum regarding the enlargement process.

sion negotiations with both Serbia and Montenegro. Another focus is the issue of demographics and migration, which we will discuss at a conference on Youth and Migration with the Western Balkan countries in Berlin at the end of October.

The European Commission has announced a major economic investment plan for the Western Balkans, as a separate project. Will that plan be presented this autumn, as previously announced?

- That is a question for the Commission, of course, but I think I’m free to say that the Economic and Investment Plan will be presented this autumn. To the best of my knowledge, preparatory work is quite advanced. After the very substantive COVID related EU solidarity package, this will be a further means to support the countries of the region, to spur long-term recovery, boost economic growth focusing on a sustainable recovery and the idea of a European Green Deal as well. The green transition and digital transformation will play a central role in modernising the economies of the Western Balkans.

Investing in clean and digital technologies and capacities – in combination with a circular economy – will help to create jobs and growth.

Beyond COVID-19, there are other difficult issues on the agenda, foremost concluding negotiations with the UK on future trade relations in order to avoid a hard BREXIT. And, last but not least, maintaining the momentum regarding the enlargement process

You’ve stated that the Western Balkan region remains high on the agenda of Germany’s presidency of the EU. What specifically does that mean for the region?

- First of all, it means that, in our response to COVID-19, we include the Western Balkans. The virus knows no borders. We have to deal with it together. That’s why I’m very satisfied with the EU’s financial support of €3.3 billion that’s been mobilised for Serbia and the Western Balkans so far, and the fact that European response mechanisms are also eligible for the countries of this region. The Union Civil Protection Mechanism, for example, has been activated and assistance through delivery of equipment allocated.

Besides COVID-19, we are glad about the new momentum of enlargement. This is most visible in the cases of North Macedonia and Albania. We are preparing accession talks with these two countries by finalising the negotiating frameworks within the Council right now. During our Presidency we aim to hold the first intergovernmental conference with North Macedonia and, if conditions are met, also with Albania. We want to promote the EU rapprochement of all the countries of the region, and pay a lot of attention to the ongoing acces-

International financial institutions have predicted economic recessions for most European countries this year, Germany included. How will this impact on economic cooperation between Germany and Serbia?

- The interim projection 2020, which was published by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs at the beginning of September, shows that the recession was not as severe as feared and the upswing is going faster than expected.

Also, expectations among German companies for the coming months seem to have brightened up again.

The Government of Serbia invested significant funds to help the economy. That was instrumental in tackling the crisis. Positive developments in Germany and Europe would also be good news for Serbia, given the close economic links. Germany is Serbia’s biggest trading partner; German companies’ investments in Serbia are significant: around 450 companies in Serbia have created about 64,000 jobs 9

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

to date. Of course, some companies are able to cope with the current challenges better than others; some might have postponed the implementation of projects. However, we see no signs of German companies turning their back on Serbia, on the contrary.

Recently, Germany and Serbia established an Institutional Partnership which aims, among other things, at strengthening

the respective supply chains, in accordance with Serbia’s industrial policy strategy and the EU Green Deal. Also, in the framework of the German Development Cooperation, we are setting up an emergency grant scheme for the private sector, in support of the digitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises.

When congratulating the Serbian Progressive Party on its election victory this spring, you stated that you are convinced that the new Serbian government will increase the tempo of reforms, mentioning as key areas the fight against corruption, freedom of the media and the rule of law.

What do you base that optimism on, given that EU member states have to date only criticised Serbia for insufficiently visible progress on reforms in these areas?

- As I said in my answer to the previous question, Serbia will need to swiftly implement the reforms in the fields you mention. The necessary reforms were agreed with the EU and are operationalised in the action plans for chapters 23 and 24.

The lack of progress on implementing the action plans led to the EU’s decision not to open a new accession negotiation chapter this summer. Without swift and tangible progress with regard to the media situation, independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, I’m afraid it will be difficult to argue for further chapter openings. However, I am indeed an optimist. With its very strong mandate, the new government should be able to swiftly and effectively implement the reforms in the aforementioned areas. I can only encourage the new government, once it is in place, to start delivering on its commitments.

The lack of progress on implementing the action plans led to the EU’s decision not to open a new accession negotiation chapter this summer. Without swift and tangible progress with regard to the media situation, independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, I’m afraid it will be difficult to argue for further chapter openings

Serbia didn’t open a single new negotiating chapter with the EU during the course of the Croatian presidency. Do you think that any will be opened during the German presidency?

- We hope so. However, this depends first and foremost on Serbia. Serbia determines the speed at which the accession process advances. The more substantial the reforms Serbia is implementing, in particular regarding the rule of law, the higher the chance of opening new chapters.

In order to open a chapter, two conditions need to be fulfilled: it needs to be technically ready; and we need to see progress in the fulfilment of those conditions that are particularly important for EU accession, i.e. the rule of law, in particular justice reform, media freedom and the fight against corruption. We know from experience that such reforms take 10

more time to be implemented and to show results than rather technical adjustments in, for example, the field of agriculture.

There is a danger of imbalance between the overall pace of negotiations and the pace of rule of law reforms. Therefore, the basic equation is quite simple: the more progress on the rule of law, the more chapter openings are possible.

In October we expect the Commission’s country report, which will assess Serbia’s performance over the last 12 months. Then the discussion about possible chapter openings will start within the Council. Of course, other issues apart from the rule of law also factor in, like normalisation with Kosovo and the foreign policy record generally. Unfortunately, as time passes, 2020 risks becoming a lost year for rule of law reforms. I hope that the new government and parliament will redouble their efforts to make up for the time lost due to COVID-19 and elections.

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

At the recent Crocodile Literary Festival held in Belgrade, you helped in the organising of a debate on European perspectives. Participants discussed the strengthening of the so-called ‘stabilocracy’ in the region, or governments that are formally democratic but authoritarian in essence. Commentators note as a particular problem that such regimes in the region still have EU support. How would you comment on that?

- I know this argument, and it does not convince me. We all agree that a lot remains to be done. We have just talked about standards with regard to, for example, media freedom. Serbia and other countries in the region have embarked on the road to EU accession.

We commend this choice and are doing our utmost, as a reliable partner, to help the countries of the region advance on this reform path.

It is important to stress that the EU is not only an economic union, but also a union of values. Democracy and rule of law are key elements of that union. Without sharing these values, no country can and will join the EU.

from the U.S. State Department, Dep. Ass. Secretary Matthew Palmer, at the outset of the last high-level meeting in Brussels underlines the interest in working together closely.

Speaking recently about the dialogue, Mr Lajčak said that ‘the final agreement should be in accordance with International Law, acceptable for all EU Member States and pro-

With its very strong mandate, the new government should be able to swiftly and effectively implement the reforms in the aforementioned areas. I can only encourage the new government, once it is in place, to start delivering on its commitments

This summer saw the resumption of the Belgrade-Priština Dialogue, but a new problem seems to have arisen in the form of a kind of rivalry between the EU and the U.S when it comes to this process. Miroslav Lajčak, the EU’s envoy for this dialogue, said that the EU was not consulted during preparations for the meeting of Belgrade and Priština delegations in Washington. How would you comment on that?

- In general, activities that bring the parties closer together are welcome.

We are ready to work with our U.S. colleagues to help grow the economies of Kosovo, Serbia, and the wider region. As for the many unresolved political issues between the two countries, it is very positive that President Vučić and Prime Minister Hoti both stressed that they attach the highest priority to the EU-facilitated dialogue at their last meeting in Brussels. From our point of view, the talks facilitated by EU Special Representative Lajčak are progressing well. It is clear that reaching a sustainable, comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia will require close cooperation between the EU, as the facilitator of the dialogue, and the international partners of Kosovo and Serbia. The presence of a high-ranking colleague

mote reconciliation’. Do you agree with a framework set in such a way?

- Yes, we do. The goal of the normalisation dialogue is a legally binding agreement between Serbia and Kosovo that needs to be comprehensive, i.e. dealing with all relevant open questions, and needs to promote reconciliation and increase regional stability, indeed. It needs to unlock both Kosovo and Serbia’s eventual EU membership and to contribute to regional stability.

When it comes to this dialogue, the essential question is whether Germany will be among those EU member states that will seek that Serbia ultimately recognise Kosovo’s independence as a condition of EU accession?

- The essential question is that both sides reach a legally binding agreement that enables both Serbia and Kosovo to pursue their EU accession aspirations and fulfil their rights and obligations as EU members. This is the condition set in the negotiation framework signed by Serbia and the EU. To this end, it must have all the attributes mentioned before.

How else should it work? In my political imagination, I may add, it would be hard to envisage such a solution without Serbia recognising Kosovo.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

BROSE

UP TO 1,100 JOBS

Will Be Created

Brose, the world's fourth-largest family-owned automotive supplier, will open a location for development and production in Pančevo in the summer of 2021, with the company striving to generate revenue of around 440 million euros in Serbia by 2025

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he supplier wants to create up to 1,100 jobs in development, sales, purchasing and production.

With 120 million euros set to be spent for the new location, construction works are advancing rapidly and will be completed by the spring of 2021, with production set to start in August.

The highly automated production at Brose’s Pančevo facility will include, among others, the production of electronics and drives for cooling fan modules. All electronics for the Brose group are produced under clean room conditions. In the coming years, the company plans to employ about 900 employees in all areas of production. In addition to this, a development centre will also be built in Pančevo by 2025, where up to 200 engineers will develop new products for electric vehicles. The goal is to offer customised solutions for car manufacturers and provide vehicle users with more comfort, safety and efficiency.

Brose offers many benefits for its employees, in-

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BROSE PANČEVO

cluding a canteen. Healthcare is also very important: employees receive private health insurance funded by the company, including an annual medical examination.

Modern training, in part with challenging sessions at locations in Germany, Mexico and China, is offered to top representatives, as well as participation in management development programmes.

SOCIALLY ACTIVE IN THE CITY AND THE REGION Brose also takes its corporate social responsibility seriously: it has, for example, made a significant contribution to expanding the testing capacity for COVID-19, thus protecting the health of the population in Pančevo.

Brose aims to collaborate with local schools, as well as the Technical University of Novi Sad and the University of Belgrade, in order to discover and promote talent at an early stage and encourage the development of joint research projects. In the future, this automotive supplier will regularly open the gates of its factory to interested citizens and provide insight into production and the working world.

ROMAN STRAKOS, GENERAL MANAGER OF BROSE BELGRADE: “When investigating possible locations for our new production and development site, contacting the GermanSerbian Chamber of Commerce and the Development Agency of Serbia proved invaluable. The two organisations host a number of interesting and useful conferences, as well as training and knowledge-sharing events, which helped us understand the local market and set up our organisation accordingly.

COOLING FAN MODULE

“Even under the influence of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Brose continues to focus on the construction of our new plant in Pančevo and the recruitment of experts and skilled personnel. Things are progressing rapidly and we aim to start production earlier than planned in 2021.

Our family-owned company is proud to support society in these challenging times - in order to fulfil this commitment, we are looking for the most passionate and capable employees. Anyone willing to deliver an outstanding performance is welcome. Our highly motivated first 100 employees have convinced me that Serbia in general, and Pančevo in particular, was the right choice for Brose“.

COMPANY PROFILE The Brose Group develops and produces mechatronic systems for vehicle doors and seats, as well as electric motors, drives and electronics, among others for steering, brakes, transmissions and engine cooling. Approximately 25,000 employees at 65 locations in 24 countries generate a turnover of 6.2 billion euros. Worldwide, every second new vehicle is equipped with at least one Brose product.

The company’s list of clients includes approximately 80 car brands, over 40 automotive suppliers and 50 manufacturers of electric bicycles.

MILESTONES • October 2019: Signing of the settlement contract • March 2020: Foundation stone ceremony • Spring 2021: Finalisation of construction and movement into the new building • August 2021: Start of series production • Autumn 2021: Official opening 13

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

IVAN SMILJKOVIĆ, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF PROCREDIT BANK

SUPPORTING CLIENTS At All Times

We are aware of the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic, but we were also ready to face them, so their impact on our operations will be much smaller than will be the case with companies that weren't orientated towards their own priorities – and those are clients and employees, and digital services, where we have been pioneers in many areas

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roCredit Bank is the only bank in Serbia with a hundred per cent German capital, which also has a direct impact on the way this bank operates and approaches its clients.

“We are guided by the principles that characterise the German economy, and those are precision, responsibility, security and quality. Investing in education, both of our colleagues and our clients, is a standard for us, and our commitment to focus on preserving the natural environment in everything we do is no less important,” says Ivan

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We recently launched the most modern way of communicating with individuals, and that is the ability to open an account via video identification. This is just one of the digitalised services with which we’ve enabled clients to conduct their business with the bank from home

Smiljković, member of the ProCredit Bank Executive Board.

Being a German bank in Serbia also implies that a system of double control exists – on the part of the National Bank of Serbia and the German Board for Banking Supervision, BaFin, which takes care to ensure that all banks with German capital respect the same rules, regardless of where they operate, says our interlocutor, adding that “this type of control serves as a guarantee to our clients that we are an institution that they can trust and that they can rely on, and the previous period only proved this fact”.

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Which of your services are digitalised?

- We started the digital transformation six years ago and can now state with pride that the client can complete everything they needs from the bank from their home. Also testifying to this is the fact that we recently launched the most modern way of communicating with individuals, and that is the ability to open an account via video identification. In just a few minutes, in a video conversation with our advisor, anyone who is interested can open an account and activate electronic and mobile banking, while payment cards are delivered to clients at their home address.

We are one of the first banks in Serbia to introduce the Apple pay option, through cooperation with Mastercard.

Clients can now perform transactions more securely using just their phone.

It is not necessary to enter the PIN code at a POS terminal to authorise the transaction, regardless of the amount, rather the transaction is authorised through a fingerprint or face ID and placing the phone close to the contactless reader at the point of sale.

Internally, we have implemented the so-called “paperless concept”, with which the need to print documentation is reduced or eliminated completely.

Every employee of our bank has a qualified electronic certificate that they use in their daily work. We have thus significantly reduced the need for printed paper and contributed to protecting the environment.

How is your bank helping SMEs to overcome the crisis?

- Small and medium-sized enterprises are the driving force of our economy, which is why we believe that they need considered and long-term assistance, both in an advisory and financial sense, as well as through effective and achievable strategies and cooperation with development funds (IPARD, EIF), which we’ve also offered clients in times like these. We are all on an unfamiliar ground when it comes to the duration of the pandemic, and as we view clients as partners, our support has not been lacking during the past six months - whether that related to approving postponements on repayments, making new placements or the advisory role for which our bank is recognised.

Do your clients also use part of their loans for digital transformation?

- ProCredit Bank’s corporate clients are among the group of the most respectable companies that are aware that digitalisation is not just a buzzword, but rather that the benefits of digitalisation are visible in all segments of business – both in more efficient processes that save time and money, and in the quality of the services that are provided to clients.

Fitch Ratings recently confirmed the investment rating of ProCredit Bank in Serbia. What does this decision mean to you?

- Confirmation of a good credit rating by one of the world’s largest rating agencies during times of crisis is an indicator that our operations in Serbia are extremely stable. It was likewise assessed that we have the absolute support of our shareholder - ProCredit Holding, which means that all our financial and business risks are minimal. We will strive to maintain our good position on the international list of institutional investors, but also to improve it, because it is only through progress, improvement and innovation that we can respond in the right way to all the current and future needs of our clients.

We will strive to maintain our good position on the international list of institutional investors, but also to improve it, because it is only through progress, improvement and innovation that we can respond in the right way to all the current and future needs of our clients

What impact will COVID-19 have on the operations of banks in Serbia and how do you respond to these challenges?

- It was precisely during the time of the Coronavirus pandemic that we confirmed that all our investments in the digitalisation process made sense in multiple ways.

The banking system is extremely agile and always ready to adapt to new challenges. Our aim is to exit this period professionally and responsibly, to be available to our clients, and to consider our employees while doing so. We are aware of the consequences, but we were also ready to face them, so their impact on our operations will be much smaller than will be the case with companies that weren’t orientated towards their own priorities – and those are clients and employees.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

INTERVIEW

RONALD SEELIGER, PRESIDENT OF THE GERMAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (AHK SERBIA) AND CEO OF HEMOFARM (STADA GROUP)

We Can Still

DO WONDERS

You don't need to be a businessman to know that the shortfalls in production during the spring will affect balance sheets for 2020. However, there is a window of opportunity for institutional changes that may help the business community and keep us all healthy and in our workplaces. And then it will be possible to break new records, as we have done at AHK over the past decade

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feel a great pleasure when I look back and see the way in which German investments developed in Serbia. This year is of special importance to us because we symbolically mark two decades of the presence of the German economy in this region. About 450 German companies operate in Serbia today, employing over 60,000 employees. Figuratively speaking, an entire Pirot or Kikinda work at the companies that came to Serbia from Germany, points out Dr Ronald Seeliger, President of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Hemofarm, speaking to CorD. You have spent two terms in office as the head of the GermanSerbian Chamber of Commerce, which has represented an important link between Serbia and Germany. In addition to the permanent growth of German investments in Serbia,

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

OPTIMISM

Despite the global economic crisis, we hope for good results and some new examples of cooperation between Germany and Serbia

OPPORTUNITY

Given the fragility of supply chains, Serbia now has a good opportunity to present and expose itself to potential investors as a favourable business destination

what were the greatest achievements of AHK in the previous years, in your opinion? Is there an achievement that you find crucial, but that has been less known to the general public?

- More precisely, if we count the period when AHK had another form of presentation in Serbia, I have been a member of the leadership of this organisation for seven years. I mention this because I’ve played an active role over this fairly long period of time, in the continuous economic rise of my home country in the country in which I now work, and I think this is my greatest satisfaction.

Mind you, we are talking about a serious increase of investments and growth of foreign trade between Germany and Serbia. If I tell you that the trade between our two countries has increased two and a half fold over the past decade, and that it reached as much as five billion euros last year, which is a remarkable record in our economic cooperation, I believe I have every reason to be a proud German in Serbia. Unfortunately, this information has not received the deserved spotlight, because the current pandemic has taken us in another direction. Namely, we have paid more attention to finding a way to help the operation of the economy at this critical juncture than we have had time to summarise the results of the last year.

However, here is the opportunity to also mention some of the economic records.

I propose the start of the new term of the Government begin with an open, goodhearted and cooperative dialogue that will involve as many different actors as possible

to ensure that their employees remain healthy. There is no worse nightmare for any industry than stopping production, in this particular case due to mass illness of workers. As an employer, you face two responsibilities: to protect the employees and to secure stable production, so you can imagine the magnitude of responsibility of each company.

For example, our task at Hemofarm was to secure the regular supply of the market with medicinal products, namely

If I tell you that the trade between our two countries has increased two and a half fold over the past decade, and that it reached as much as five billion euros last year, I believe I have every reason to be a proud German in Serbia

Given that you’ve mentioned the pandemic, health and safety seem to be the most important elements of a successful business operation. How are AHK members in Serbia managing the COVID-19 situation in terms of their present activities?

- Let me use the terminology of the sector I come from: this is a unique situation in recent history, where the health crisis has had a dramatic impact on the business scanner. For this very reason, AHK has maintained permanent contacts with its member companies and I can tell you that, not only did they observe the measures prescribed by the state, but they went a step further in order

PROPOSAL

ensuring that no patient is left without their therapy, and you only can do that if the production is working full steam and if your employees are healthy. Therefore, the focus of our activities over the past several months, as well as today, has been on protective measures for our employees.

Today, almost seven months after the start of the outbreak, could you anticipate the extent to which COVID-19 has influenced business plans for 2020, given the high concentration of companies in the automotive sector and other labour intensive industries?

- You don’t need to be a businessman to know that the shortfalls in production during the spring will affect balance sheets for 17

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

factor. It suddenly became clear that it is never good to be dependent on one supplier alone. I find this experience of fragile supply chains as one of the real and most important messages of the pandemic.

I really think this can be an opportunity for the Western Balkan countries.

Serbia now has a good opportunity to present and impose itself to potential investors as a favourable business destination.

Hemofarm is well-known for having helped and been a good partner to the healthcare sector at all times, especially in times of crisis. We worked night and day, our task was fulfilled, and I am very grateful to our employees for that

2020. However, some industries have recovered quickly following the end of the lockdown, so they will probably end this year better than it initially appeared.

Speaking of the automotive industry, it has certainly been one of the worst affected and it will take time to recover.

There are companies in Serbia that are suppliers of German companies in this industry, and we are doing our best to help them. AHK has been implementing a regional project for years called Supplier Initiative, as part of which we have been connecting German companies with supplier companies from Serbia. Not even the pandemic stopped us; we just moved from live meetings to an online format. Right now, in September, we organised a new matchmaking with the participation of over 30 German companies and 50 Serbian ones, while across the area of the Western Balkans this initiative gathered together a total of over 150 companies. This time also most of the interested German companies came from the metal processing industry, the automotive industry supplier sector, as well as from the industry of manufacturing and processing plastic materials.

Despite the global economic crisis, we hope for good results and some new examples of cooperation between Germany and Serbia.

To what extent has the current situation impacted on prospective German investors and their plans regarding Serbia?

- Let me put it like this: the Coronavirus crisis has shown how sensitive our supply chains are. At the height of the crisis, during April, a kind of panic broke out in many German companies that started discussing the need to shorten and diversify all supply chains. Eastern Asia, for example, was considered a major risk 18

How could the new Serbian Government further improve the business environment?

- I think it would be very important for the new Government to start its mandate with a dialogue with chambers of commerce, representatives of national and international companies and renowned businesspeople; to sit around the same table and discuss what has to be changed or improved, especially taking into account the problems that the pandemic brought to the world of business. I therefore propose the start of the new term of the Government begin with an open, goodhearted and cooperative dialogue that will involve as many different actors as possible.

Given your expertise in the medical sector, how would you assess the overall health situation in Serbia? Were companies from the sector able to contribute to the healthcare system in their full capacity?

- I have lived in Serbia for almost nine years, and there are certain things I find to be constant. One of them is the extraordinarily professional level of doctors and other medical staff. If we talk about cooperation with the healthcare system, Hemofarm is well-known to have helped and been a good partner at all times, especially during times of crisis.

Already at the beginning of the pandemic outbreak, we donated medical equipment worth 400,000 euros, which was one of the greatest donations made by companies in this region. Hemofarm Foundation provided financial aid to the cities of VrĹĄac and Ĺ abac, which are the cities where our manufacturing sites are located. However, as I have already stated, our primary task was to provide a regular supply of the market with medicines. As said, we could not have allowed our hospitals to be left without Hemomycin, our antibiotic that was the first line of defence against COVID-19, or pharmacies to be left without the medicines

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

that are used as regular therapies for patients suffering from heart problems and other diseases. We worked night and day, our task was fulfilled, and I am very grateful to our employees for that.

How could the healthcare system become more sustainable and capable of addressing similar challenges?

- Speaking of healthcare systems and their sustainability, I think that all those who want to will be able to learn lessons from this experience and be more prepared for some future crisis. If a similar crisis strikes, I believe everyone will react better. What I fear is some crisis in the future that could have a different form than this one, and which could also have global and devastating effects. In short, I think that the crisis plans of international organisations, states and healthcare systems should be revised and updated, and should include many more different scenarios and potential answers. It seems as if the end of the previous century and the beginning of this one spoiled us a little, so the world was not ready for the Coronavirus pandemic.

When it comes to the sustainability of healthcare systems, it is important to point out the following – one of the important experiences we gained over the past few

months is digitalisation in all fields, including this one. I think a much greater number of citizens have now realised that digitalisation is very important in the healthcare system and that e-medicine is our near future, and in some cases is already our present. Of course, severe diseases and surgeries require direct contact with a doctor, but the life of people with light or chronic diseases can have a better quality owing to what we call ‘virtual care’. Some examinations, check-ups and prescriptions of therapy are already performed via e-platforms, through which various costs are cut and time is spared for both patients, on the one hand, and doctors and hospitals, on the other. This is why I see the sustainability of the healthcare system precisely in the digitalisation of services in this sector, in higher flexibility and better adaptation to situations among everyone who participates in management, in a more resilient supply chain, and in a higher degree of social solidarity at the global level.

Unfortunately, this pandemic has taken many victims, but it has also born heroes, and here I mean doctors, other medical and nonmedical staff, pharmacists, as well as numerous scientists and researchers. In the post-COVID-19 era, we need new heroes from different professions, those whose knowledge will make this world more resilient to another new crisis.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

ZORAN MITIĆ, DIRECTOR, DR OETKER SRBIJA

WE OFFER

Consumers Joy Dr Oetker will be celebrating two decades of its existence in Serbia next year, while in Germany the brand will celebrate 130 years of operations. It operates today in more than 40 countries, has more than 16,000 workers and 3,500 different products, but is continuing to expand and works constantly on innovations

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r Oetker has a traditional range that persists thanks to the brand’s loyal consumers. Despite its leading position in the segment of cake preparation products, Dr Oetker follows all changes on the market, developing and expanding precisely those groups of products that follow the lifestyle of modern people What is it like to lead such a unique company?

- I would say that the most accurate answer is ‘challenging’. From the beginning, our goal in Serbia was first to return the brand to the market, to complete the acquisition of Centroproizvod and, finally, to construct a factory where our products would be produced according to the highest standards of quality. Of course, throughout this entire journey, we’ve been working constantly to advance our people, to improve our processes and corporate culture, so – as such – we’ve implemented the most modern tools in all areas of operations.

Oetker. Each country strives to adapt its offer to the needs of its market. Among varying countries there are the same products, but also completely different groups of products that are specific only to certain markets and the tastes of their population.

Dr Oetker baking powder is of uniform quality and is a wellknown product that’s present on a large number of markets, but cake mixes are adapted to the tastes and habits of consumers in different countries. What is common and unique in all Dr Oetker member countries are the standards and quality that we strive to achieve uncompromisingly in every business process.

The requirements for the quality and safety of our products are based on the same standards and internal guidelines at all Dr Oetker factories worldwide. The certificates that we possess are part of a global certification matrix, which ensures a high level of quality and an absolutely safe product, regardless of the country in which it is produced.

The requirements for the quality and safety of our products are based on the same standards and internal guidelines at all Dr Oetker factories worldwide

We presume that your product range varies from market to market, but that you insist on high standards in business and product quality wherever you operate...

- Understanding the similarities and differences between consumers in different countries is very important for a company like Dr 20

Dr Oetker is known everywhere as one of the most socially responsible companies. Has the pandemic only strengthened your concern for employees and the communities in which you operate?

- Thanks to responsible operations and dedicated, hard-working employees, during the period of the state of emergency and

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

tough economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, our company ensured the regular and full payment of salaries for all employees.

The company’s management waived the assistance offered by the Government of the Republic of Serbia that was intended for businesses, in the form of a package of tax breaks and direct payments of the net minimum wage for every employee. We felt that this help was needed by companies that were particularly hard hit by this crisis, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. As such, we at Dr Oetker Srbija considered it socially responsible and patriotic to leave that help for them.

Apart from caring for employees during these uncertain and difficult times, we at Dr Oetker Srbija believe that all members of the community should do what is in their power to help those on the front line of the struggle against the pandemic and those for whom help means the most. It is for this reason that we’ve turned to what we do best and donated our products to institutions nationwide.

We donated, to the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina in Novi Sad, the Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica and the Clinical Centre in Niš, our instant products for quick preparation, which include oatmeal, muesli and milkshakes, while the SOS Children’s Village “Dr Milorad Pavlović” in Sremska Kamenica, the Red Cross of Serbia and the Foundation SOS Children’s Villages of Serbia in Belgrade, Zemun, Kraljevo and Niš received our products from the range for the preparation of sweet confectionery products.

the consumer and their behaviour, because it is precisely the behaviour of consumers that has the greatest impact on profit and business success. Throughout all these years, Dr Oetker has been offering its consumers the joy of preparing delicious, beloved cakes and desserts in the most affordable form and the best quality. From traditional additives for preparing desserts, through cake mixes that simplify their preparation, to oatmeal, as a quick solution for breakfast or a snack.

By turning towards changes on the market, Dr Oetker has combined quality and competencies with its range, making its products available to its consumers in the form of simple preparations. We live today in the time of digitalisation, when the flow of information is faster than ever before, as is the availability of products, while consumer tastes are becoming ever more demanding and the time available for baking and preparing desserts is constantly reducing.

Our traditional range still resists the changes of this time, because we have loyal consumers and occupy a leading position when it comes to this segment of products intended for the preparation of cakes. However, as we are orientated towards the market and follow the changes that are happening, we develop and expand precisely those groups of products that shorten preparation times and are the most suitable companions to the lifestyle of the modern consumer.

Our wide range of cake mixes testifies to that. For example, in order to make cornbread quickly and easily, with a small number of ingredients, you need the Dr Oetker cornbread mixture, 100ml of carbonated mineral water and 400ml of oil, and the job’s done, after 25 minutes of baking. You can opt to add other ingredients, such as cheese. Do you have a quicker recipe than Dr Oetker? Or a recipe for vanilla custard slice filling... All you need to do is add 800ml of milk and the filling is ready.

In addition to cake mixes, we also have oatmeal, which is known as a high-quality and fast meal that’s ready in three minutes, a wide range of puddings, cream puddings that don’t need to be cooked, instant desserts and many other high-quality products.

This year we went a step further and launched puddings that are prepared in a cup. All you have to do is add milk and blend well, which is a response to new market trends. On the other hand, the health trend also defines the target group and in the future will have an even greater impact on consumer behaviour. The development of products that help to more quickly and easily prepare healthier meals is definitely one of the areas in the focus of Dr Oetker. Responses to this trend are oatmeals and cereal mixes made from different types of cereals, created with the intention of enabling consumers to also consume this type of product.

This year we went a step further and launched puddings that are prepared in a cup.

All you have to do is add milk and blend well, which is a response to new market trends

The Dr Oetker family owners and company have for decades shown strong support to families, i.e. children and parents, in the most diverse ways. SOS Children’s Villages is just one of the many organisations with which you have enduring cooperation? Tell us more about that...

- It was in 2011 that Dr Oetker Srbija established cooperation with the SOS Children’s Village in Kraljevo, and the “Kinderdorf SOS International” institution at the international level, which cares for children and youth. We recognised the importance and contribution of this organisation in providing a family home for children without parental care and we very happily provide support and our contribution to ensuring this beautiful story really endures. Our wish, not only for children but also for ourselves, is to have beautiful memories from the large number of gatherings that we organise together. The aim of our many years of friendship is to elicit smiles on the faces of each of the several hundred children that this organisation cares for.

In which ways do your current customers differ from those you had a few decades ago, and what will the consumers of the future look like?

- No oranisation, not even the smallest, can or should neglect

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

INTERVIEW

MARTIN KNAPP, EXECUTIVE MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GERMAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (AHK SERBIA)

WE'VE QUICKLY LEARNT To Live With The Crisis

Companies have learnt over time to work under new circumstances. We are now waiting to see the results of the survey among German companies operating in Serbia and 16 Eastern European countries in early 2021, in order to get a clear picture of how the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way they see the world. The results might give us a better idea of whether the idea of nearshoring will gain momentum

L

ike in the case of many other organisations in the previous period, AHK had to face the challenge of shifting many of its activities online. One of the most challenging would be the organisation of the AHK-supported Serbian Visions, the traditional annual festival of civil society with 60 co-organisers that used to see thousands of visitors over the course of one weekend in November. Yet some of the signature activities, such as bringing German industrial companies into contact with potential suppliers from the Western Balkans, took place almost as usual this year, only in electronic form.

“Many things are still unclear and we will have to wait a little longer before we see clearly what has happened in 2020,” says Martin Knapp, Executive Member of the Board of Directors of AHK Serbia.

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How would you assess the impact of the pandemic on trade between Germany and Serbia in 2020?

- During recent years the volume of the bilateral exchange of goods and services has increased-year on-year. But this probably won’t be the case this year. The Coronavirus pandemic will certainly lead to a decline here, but this decline probably won’t be as catastrophic as originally anticipated.

However, only two thirds of the year have passed and one should be careful with forecasts in these times.

Around this time each year we expect the results of the AHK Serbia survey in order to learn whether German companies present on the market would invest again. Is this a plausible question in times like this? What are the major concerns of companies that they share with you today?

- We also conducted the survey this year, shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic. When it was finished, we were all in lockdown, so we asked ourselves who would be interested in what the companies expected before the crisis. We then concluded that we wouldn’t publish it. We are now eagerly awaiting the results of the survey, which we will relaunch at the beginning of 2021 – not only in Serbia, but in 16 Eastern

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

European countries, as we do every year. We will then compare the results with those of this year in order to form a clear picture about how the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way companies see the world.

How has AHK assisted companies through these tough times?

- At the beginning the main goal was to inform companies about current topics. There we mainly did webinars, for example about labour law issues during the pandemic. We also spoke with many company bosses over the phone, to find out how the companies are getting through the crisis, on the one hand, and to signal to them that they weren’t alone with all the problems, on the other. However, I have to say that most companies quickly learnt to live with the crisis.

What were your major policy-related activities?

- We tried to represent the interests of our member companies when the government was setting up its assistance packages. Here we were particularly concerned about so-called large companies. With them it is always easily assumed that ‘big’ automatically means ‘strong’. That is often true, but not always. A large enterprise is always also a large risk. If, for example, production has to be stopped because employees fall ill, this has significant consequences for employment, not only at the local level, but also regionally.

and institutional culture is changing towards less travelling and more digital communication.

With this in mind, there are many discussions about whether multinational companies will rethink their approach to building global value chains and opt for partners closer to their central operations. Would you expect German companies to focus further on this region?

- The issue of supply chains is now being given more attention.

At the beginning of the crisis we were particularly concerned about so-called large companies, given that it is always easily assumed that ‘big’ automatically means ‘strong’, which is not always the case

How has the current situation impacted on some of your activities, such as connecting Serbian companies to German value chains, or with Serbian start-ups?

- Our buyer initiative, through which we bring German industrial companies into contact with potential suppliers from the Western Balkans, took place almost as usual this year, only in electronic form. There is now a lot of talk about so-called nearshoring, i.e. the search for suppliers in the geographical vicinity of a company. In this context, new opportunities exist for Serbian industry.

For start-ups, especially in the IT sector, new opportunities lie more in the fact that the demand for IT services and products is growing worldwide, because the organisational

There is the approach of reducing risks by shortening supply chains, but above all by diversifying suppliers. There are opportunities for the region in this area, especially when we consider that other factors are also becoming increasingly important, such as compliance with certain standards of occupational safety and employee remuneration. This, too, should lead to increased demand for suppliers from European countries.

How are current developments influencing the way AHK works at the central and local levels? Will there be innovations in your work?

- Like many other institutions, we now have very interesting experiences with our home office. Another innovation is the transfer of events to the internet. We organise 50 events every year. Digitalising them all is not easy. The digitalisation of Serbian Visions, for example, which is our annual festival of civil society, with 60 co-organisers and thousands of visitors over the course of one weekend in November, will be a real challenge.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

UDO EICHLINGER, CEO, SIEMENS AND SIEMENS MOBILITY

Our Company Is

HERE TO STAY Siemens, a company with a rich history and a pioneer in the field of digitalisation, today offers solutions and technologies that help its customers and partners respond far swifter and more efficiently to crisis situations and changing market demands

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ur company is here to stay and we will extend our facilities even more over time. We want to grow and develop right here in Serbia, as well as to contribute actively to local society through our solutions and expertise, announces Mr Udo Eichlinger.

Of all the areas in which you operate in Serbia, which currently has the best prospects?

- Siemens has a thrilling history. I am personally proud to be part of such an amazing global heritage and to witness exciting developments occurring every day. Unfortunately, we are also witnessing the global pandemic that the world has been fighting over the last year. Because of that, all businesses worldwide have had to adapt to new ways of doing business. Trends of digitalisation have proven to be very effective during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are able to adapt their production quickly and flexibly to any need, which is why I believe that our company has great prospects, since it is focused on the future and on meeting the challenges brought to us by the newly established global market. We are a partner to industry in digital transformation and we are here for our costomers when it comes to unlocking the full potential of digitalisation in their organisations.

Mobility, smart infrastructure and digital industries are areas that require constant improvement. One of the great examples that we’re currently working on is a new state-of-the-art traffic management system that will cover around 300 junctions in Belgrade. When completed, it will have a positive impact on commuter times, CO2 emissions and congestion.

Do the conditions exist for you to build and expand your production capacities? Is that realistic now, under the conditions of the global health crisis?

- From day one, Siemens has followed the measures recommended

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by the Government and expert teams, responding in the short term in order to protect its employees. Across all businesses and regions, our employees have risen to the challenge and continue to do so. Siemens became an integral part of Serbian society and the partner of choice, with over 3,500 employees. It is still impossible to predict when and how the global crisis will end, so we are making it a priority to successfully maintain the continuity of our business despite the many difficulties, while keeping our employees and their families safe as our top priority.

The word “mobility” forms part of the name of your factory in Šumadija. Is that a word that best describes our lives in the 21st century?

- The world’s population is becoming increasingly urban year on year, so the possibility of moving is becoming key for individual and collective progress. Mobility must be a priority in urban development, as it allows cities to become a field of opportunities. It contributes significantly to a better quality of life and, when done right, is a factor that makes any city more attractive.

Siemens Mobility understands that mobility is not the simple movement from point A to point B. We know it is a tool through which we all build our everyday world.

Saying that, going hand in hand with these trends and changes, Siemens Mobility has been a leader in transport solutions for more than 160 years. We provide answers to all challenges in the transportation industry, with our comprehensive portfolio of state-of the-art solutions. In Serbia the setup of Mobility, with the factory in Kragujevac, has bright prospects when it comes to expanding its portfolio and capacities. At this very moment, entire trams that will be used in the most developed cities in Europe are being assembled at our factory in Kragujevac! It is a great success to be able to see trams across Europe that are made in Serbia.

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BUSINESS

LJILJANA TOPIĆ, DIRECTOR, GALENIKA PHARMACIA

We're Here When

TIMES ARE HARDEST

Galenika Pharmacia is a factory that produces complete sanitary consumables – from compresses, gauzes and bandages, via disinfectants, to surgical masks that have become the number one product. Although exports at the beginning of the pandemic would have been the business move of the decade, no Galenika mask left Serbia

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n agreement with the Serbian Ministry of Health, the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Republican Health Insurance Fund (RHIF), we undertook to supply numerous clinics and pharmacies with surgical masks and disinfectants when that was most needed.

Behind you is an extremely dynamic, gruelling and exhausting period. You have many reasons to be proud of your team, right?

- Yes, you are right. Galenika Pharmacia represented the backbone of the supply of our health institutions and pharmacies during a very challenging period. At the beginning of the pandemic, with the help of Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, we engaged a large number of professional staff and expanded production capacities. Given the great urgency of the situation, we reduced all other production flows to a minimum. Although export even just within the region - would have been the business move of the decade, given the shortage of this product in every country, not a single mask from our factory left Serbia.

At the instant when disinfectants were in short supply on the market the most, we secured large capacities for their production. Moreover, we produce masks with silver nanoparticles for the Novak Đoković Foundation, and we also produce protective masks with five protection filters.

I am proud to note that there has never been a drop in quality at the expense of speed or efficiency at our factory, as evidenced by the fact that, for instance, the Belgrade Pharmacy Institution didn’t have a single complaint.

And what about the markets you conquered prior to the pandemic? Where do all your products end up?

- We have for years been exporting to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro; our products reach Nigeria and Iraq, and a year ago we established cooperation with Germany. Galenika Pharmacia became a member of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce thanks to our good business results, which is yet more confirmation for us and our work.

We are at an advantage over other companies that do the same work because we also have a respected brand, as well as quality, knowhow, professionalism and competitive prices, and alongside all of that we are a more than reliable partner, which was also confirmed at the beginning of the pandemic.

All this allows us to conquer new markets.

There is currently a lull as far as the pandemic is concerned, and supply has normalised. How do your operations look generally?

- We managed to secure a leading position on the market and maintain it successfully.

We supply all healthcare institutions, from hospitals/health centres, pharmacies and pharmaceutical institutes, via private and state hospitals and clinics, to major healthcare centres.

We have divided our operations by sector, so we have a sector for the production of sterile and non-sterile compresses, plasters, adhesive bandages and other bandages, a sector for the distribution of medical devices in Serbia and the surrounding countries, and a sector for the production of first aid kits, car and motorcycle pharmacies, as well as first aid kits for employees in emergencies and natural disasters.

We produce masks with silver nanoparticles for the Novak Đoković Foundation, and we also produce protective masks with five protection filters

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

ZF

BUSINESS

The Vision Of Next

GENERATION MOBILITY

ZF is a global technology company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF enables vehicles to see, think and act

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n the four technology domains - Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving and Electric Mobility - ZF offers comprehensive solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and newly emerging transport and mobility service providers. ZF electrifies different kinds of vehicles. The company contributes to reducing emissions and protecting the climate with its products.

ZF SERBIA PANČEVO PLANT, SEPTEMBER 2020

ZF, which acquired WABCO Holdings Inc. on 29th May 2020, now has 160,000 employees worldwide, with approximately 260 locations in 41 countries. In 2019, the two then-independent companies achieved sales of €36.5 billion (ZF) and $3.4 billion (WABCO).

The combination of these two successful enterprises will bring a new dimension of innovation and capability for commercial vehicle systems technology. Thanks to perfectly complementary portfolios and competencies,

ZF SERBIA MANAGING DIRECTORS

ZF can offer unprecedented solutions and services for manufacturers and fleets globally. In this way, the company is actively shaping the future of the changing transportation industry.

It was just two years ago that ZF chose Pančevo and Serbia as a location for the biggest European plant of its youngest division, ZF E-Mobility, initiated with an investment of 160 million euros. This bold decision launched the Northern Industrial zone in Pančevo and the company’s Pančevo plant is now operational, featuring 50,000m2 of a fully equipped production facility and a new modern R&D centre that’s gearing up to start working as we speak.

This project is bringing new investors and positively developing the local community, impacting every person in Pančevo.

ZF Serbia continues to act in accordance with its long-term strategy, maintaining its course through the challenges of global crisis and working to accomplish plans and set goals.

Although we have a diverse portfolio, our focus is primarily on electric mobility.

We identify and offer solutions for the next generation of mobility and the reduction of global pollution emissions every day.

We work with our customers on ensuring their satisfaction, aware that this is a measure and criterion of world market quality, and the factory in Pančevo received the best marks and daily praise from its most important customers: BMW, Volkswagen and Volvo.

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in return provided with their commitment and performance.

We are particularly proud of that fact, as it is confirmaWe are committed to sticking with the people – tion of the correctness of our strategy and the success supporting and building up each individual, promoting of our approach. behaviours and values to establish an organisational During two years working on this project, we have culture that will ensure we are able to move forward been growing our team and today have 650 people together and overcome challenges. Only people that actively working at the Pančevo Plant. Their dedication are motivated and equipped with right attitude can and engagement are an essential part of the overall stimulate innovation and growth, and support the ambisuccess of the project. As we speak, ZF is working on tion of our business. extending the team, with more than 50 new specialists The core of our strategy is the idea that our people, and experts, in order to make the new business ready in their own country, in their own city, R&D centre fully operational. with their own work and knowledge, When the factory reaches its The core of our strategy that they build their own better full capacity, we expect to have over is the idea that our people, know future as part of the successful team 1,000 employees in the production in their own country, in their of ZF Serbia. programme for electric motors, genZF Serbia’s plans remain positive erators for hybrid and electric drives, own city, with their own work and focused on the successful operagearboxes and microswitches. and knowledge, know that tion of a large, new, great ZF factory A commitment to people is one of the key values of ZF as a company. they build their own better in Pančevo, with great prospects for current and future generations of Through support and encouragement future as part of the all people focused on work, quality to our employees in the fulfilment of their duties and responsibilities, we are successful team of ZF Serbia and success!

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

Thanks to perfectly complementary portfolios and competencies, ZF can offer unprecedented solutions and services for manufacturers and fleets globally. In this way, the company is actively shaping the future of the changing transportation industry FROM THE LEFT MICHAEL STAUCH AND MILAN GRUJIĆ

CURRENT INSIGHTS OF ZF SERBIA’S MANAGING DIRECTORS MICHAEL STAUCH, MANAGING DIRECTOR – TECHNICAL As a German, I feel good in Serbia after two years living and working here.

I felt very comfortable from the very beginning, observing an environment with influences from many cultures, an open mindset, friendly people and good international flair in Belgrade where we – my family and children – live, and where we quickly integrated.

The whole process of setting up the ZF Serbia plant in Pančevo – based on initial assumptions, research, experience and conditions – was well planned and wellconceived.

Also, during the process we were all confident that, when ideas and visions are supported with an appropriate strategy, hard work, adequate resources and creative people, success will be just a matter of time.

Me and my colleagues, company and partners can only be proud of this project.

Current developments in 2020 regarding COVID-19 did have an impact on our business, but we are committed to our plan of having more than 1,000 employees, developing E-mobility solutions for the future and producing and delivering them beyond Serbia, and I’m looking forward to continuing to be part of that in the time ahead.

MILAN GRUJIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR – COMMERCIAL We have worked hard and can only be proud of what we have accomplished so far, and to look forward to new challenges.

This project is a great example of partnership between our two countries, Germany and Serbia, and also an example of exceptional cooperation between our company and the Serbian president, Serbian government and institutions, which we believe will lead to achieving ambitious results and capital economic transformation.

We rely on the fact that our company’s goals and values, as well as our management system, are rooted in the sustainable and long-term development of new mobility that is driven and accepted at an increasing pace, as technology is changing the way we live and work. We are aware of global digital acceleration and are determined, together with our customers and suppliers, to rethink our business processes so we can remain relevant and stay on top.

What is significant is that ZF Group is, and has always been, a company that’s led by innovation and future thinking. In that way we can say that we were seeing, thinking and acting ahead of time, and that we now come prepared.

We stay with our vision of next generation mobility and zero emissions, committed to our decisions but flexible with our approach.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

Photo: Dusan Ivanovic

HELP

TOGETHER For Tomorrow

Through continuous work, the organisation Help has spent the last 25 years cultivating and encouraging the inner force of people in the Western Balkans to help themselves and their communities

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hen you walk through a desert and suddenly come across an oasis – that is our image of Help, says Nenad Draganović, Deputy Director of the Sremska Mitrovica Correctional Institution.

It was 25 years ago that the organisation Help-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe from Germany delivered its first emergency aid in response to the crisis in the Balkans. Crises (conflicts, migrations...) heavily hinder sustainable development and prosperity.

The need for emergency aid, the restoration of homes and support to economic growth endures year after year.

Help provided 36.5 million euros worth of emergency aid, de-mining and reconstruction in the first decade of its work in the Western Balkans.

Human dignity and the integration of particularly disadvantaged groups are always at the centre of Help’s work, be it in the context of emergency and reconstruction aid, vocational qualification or business start-ups and income generation activities.

Since 2001, Help has been targeting socio-economic development in the region. Help supports low income families, women, young people, prisoners and former prisoners and other disadvantaged groups in setting up sustainable business activities. Help provides necessary equipment, but also mentoring, management and vocational training for entrepreneurs, prisoners etc. towards more sustainable entrepreneurial endeavours.

Biljana, a 52-year-old lady from Pirot, was unemployed for nine years before being supported by Help in 2018. All her attempts to find work proved unsuccessful. Help provided Biljana with equipment and management training to set up a bakery.

She had already completed an apprenticeship as a pastry chef.

Her business is “Slane tajne” (literally – “savoury secrets”). She produces savoury cakes, cookies, muffins and other confectionery

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goods. Her small business increased her financial security and engaged all family members, including two of her three children who’d started their own families but, like many young people in the Balkans, rely on their parents’ support.

Within five to ten years, an average of 1.3 additional jobs is created in the companies that Help supported. The agriculture and craft sector plays a major role in the region, but services, the tourism sector and the IT industry have started to emerge.

Through the interaction of the measures and close cooperation with municipalities, ministries and the target group, entrepreneurs and thus families receive a stable income. In the long term, the economy is also strengthened sustainably.

To date a total of 13,141 micro and small enterprises have been supported by Help in the Western Balkan countries, with the value of that support amounting to 34.2 million euros.

Refugees, internally displaced persons, socially vulnerable segments of the population and minorities all lack basic conditions and decent housing to start building their prosperity. Living in collective centres and informal settlements puts already marginalised people at risk of additional diverse health and social problems.

Emilia, together with her husband and four children, has now been living for three years in a social housing building provided

by Help. Her family has a better vision of their future. She has adorned the walls of her new home with the medals that her children won in sports. They study hard to become self-sufficient.

Help has provided 7,717 housing units for refugees, minorities and local socially vulnerable segments of the population, worth 58.1 million euros.

“Help clients help others through the products of their labour, which is the essence of Help’s work. We can achieve much on our own, but much more together” ~ Nudžejma Čikić, Help Finance Officer, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

VLADICA STANKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR OF GRUNER SERBIA

BUSINESS

GRUNER - Every

Young Worker's Dream In just 13 years, Gruner has, as a company, succeeded in changing the economic situation in the south of Serbia and providing adequate earnings for almost 600 workers and their families through the expanding of production facilities and conquering of new markets and technologies

G

runer’s owners are satisfied with the company’s operations in Serbia and with the workers, both those from the production side and it highly qualified personnel. They believe that there would be no work, no expansion of production facilities or new hiring of staff without mutual satisfaction.

You started operations in Serbia from a rented hall with around a dozen workers and one product for smart meters. How did you conquer the market?

- We produced relays for smart meters, for General Electric and the U.S. market, producing around 50,000 units at a weekly level.

Our owners recognised the potentials of Serbia and its southern region, so already by 2009 they’d built the first production hall of 2,000 square metres. We started cooperating with the automotive industry the very next year, initially with Daimler, then later with other manufacturers. Apart from relays, during that period we also started working on the “start stop system”, according to the wishes and requirements of Daimler, which we still produce today, although in an improved, generation 4, version.This product is our pride, because the entire development and production line is designed and realised at our factory in Serbia.

We built another 2,000-square-metre hall in 2012 and started with new technologies, then already in 2013 the need emerged for a new expansion of production capacities. Thus, in 2014 we reached a total of 7,000 square metres of production facilities and more than 300 employees.

It was during this period that we started with plastic injection, and then also with the production of metal parts for our own needs, which required the procurement of new machines, and that led to the establishment of a small tool shop with the latest technologies.

After 13 years of operations in Serbia, you now have more than 550 employees and 7,000m2 of production facilities, with around 12.5 million euros having been invested. What’s next in your plans?

- We currently have 570 employees, which is less than at the end of 2019 and is a consequence of the pandemic that slowed us down and reduced our sales. We hope to recoup everything that’s been lost in the period ahead. Fluctuation are very small with us, and interest in work at in our factory in Vlasotince is high, because such a large number of different production processes is the dream of every young engineer who’s eager for knowledge.

Our plan is to build a new hall of 3,000 square metres for the production of plastics and a new tool shop. That should serve for the maintenance of tools for our production, but also for the production of certain tools both for our market and foreign ones.

Our plan is to build a new hall of 3,000 square metres for the production of plastics and a new tool shop as soon as possible

Have you started applying your own model of dual education with the opening of your workshop for training students? How are your impressions?

- We launched the model of dual education back in 2016, in cooperation with GIZ and the Technical School from Vlasotince, as pioneers in this field. It initially only covered a course for industrial mechanics, but now we already have courses for electricians and mechatronics engineers.

In order for education and industry to develop in parallel, education needs to listen to the demands of the economy. In that way young people would leave high schools and be capable of starting work immediately, without additional training. Dual education has helped us to quickly find professional personnel for our specific needs. If the dual education model was transferred to higher education institutions, emerging from colleges would be young experts who could perform specific jobs immediately upon graduating.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

dm DROGERIE MARKT

DOMESTIC PRODUCTS

That We Are Proud Of From the most varied parts of Serbia to the shelves of dm drugstores

A

year after the products developed within the scope of the dm Incubator found themselves in dm drugstores, this company continues to provide support to the local economy. Through this project, dm provided 18 small and medium-sized domestic producers with the opportunity to place as many as 57 products from the food segment and care & beauty segment on the shelves of the largest drugstore chain in Europe. Support also continued in the following period, and in the last nine months 17 new products were developed additionally, so the customers were able to enjoy as many as 72 top quality products created in the heart of our country.

The end result of their intensive work with mentors and experts is reflected in exclusive products which, are characterized by unique design in addition to high quality ingredients, demonstrating that local producers from various parts of Serbia are able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with major world brands.

BLUSHES OUT OF THIS WORLD One in a series of products distinguished by world class quality is Coquette, liquid blush of unusual packaging and even more interesting shades of apricot, raspberry and blackberry. Coquette Apricot Light contains natural apricot kernel oil known to be useful for dry skin, thanks to a complex of essential vitamins. The raspberry seed oil found in Coquette Raspberry Smooth blush is responsible for the fresh pink shade, also providing skin protection against harmful UV radiation, while the Coquette Blackberry Rich gives an antiageing effect to the face.

UNIQUE FORMULA THAT NOURISHES YOUR FACE The range of cosmetics available at dm drugstores since the dm Incubator project has been enriched by another brand- Biona, products for complete skin care. Micellar water, facial cream and serum, as well as anti-wrinkle care cream have been winning over the hearts of customers for a year already. Based on 32

ingredients such as organic cellular apple water, green caviar and chamomile, macadamia and camellia oil, Biona products render the skin silky, soft and gentle.

FORGET SENSITIVE GUMS WITH OLYDROP When natural ingredients of lemon balm, mint, marigold, white mistletoe, rabbit thorn and others are combined, another innovative product of the dm Incubator is created - Olydrop oil for gum massage. Nurturing painful and sensitive gums and oral infections is no longer a problem with this solution, which has both an antibacterial effect and the ability to reduce inflammation.

COMPLETELY NATURAL DRINKS FROM THE HEART OF SERBIA Food selection at dm drugstores is rounded off with unique foodstuffs that will complete your day, whether you’re looking for sweet treats or tasty natural snacks and drinks.Thus, the Dolovac family brand offers pure juices without additional water, sugar or additives, of completely natural color. Available in combinations of five different fruit flavors, these make up truly healthy refreshments and can be consumed diluted with water or mixed with some other fruit juice. Characteristic beverages are also trademark of the domestic brand Vrtlari, which - within the scope of the dm Incubator project - has also developed pulpy natural juices made from broccoli and apple that contain as much as 51 per cent broccoli and 49 per cent pulpy apple juice.

Apart from the aforementioned items, other specific products have been developed in the food segment, such as Tvoja domaćica salad containing natural ingredients, various combinations of organic mushrooms under the Taste of the West brand and the Veverko natural honey spread with raspberry and cherry. In the care & beauty segment, there are Hvala cosmetics, Call me Frank remedies for men’s care, miraculous Multiactiv marmalade for the under eye area, as well as firming body lotions from My Way Natural.

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

KRUNA GAVOVIĆ, CEO OF THE LEAN SIX SIGMA COMPANY CEE AND TMS CEE MARKETING AND ACADEMY MANAGER

BUSINESS

FFE HAS GOT

The Momentum

The Lean Six Sigma Company CEE has high occupancy of its LSS courses. This is because the number of companies organising training for their employees is increasing, as is the number of experts who independently invest in their education

U

nder the conditions of the pandemic, the effects of applying internationally approved methods and techniques for preserving the business proved to be good, with a slight fall in turnover, but also with significant savings on costs, emphasises Kruna Gavović, TMS CEE Marketing and Academy Manager and CEO of the Lean Six Sigma Company CEE. The concept of establishing a proper balance of professional and private life is also available to companies in Serbia through the “Family Friendly Enterprise” certification. Has it gained its full meaning now that a virus has reminded us of what is really of the most importance to us?

- The Family Friendly Enterprise (FFE) certificate is awarded to companies that enable their employees to more easily harmonise their private life and professional obligations. Employees should always be viewed beyond just the work environment and provided with opportunities to enjoy some of the most significant moments in their lives without the stresses of work.

FFE principles have to date been implemented in Serbia by leading companies in the fields of telecommunications, media, finance, and FMCG, while most of the implemented measures have now gained their full meaning. This is especially important at this time when is more essential than ever to ensure the harmonising of professional and private life.

As the company that brought the FFE concept to Serbia, TMS is recognised as an innovative firm that is focused on creating value for the customer. What does your business look like under the conditions of a pandemic?

- The correct response to the new conditions was both adaptation and operating with a focus on costs. We have applied most of the internationally and nationally approved methods and techniques, such are Remote audit, Remote inspection, web meetings, and others, along with the necessary accompanying

procedures and risk assessments. Overall, Risk Management, Business Continuity and Corporate Resilience (security) proved to be management techniques crucial for maintaining operations under these conditions.

Our clients have demonstrated exceptional strength and vitality. Out of our approximately 1,500 clients, almost none of them gave up on further cooperation. This is one more proof that companies that have introduced and certified standards show better performances than the average.

Lean Six Sigma distinguishes itself because the results of applied measures are also shown in savings proven through bookkeeping. Is that all, or are there any immeasurable benefits?

- Of course, there are. I will give you just one example of a client of the Lean Six Sigma Company CEE which has factories in many countries around the world and which implemented an LSS project at its factory in Serbia. Alongside extremely large savings on costs, the effect was that employees are now much fresher and can invest more energy in regular work than was the case previously.

As with many other examples, it can be concluded that the success or failure of an LSS project in a company depends mostly on the level of competence of the LSS experts participating in the project. It is by no means inconsequential whether the people who are coming to your company new graduates, or they are experts with extensive experience of LSS, industry, and in applying LSS at the world’s best companies.

It is particularly encouraging that even the virus couldn’t diminish interest in LSS training, so we already have arranged and scheduled training courses until the end of this year, with coaches from Serbia, but also the Netherlands and other countries.

Our companies, including TMS CEE and the Lean Six Sigma Company CEE, deliver absolutely the same quality of services as in the developed world, and we are especially proud of that.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BUSINESS

NIKOLA ĆATOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, MACS ENERGY & WATER D.O.O.

Serbia Will Need

TO SPEED UP

"In a world affected by climate change, Serbia will need to speed up its transition to alternative, low carbon sources of energy", says Nikola Ćatović of German consulting company MACS Energy & Water

T

he State must create adequate conditions for the private sector, including banks, to bear the investments at their own risk. We hope that all required efforts and synergies will be used to set in place a working system, both in commercial and environmental terms, says Mr Ćatović Your consultancy is providing services not only in Serbia and the region, but also worldwide. Who are your clients?

- MACS Energy & Water is an international consulting company headquartered in Germany and with several offices around the world. Our main clients are financial institutions that we support in sustainable financing, with our competencies covering energy efficiency, renewable energy and water and sanitation.

What is your view on our potential in renewable energy resources (RES)? What would be the areas to prioritise for investments: hydro, wind, solar?

- In a world affected by climate change, Serbia will need to speed up its transition to alternative, low carbon sources of energy. At this moment, more than 60 per cent of our energy comes from fossil fuels.

However, the potential for renewable energy investments needs to be assessed carefully from different perspectives.

We have a situation that in the past related to the generation of energy being what mattered the most. Thus, many renewable energy projects were developed without much thinking regarding the negative impacts of these investments. These projects were recently in the spotlight with respect to their negative impact on the environment and the community.

People today better understand that “green” energy might also lead to some negative impacts on the environment.

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In our work we always emphasise the importance of a broader outlook to identify potential negative impacts that such projects could have on the environment and on communities living close to those areas. We underline the need for adequate measures that mitigate environmental and social risks effectively.

In a recent discussion with a banker over a project, I heard him say: “For us, as a bank, it is equally important to go for this project as it is not to go for it in the case that it will harm the environment“. This was a very comforting statement for us, meaning that our work has already contributed within the Serbian banking community to a positive shift for our environment and our future.

Is our administration, including all governments of the last 15-20 years, aware of the importance of RES? What are your takeaways comparing the institutional framework and the situation on ground?

- Since 2009, when the legal framework for renewable energy projects introduced the incentive scheme in the form of feed-in tariffs, more than 270 projects have been implemented, with a cumulative installed capacity of 530MW. With several wind parks currently under construction, that total will reach close to 700MW of renewable sources, which is around 10 per cent of the nominal installed power in Serbia. So, yes, it is possible to invest in renewable energy projects in Serbia and have them running. However, even with these results, the country is still far from meeting the commitments it gave in the framework of the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees. As in many other countries, policymakers in Serbia run the risk of losing the battle due to short-sightedness and slowness.

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

MILAN MANIĆ, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER OF LEONI SERBIA AND HEAD OF THE LEONI MALOŠIŠTE PLANT

BUSINESS

We Offer

SECURE JOBS LEONI has invested in excess of 146 million euros in its facilities and equipment since 2009. The company currently employs around 10,000 people in Serbia and plans to increase that number when its Kraljevo plant begins operating at its full capacity. One of the 15 largest exporters in Serbia, LEONI also has a network of approximately 500 domestic suppliers

S

erbia has great potential in terms of human capital, its work culture and ethics that are valued. This represents the foundations on which LEONI bases its plans for further growth. Around 10,000 employees comprise the loyal team that supports LEONI in completely challenging and important projects for its faithful customers

has contributed more than 92 million euros to the budget of the Republic of Serbia, in taxes and contributions on the salaries of its workers. LEONI expects to become the largest employer in Serbia’s manufacturing industry, and Serbia will be the only European country in the global network of the production capacity of LEONI with four production plants.

You entered the second decade of your operations in Serbia with great results and, we assume, major plans...

- The growth of our operations in Serbia comes with great responsibility, both towards the premium customers that we supply and towards the thousands of people that we employ. Our plans are focused on the completion of works at our fourth production plant, in Kraljevo. In addition to this, we are focused on introducing and developing new projects at our other three factories, in Prokuplje, Malošište and Niš.

The plant in Kraljevo will be our largest factory in Serbia, covering an area of 52,000 square metres, while it currently occupies 34,000 square metres. Construction of that additional 18,000 square metres of the plant is currently underway. This factory has 1,500 employees at present and we are working hard on boosting employment, so that we will have around 5,000 workers there by the end of 2023.

We are continuing to offer employees secure jobs and career opportunities within the framework of the automotive industry for the world’s leading brands.

Leoni is recognised as a company that cares about the community.

How much do you invest in social programmes, health, sports and culture; and how much do you invest in the education and training of your employees?

- LEONI is proud of its commitment to social responsibility in Serbia and the continuous improvement of its employees. We are happy to respond to activities that support the engagement of young people in the fields of sports and culture; we care about the communities in which the company operates, and where our employees live and work. Our participation as donors and humanitarians in projects is aimed not only at furthering the development and well-being of the community, but also at placing an emphasis on the importance of our employees’ participation in activities of this type. We have excellent cooperation with health institutions in the municipalities in which we operate, and we have our own new health clinics at our plants in Prokuplje, Malošište, Niš.

We are particularly proud of our investments in our employees, advancing their knowhow and skills, as well as their continuous professional development. We have a wide range of internal training courses and skills programmes that employees go through in their workplaces, and to date we’ve invested as much as 800,000 euros in external training. We consider our people as our greatest and most important resource when it comes to the good business operations and excellent results that we’ve been achieving for 11 years already.

Are you aware of your contribution to the development of the country’s economy?

- LEONI has been contributing to raising the standard of living and reducing the unemployment rate in the area of its business for the past 11 years. Over the course of those 11 years, LEONI

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

HISTORY

The Story Of

GERMAN REUNIFICATION 3rd October 1990: End of the struggle for unification, beginning of the struggle for unity

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The Past is a Foreign Country is the title of American historian David Lowenthal’s famous monograph. For the generations born during the previous thirty years, East and West Germany are indeed “foreign countries”.

From today’s perspective, many would at first glance agree with the statement of (East) German writer Stefan Heym that the German Democratic Republic

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BERLIN LIGHTING TODAY

and more freedom into demands for, and then negotiawill remain nothing more than a footnote in German and world history. It is today difficult to imagine that tions on, German unity, leading to the reunification of German history could have taken a path that wouldn’t Germany less than a year later. The entire civil, political, have led to not only reunification, but also to the economic and social system of the German Democratic essential dissolving of East Germany into the legal, Republic, which had been built over the course of dececonomic, political and cultural order of the Federal ades, collapsed almost overnight. On 3rd October 1990, Republic of Germany. the territory of the former East Germany became part However, what seems inevitable from the subsequent of the Federal Republic of Germany, in the form of five perspective could not even have new federal states, while East Berlin been predicted by the politicians was integrated with West Berlin in “The wall will still be or scientists dedicated to the study form of a distinct administrative standing in fifty and even a the of the German question just a few area. The lightning speed at which months prior to that fateful date of hundred years,” asserted Erich events unfolded surprised everyone 9 th November 1989. “The wall will Honecker, General Secretary of who had hitherto researched and still be standing in fifty and even written about the German questhe East German party, a hundred years,” asserted Erich tion. It was a tectonic tremor, in Honecker, General Secretary of the words of Klaus von Beyme, the in January 1989 the East German party, in January “Black Friday” of the social sciences 1989. Historians, sociologists and political scientists and humanities, which had been unable to predict the analysed the foreign policy stabilisation of the German development of happenings. At the same time, it was Democratic Republic in the late 1980s and considered the precisely the strength of the changes that took place possibilities of economic and political reforms, starting that tasked scientists with explaining how they had from the assumption that East Germany would remain come to pass. The consequence was the dominance of an historical reality in the coming years and decades. teleological interpretations of recent German history, Nevertheless, in just a short period of time, the fall according to which German reunification was an inevitaof the Berlin Wall turned demands for political reforms bility, to which all historical processes in the second half 37

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

identity. To reduce the history of East Germany to a of the 20th century had striven towards almost linearly. footnote would not only be unjust to the people who Under the impression of the almost unrealistically rapid lived and worked creatively in that country, and whose collapse and disappearance of the German Democratic lives would be consigned to oblivion, but would also, first Republic, in analysing that country’s past, historians and foremost, be politically perilous. That’s because began to identify shortcomings and anomalies from knowing and understanding Germany’s integral past its inception, the consequences of which “must” have is a precondition for understanding the country and resulted in the collapse of the regime and order. And for its society today. a considerable number of historians Knowing and The German Democratic Repost-1990, there was only room for the history of West Germany in the public was smaller than the Federal understanding Germany’s history of Germany in the second half Republic of Germany in terms of integral past is of the 20th century. East Germany is territory and population, economicommonly denied any legitimacy, cally weaker and politically inferior, a precondition for with its existence reduced to a kind it was still a state of almost 17 understanding the country but of provisional entity that is more million inhabitants, which existed and its society today part of the Soviet past than the for 41 years and in which two genGerman one. erations of Germans grew up and Still, after the first wave of excitement and euphobrought their experiences into the common state in ria abated, it became clear that the fall of communist 1990. Furthermore, excluding the German Democratic regimes in Eastern Europe did not mark the “end of Republic from modern German history would also mean history”, just as the issue of German reunification may belittling German culture, depriving it of creators like have been concluded on 3rd October 1990, but that only Bertolt Brecht and Anna Seghers, or Christa Wolf and opened the issue of German unity. Even today, thirty Heiner Müller. Besides that, ignoring East Germany years on, the East-West divide still exists in Germany, would lead to a fundamental misunderstanding of the both economically and financially, but also politically, history of the Federal Republic of Germany, because socially, culturally, demographically and in terms of German-on-German rivalry “hovered” over almost every 38

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

in the years that followed German society and institusocial, political, economic and cultural aspect of life in both German states during the second half of the 20th tions showed a readiness and maturity - through inquiry century. The existence of competing German states commissions, expert groups, school programmes, mucrucially shaped the social and poseum exhibitions, commemorations, litical climate of West Germany, as projects, public debates etc. - to also In the years that well as the foreign policy activity of face elections with those issues and the “Bonn Republic”. problems that, viewed over the long followed German society The history of German reunificaterm, secure German unity. Dominatand institutions showed tion was not a success story for every ing the work of the Commission on a readiness and individual. For many inhabitants of the 30th Anniversary of the Peaceful the former East Germany, adapting Revolution and German Reunificamaturity - through inquiry to the new political and social cirtion, which was established in 2019, commissions, expert cumstances was arduous, with many are topics related to the contrasting losing their jobs and social security, experiences of citizens from East groups, school while many felt like “second-class and West Germany, with the aim of programmes, museum citizens” in the reunified Germany achieving better mutual understandin the years after 1990. However, exhibitions, commemorations, ing and social integration. Today, it would be a mistake to claim that however, there is no talk of a “crisis projects, public the history of German reunification of unity”, as was the case during the debates etc. - to also is a history of failure. Not only was first decade of the existence of the it the case of a so-called “peaceful “Berlin Republic”. face elections with those revolution”, and one that saw soluissues and problems that, tions found to numerous extremely

By Natalija Dimić, Associate Researcher, complex political, diplomatic, legal, viewed over the long term, Institute for the Recent economic and financial issues over secure German unity History of Serbia the course of just a months in 1990, 39

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

GERMAN ECONOMY

Uncertainty over Brexit and the trade war between the U.S. and China led to a slowdown for the export-orientated German economy.

However, leading German think-tanks suggest that the country's economy is on the road to recovery

September Brings A

DEGREE OF OPTIMISM

O

ne of the characteristics of the crisis caused by the pandemic is that the economies worst hit by it were those that are the most developed and usually demonstrate excellent export results.

The German economy, Europe’s largest, contracted by a record 9.7% in the second quarter of 2020, as consumer spending, company investments and exports saw a steep decline due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

This second-quarter contraction was the worst since the documenting of GDP figures began in 1970, proving much more pronounced than was the case during the 2007-08 financial crisis, which resulted in a 4.7% decline in the first quarter of 2009.

The slowdown of the German economy is in line with all major economies in Europe. The GDP of the Euro area fell from 0.4% in the first quarter to 0.2% in the second quarter, while France, Italy, Spain and the UK all saw double-digit declines in their economic activity.

The German government, which has forecast a 6.3% economic decline for the entire year, pushed a multibillion-euro coronavirus aid package, followed by another €130-billion stimulus in June, in order to alleviate the consequences of the crisis.

The German economy had shown robust results prior to the start of the crisis. In 2016 Germany recorded the highest trade surplus in the world, worth $310 billion, making it the biggest capital exporter globally.

Germany’s top 10 export items are vehicles, machinery, chemical goods, electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, basic metals, food products and rubber and plastics.

The International Monetary Fund gave the country’s

economy “yet another bill of good health” in July 2017, but some economists speculated that the slowdown recorded in the final quarter of 2019 was mainly as a consequence of uncertainty over Brexit and the trade war between the U.S. and China, which were then exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the current contraction was the worst on record, it was still less than initially anticipated by economists. Indeed, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) revised its quarter-on-quarter contraction in GDP from the 10.1% it initially reported at the end of July.

Spokesperson of the German Chamber of Industry & Commerce, Volker Treier, recently expressed strong concern over the course of the country’s short-term economic future. Indeed, if the German economy has another negative quarter it will be considered as being “in recession”. For this scenario, the government is preparing some countermeasures to mitigate the effects, such as the accelerated introduction of short-time work and employee retraining.

However, some better news has already arrived in September. The Zew Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany rose 5.9 points in September, month-onmonth, to 77.4 points. Positive signals in Germany were 41

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

the German economy is on the followed by the rise in sentiment for Increased business confidence that road to recovery. the eurozone’s economic developsuggests that the German Similar results were reported ment, which increased by 9.9 points to bring the indicator to 73.9 points economy is tracking a stronger by Oxford Economics. Increased business confidence suggests that for September. recovery than the eurozone the German economy is tracking a According to Zew sentiment, even stronger recovery than the eurothe stalled Brexit talks and rising as a whole, yet there are zone as a whole. Yet the fear hasn’t Coronavirus cases could not dampen concerns that the banking dissipated, note analysts of Oxford the positive mood. sector could see a rising Economics.

Attitudes towards the current ecoOne of the most promising news nomic situation have also improved, number of loan defaults in stories is that the business climate although they still remain negative the coming six months index rose sharply in the service secat -66.2 points, which is 15.1 points tor, showing that service providers are higher than in August. significantly more satisfied with their current business On the other hand, a survey published by the Ifo Insituation. stitute for Economic Research suggests that companies Given the structure of the German economy – in which evaluate their current business situations with far more the service sector contributes around 70% to total GDP, optimism than in the previous month. with industry accounting for 29.1%, and agriculture 0.9% The institute said that its business climate index - an - it is easy to see why this is excellent news. indicator of economic activity in Germany - rose to 92.6 The outlook for the coming six months has also imfrom a previously downward revised 90.4 in July. This proved, according to the Ifo. Economists concerns now marked the fourth consecutive monthly increase and mostly relate to the banking sector, which could see a was higher than economists’ initial expectations of 92.2. rising number of loan defaults in the coming six months.

This prompted Ifo President Clemens Fuest to reason 42

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BOJAN LASKOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CFND BELGRADE

BUSINESS

LOGISTICS

Of The New Era Synergy of all modes of transport

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FND deals in logistics services and is specialised in the transport of goods on inland waterways in the Danube Basin. A member of several national and international associations, since 2015 it has been part of the Rhenus Group, one of the worlds leading logistics companies.

“What distinguishes CFND Ltd. from the majority of companies on the local market is precisely its synergy of all modes of transport,” says CFND Belgrade Managing Director Bojan Lasković.

CFND was established ten years ago with the aim of developing logistics activities in the Danube basin, and went on to become part of the Rhenus Group five years ago. How did you attract the attention of one of the world’s leading logistics companies?

- CFND was initially founded by French companies CFNR and ATIC Services, which deal mainly with river transport and port operations.

The idea of the founders at the time was to establish a company that would transfer the business model from Western Europe to Serbia’s local market. Every start is difficult, and we had several challenges from the outset that hindered the development of the company. We encountered the collapse of the river freight market, then faced the economic crisis that shook every segment of the economy. Despite unfavourable conditions, with a quality service and optimal logistics solutions we managed to position ourselves on the market and gradually gain the trust of many multinational companies with which we now have partnership relations.

The Rhenus Group spent many years seeking a reliable company with the potential for development on the Serbian market, in order to be able to cover the entire route of the Danube and, together with offices in Regensurg, Krems and Constanta, provide its clients with a competitive advantage in the area of logistics services. Simply, it was there that interests intersected, finally resulting in the takeover of CFND Ltd. by the Rhenus Group.

You specialise in the transport of goods on inland waterways in the Danube basin, but you are also able to organise a complete logistics chain, combining road, rail and river transport, to more than 40 locations across Europe...

- What distinguishes CFND Ltd. from the majority of companies on the local market is precisely this synergy of all modes of transport. The benefit for clients is that one company provides them with a complete logistics service, whether that relates to river transport, from port to port, or combined transport, from warehouse to warehouse, via waterways.

In this way, through the Rhenus network, we can state freely that we are in a position to satisfy the requirements of our customers throughout Europe, and beyond if required.

You have at your disposal knowhow and experience, but also the support of the entire Rhenus Group, while it seems that you also boast a modern fleet. Is that correct?

- The entire fleet that works for us came from the waterways of Western Europe. Our 2,700HP tugs are equipped according to EU standards, both in terms of navigation safety and in terms of housing conditions for crew members. Our barges have a large capacity and are suitable for transporting all types of dry cargo - light and heavy grain, fertilisers, metals, oversized cargo etc.

To conclude, I would like to point out that we are in the process of changing the name of the company. The new name of the company under which we will operate will be Rhenus PartnerShip Serbia d.o.o. (Ltd.), which will certainly remain synonymous with high-quality services.

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INTERVIEW

FRANK BAUMANN, DIRECTOR, GOETHE-INSTITUT

It Will Be CONTINUED The Goethe-Institut in Belgrade adapted its programmes to the conditions imposed by the pandemic, preparing for the time when it will again be possible to function without the threat of the virus

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he commemorating of this year’s great jubilees – the 30th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany and the 50th anniversary of the establishing of the Belgrade centre of the Goethe Institute (GoetheInstitut) – has been adapted to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t reduce the quality of the celebrations.

Apart from these major anniversaries, here we also discuss the experiences of the previous seasons for this German cultural centre with its director, Frank Baumann.

Unification is at the very foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany, so commemorating the anniversary of your country’s reunification will serve to remind us all of one good example and good practise. During this year, the GoetheInstitut commemorates half a century of its existence. How will you mark these jubilees?

- Yes, 50 years of the Goethe-Institut in Belgrade is certainly something special; something to be proud of, to be thankful

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for and to prompt us to stop for a moment, looking both back and forward at the same time. The official reception should have taken place in June, with some high-ranking guests from Serbia and Germany. And a big fat party with some cool live music and all of our friends, clients and partners around, in a cheerful mood, down at Dorćol Platz – that was the idea.

The Coronavirus pandemic destroyed everything, as you can imagine. What remains are memories of 50 years of the German culture and language in Belgrade, good years mainly, though some tough ones as well, and one of the strangest right now. But no complaints, many people paid a much higher price than cancelling a single event. For the culture scene, both the independent and the state-run, it’s a disaster. I wish someone could see some light at the end of the tunnel, but this nasty virus probably came to stay for a while longer.

Regarding the commemoration of 30 years of the reunification of the two Germanys: well, to me that’s first of all a political date, a historical landmark, and as such it’s up to our

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Embassy to communicate. I’m sure they will, probably in some combination with the current German presidency of the EU, which would make sense to me. When it comes to culture and ordinary people, we could discuss the extent to which Germany is unified today. To a certain degree, it’s still a divided country, not only between east and west. The Coronavirus alone makes no difference.

How did the Coronavirus pandemic lead to changes in the Goethe-Institut’s plans? Which programmes did you have to cancel or postpone? Judging by announcements on the Institute’s Facebook page, you maintained a very rich online programme.

- Well, first of all our ongoing language courses were paused. We had to stop them immediately, and those which were about to start were cancelled.

Luckily, a vast majority of our students agreed to continue by switching to an online format. The language course office promptly coordinated this with our teachers, who did their very best to make it happen, though it came over them just out of the blue, but mutual goodwill on each side made it a success for most of our customers and colleagues. We even extended our online portfolio during the lockdown phase and saw a significant increase of interest in this format.

Regarding cultural events, we had to cancel or postpone performances of several German authors (Noor Kanj, Marion Poschmann, Robert Menasse), as well as several exhibitions, among which “Missing Stories” was an incredible loss. This is a highly rated international art exhibition on forced labour under the Nazi occupation. Two years of work, a grand opening at the Salon of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, and then – back to storage. It will be continued, hopefully, in 2021. Still, we did our best to use the potential of the all-round virtual space.

For example, we presented a digital exhibition, “Abandoned”

by Sanja Latinović, through our YouTube channel. The panel discussion with the artist happened on Instagram. That’s also the place where we later celebrated World Book Day. It worked pretty well, even if all these streaming actions cannot replace personal contacts, as everybody now knows. Still, we’ll stick to it in the future and keep having online talks on literature. In June we presented a music documentary as a live premiere by Belgrade-based saxophonist and composer Hayden Chisholm on our YouTube channel. Also in June we started the experiment of a real exhibition in the gallery of our library. It turned out to

be extremely challenging to follow all health recommendations and restrictions of the Serbian government and the World Health Organisation. However, given that not everybody feels comfortable to come around personally despite all measures being taken, we keep on streaming everything for remote use.

Apart from our own online events, we did our best to keep in touch with our audience on social networks, sharing relevant German content, such as virtual exhibitions from important German museums, online concerts and DJ sets, even films for free streaming etc.

50 years of the Goethe-Institut in Belgrade is certainly something to be proud of, to be thankful for, and to prompt us stop for a moment, looking both back and forward at the same time

Finally, our so-called e-Library, which has been very well known to our regular readers in Serbia since 2014, has been used more frequently than ever during the past few months. With its huge offer of German e-books, films magazines etc., as well as regular updates, it has become one of our most popular online content.

It can be said that the Goethe-Institut has a comprehensive programme of German language courses – for both beginners and experts.

Are you satisfied with the response; how do you compete with the popularity of the English language?

- Yes, we have a wide range of courses from the age of six onwards, as well as many different course formats – super intensive, two extensive options, online and blended learning, which is 50% in person and 50% online. Something for everyone!

We don’t feel like we have to compete with the popularity of the English language that much, since speaking English is a given now and most children learn it at school from an early age. German is usually a second foreign language that people in Serbia learn and they know exactly why they’ve chosen German and the Goethe-Institut: better business opportunities in Serbia, as well as job opportunities in Germany, further education in a German-speaking country, to name a few.

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Škograd is one of many programmes with which the Goethe-Institut is present in our area. How is progress being achieved for this open classroom in which schools and local communities cooperate in sorting out their local environment?

- Thank you for this question. The long-term cooperation with the (still young) Škograd crew is one of our beacon projects. It’s based on a civil society platform that we established a couple of years ago, called “Next Generation”, and aims at fostering a new understanding of the school/town relationship in a specific environment through mutual participation. The focus of the activities is on a suburban area of Belgrade, the agglomeration of Ledine, established not too long ago, with its inhabitants facing quite a few challenges and open issues. So, on the basis of numerous activities organised by Škograd in cooperation with local school kids, the activists developed a kind of methodology that was previously presented at several conferences outside Serbia. Sharing experiences with other expert groups from Germany and other countries strengthens the position of Škograd, enhances their networking and, finally, helps to continue the beneficial work for (not only) underprivileged kids in local summer schools, but also open classroom formats (“Infrastructure of hope”), among others. For the latter, Škograd was just awarded by the 2020 Belgrade Salon of Architecture / BINA, and I really hope that this cool initiative (one for our children that are about to grow up) will remain an integral part of the city’s cultural landscape.

online, also in physical spaces such as squares, open-air cinemas etc. The 13th Beldocs presented i.a. seven carefully chosen German documentary productions and co-productions.

Through this year’s cooperation with Bitef, everyone involved in the project was facing the importance of quickly finding alternative ways of doing things, caused by many uncertainties in every respect. As an outcome, the German guest performance “Uncanny Valley” of Rimini Protokol and Kammerspiele Munich was one of two solo lecture performances presented at the Prologue Edition of the 54 th Bitef festival. The digital body of a performer (German author Thomas Melle) on the stage of Bitef Theatre raised many important issues, wonderfully mirroring the momentum.

During this time when we’re talking for CorD, it is almost certain that the traditional Belgrade Book Fair won’t be held this October, though that has not yet been confirmed officially. If the Fair is cancelled, do you plan to present the latest editions of German publishers in some other way?

- Well, of course we couldn’t replace or at least compensate for activities of German publishing houses. It’s just a very small window to some carefully selected releases of the book market that we could contribute. But GoetheInstitut used to present itself at the Belgrade Book Fair together with other European cultural institutes at a common EUNIC stand, until 2016. In 2017 Goethe-Institut was widely present as a partner of the joint project “4 Countries, 1 Language”, presenting the literature works of four German-speaking countries as “guests of honour”.

We later decided to support the Book Fair by organising different events prior to it, or in the context of it, such as the EUNIC conference for librarians “What kind of library do we need?”, which took place at the National Library of Serbia in 2018. As far as I know, something similar won’t happen this year, as it was too complicated to organise it in an online format. But, given that the Belgrade Book Fair is the biggest and most important event of its kind in the entire Western Balkan region, I’m sure this is just an exception due to the overall situation.

People in Serbia know exactly why they’ve chosen German and the Goethe-Institut – better business opportunities in Serbia and job opportunities in Germany

The Goethe-Institut traditionally collaborates on many important festivals that are held in Belgrade, to mention only BITEF and Beldocs. How has this year’s cooperation been realised, given the changes to conditions as a result of the pandemic?

- The novel COVID-19 outbreak also caused many changes in realising our planned programme activities in the realm of arts and culture. Strictly following current epidemiological rules, our traditional partners, Bitef and Beldocs, have managed to be among the rare festivals presenting their programmes in September, alongside the safest place – 46

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PREDRAG SKOKOVIĆ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUALITY HOUSE

BUSINESS

"BUG" Hunters Quality House was founded in 2004 as a home for software testing professionals driven by a passion to find "one more bug". Today, with offices in Bulgaria and Serbia, Quality House is a leading provider of software testing services in Southeast Europe

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e have set an agenda to increase our presence in other regions. In order to achieve this growth, we devote great effort to educating our team members, following world recognised standards and certification schemes, says Quality House MD Predrag Skoković.

What services does your company provide? Is professional software testing the basis for all your activities?

- Software development is a very young discipline, but one that’s evolving at an incredible rate. What was seen as a task half a century ago is today recognised as an opportunity for lifelong learning and specialisation. These tectonic movements have not bypassed software testing either.

Following this progress, based on the expectation that high-quality software applications will be an imperative in the 21st century, Quality House was founded in 2004. It is envisaged as a home of software testing professionals, driven by a passion to find “one more bug”.

Today, with offices in Bulgaria and Serbia, Quality House is a leading provider of software testing services (outsourcing, consulting, training), primarily in Southeast Europe.

To repay its debt to the community, Quality House is participating in the organisation (with SEETB) of the SEETEST conference, which is dedicated to the domain of software testing.

cannot save time and/or money. However, indirectly, if done properly, it can certainly mitigate risks related to developing product and support a development team in implementing application with the desired level of quality, within defined budget and set timeline.

Since the mid 1950s, when the term ‘Cost of Quality’ was coined, development teams were struggling to keep the cost of poor quality lower than the cost of good quality.

In today’s world, it seems like people are slowly getting used to failures in software applications. Yet there are still many more applications that do not see the light of day due to their poor quality. There were (and I’m afraid there will be) companies that lost their reputation or went bankrupt as a consequence of a single “bug”.

By applying proven software testing services, Quality House can help avoid these negative scenarios that could make your company’s name the next news headline.

Quality House is participating in the organisation of the SEETEST conference, which is dedicated to the domain of software testing

Software testing is thought to save more time and money than any other activity in development, because any defect that would delay market entry costs both a company’s money and reputation? Is that right?

- Software testing can be a very expensive “sport”. By itself, it

Which companies and industries do you test for the most?

- Outsourcing companies increase their knowledge with each new client and project. Quality House has a diverse portfolio, covering financial, mission- and safety-critical domains (e.g. banks, the automotive sector etc.). Domain knowledge is very important in providing valuable information to end customers. However, it is necessary to supplement this knowledge with specific technical and soft skills, in order to perform the service to the highest level of quality. Therefore, the QH team is composed of members who have different backgrounds in terms of education, knowledge, skills and experience. This gives us flexibility to quickly solve everyday challenges.

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FRAUEN-POWER

GERMAN WOMEN That Have Changed The World

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The importance of placing much needed value on the notion that women are equal is not something that is unique to any one culture or country — it’s a movement that transcends borders and oceans, because what is at stake is ubiquitous

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ere, we pay homage to some incredible women in a variety of careers and fields who have made a name for themselves as actresses, politicians, artists and more.

They are human beings who hail from the Mutterland and who have contributed something special — not just

because they are women, but because they’ve added value to society as individuals with a voice that is worth listening to.

Frauen-Power is an antiquated term associated with women who have struggled, sweated and paved their own way to be able to play an integral role in this world.

BERTHA VON SUTTNER This Nobel Peace Prize winner fought hard to live an unconventional life for her time. As a means of departing from the widely accepted (and only) route of her time, she tried to train as an opera singer to avoid having to marry for money.

Her crippling stage fright impeded this, but she ended up marrying for love, to the chagrin of many. This decison, coupled with her poor financial status, forced her to take many different jobs, and she even worked as a housekeeper and secretary for Alfred Nobel in Paris. As an already avid writer, Bertha became a prominent figure in the peace movement with her publication Die Waffen nieder! (or Lay Down Your Arms!) in 1889 and later became the founder of the German Peace Society. She also took part in organising the first Hague Convention in 1899. Her journalistic efforts, mixed with her fervent support of and interest in promoting peace, led her to eventually win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, and it is rumoured that the prize exists in the first place because of her.

AMALIE EMMY NOETHER This impressive woman made powerful contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics and is still considered one of the top mathematicians of the 20th century. In physics, her theories articulated the connection between conservation laws and symmetry. In maths, she instigated theories about rings, algebras and fields. It’s safe to say that Amalie was a bit of a brainiac, and she was partially conditioned by her father, who was also a mathematician. Abandoning her original plan to study English and French, mathematics became her vice, and later, her weapon of mastery; demonstrated by her gifts to academia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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ANGELA MERKEL Angela Merkel is the first female chancellor of Germany. She took office in 2005, but this is only one of her feats — with a doctorate in physical chemistry, she’s not a one-trick pony. This former research scientist hails from Hamburg circa 1954. Merkel’s Germany was not our Germany, and her involvement in politics started at an early age with her participation with the Free German Youth, and she later got involved with the growing Democratic movement after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This passion for government and participation snowballed, eventually landing her the spot as the Chancellor of Germany. Known for her tenacity, ability to make tough decisions, and for being a beacon of fortitude in a male-dominated branch, Merkel was voted Time Magazine‘s ‘Person of the Year’ in 2015. With an arsenal of awards under her belt and a penchant for blooming in tough times, Angela Merkel is a force to recognise.

LISE MEITNER Lise Meitner was one of eight siblings, born in Vienna in 1878. Her love of physics bloomed at an early age, which led her to obtain her doctorate in the subject, but a woman working in this specific and male dominated field of academia was rare at that time. She was welcomed into a group of scientists with whom she worked closely in Berlin, including chemist Otto Hahn, and the two discovered protactinium in 1918. Though a brilliant contributor in her field, she was often overshadowed by the men — like when she discovered the radiationless transition in 1923 that ended up being named the ‘Auger effect’ after Pierre Victor Auger, who ‘discovered’ it two years after Meitner. In an even bigger oversight, the acknowledgement of nuclear fission was credited largely to Otto Hahn (though the two had come up with it together), and Hahn went on to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944. Meitner later received many awards in an attempt to somehow reconcile her many exclusions and acknowledge her unbelievable contributions.

HANNAH ARENDT Hannah Arendt was a prominent political theorist who was German born but eventually escaped to America during the Holocaust. Her works largely dissected and evaluated power, paying specific attention to totalitarianism, authority and democracy. She rejected the idea of being a philosopher and despised this nomenclature, because philosophy tends to fixate on the individual and she erred on the side that assumed parts are the sum of a whole. In other words, she was part of human kind, and through this context she discussed the trials and concepts of life. She was a prolific writer and thinker whose works are still read today, and some of her theories trace the roots of Stalinism and rally for the concept of inalienable human rights. Hannah Arendt was truly a woman with an inexorable voice and astute perspective.

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GABRIELE MÜNTER This German expressionist painter doesn’t come directly to mind when talking about the feminist movement, but she was an integral part of the process. Her affinity for colour manifested in her famous landscapes, while her earlier works borrowed from the big wigs of Fauvism — specifically, Matisse and Van Gogh.

Münter and her then partner, Kadinsky, were prominent leaders in the Munich Avant-garde movement. Along with Kadinsky and Franz Marc, she started the expressionist group called Der Blaue Reiter, or the ‘blue rider,’ which hoped that painting would take on a symbolic and spontaneous relationship of colour that, in turn, was a metaphor for the bleeding out of life towards the point of abstraction. Gabriele was a prolific painter who embodied the spirit of the expressionist and avant-garde movement. Her contributions, though not as widely known as some of her contemporaries, remain relevant and inspiring.

ALICE SCHWARZER Alice Shwarzer is a contemporary feminist who still works in the movement. As the founder and publisher of the German feminist magazine EMMA, Alice works to spread her ideas of equality throughout Germany and beyond.

She prioritises economic self-sufficiency in women and constantly speaks out against antiquated and misogynistic laws from the 1970s that still persist today.

Alice was also of one of the founders of the feminist movement in Paris, and was arguably one of the catalysts for the ‘second wave’ movement of feminism.

Alice is never shy about voicing her ideas or acting as a champion for what she believes is fair, equal and right.

TRÜMMERFRAUEN The Trümmerfrauen, literally “women of the rubble”, were the women who rebuilt Germany. After World War II, there were around seven million more women than men left in Germany. Along with that, there was an estimated 400 million cubic metres of rubble to be cleared and four million homes to be rebuilt. For months after the end of the war, women aged 15-50, some volunteers, others contracted, set to work building the country back up. There were a few rough years directly after the war, but after the rubble was cleared and the Marshall Plan got into full swing, West Germany’s economy recovered tenfold and, by the late 1950s, the economic miracle had taken hold. Without these brave women, Germany may never have fully recovered from the devastation of the war.

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AHK SERBIA

Reliable Economic

PARTNER OF SERBIA The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia) represents the interests of its member companies, provides informational support for their business and advocates for the development and improvement of German-Serbian trade and cooperation in all aspects of the economy. One of the tasks of AHK Serbia is to provide advisory support to German companies entering the Serbian market, as well as to Serbian businesspeople entering the German market.

MEMBERS OF THE GERMAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE DONATED MORE THAN A MILLION EUROS FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST THE PANDEMIC With the aim of supporting institutions and health workers in Serbia in the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic, AHK Serbia member companies have donated aid with a total value 1,087,000 euros in recent weeks. This relates to aid in the form of specific medical equipment and financial resources for the procurement of such equipment, donated goods and food/hygiene packages, but also the provision of services to companies for humanitarian purposes (such as transportation and distribution).

President of AHK Serbia and General Manager of Hemofarm, Dr Ronald Seeliger, emphasised that Germany has been, and remains, a reliable partner to Serbia, and that the engagement of German investors will continue contributing to the economic sustainability of Serbia even in difficult times.

“German investors have been present in Serbia for a full two decades, and close to four hundred German companies currently operate here, with more than 60,000 employees. This is a clear indicator that Germany is one of Serbia’s most important and most reliable economic partners, and it will also continue to be so in the future.

Even in these challenging times when the entire world and the global economy have already been impacted by the effects of the pandemic, it is very important that we remain human and that each of us does as much as we can to help institutions and health workers in the struggle against this coronavirus. Donations from companies are our way to show that Germany is not only an important economic partner of Serbia, but above all a friend,” stressed the AHK Serbia president.

The AHK Serbia member companies that have donated 52

aid to date include: Generali Osiguranje Srbija, Hemofarm AD, Henkel Srbija, Inmold, Klett publishing doo, Lidl Srbija, Messer Tehnogas, Mirax Agrar, Nelt Group, Peric Trans Company, Stim-Import Loznica, Transfera d.o.o., ZG Lighting SRB d.o.o. (Zumtobel Group) and many others.

GERMAN INITIATIVE TO IDENTIFY SUPPLIERS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS 2020

AHK Serbia, the representative offices of the German economy in the Western Balkans (AHK), as well as the German Association for Materials Management, Import and Logistics (BME eV), jointly organised the regional B2B project “German initiative to find suppliers in Western Balkan countries”, which is being implemented for the sixth consecutive year. This year’s regional B2B project was held online from 8th to 22nd September.

More than 30 German companies participated in the project, as well as 154 companies from the Western Balkan region. From Serbia alone, 52 supplier companies presented their businesses to potential German partners, with a total of 340 B2B meetings held.

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The aim of the project is for German companies to find producers from the economic domains they’re seeking in Serbia and elsewhere in the Western Balkans. The concept of the project is based on the “B2B - matchmaking” mechanism. Interested German companies come primarily from the metal processing sector, the automotive industry supply sector and the plastic materials processing and production sector. Other industries are also represented in individual cases, such as construction and the energy sector.

Events are realised under the patronage of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany, within the scope of the Programme for the Development of Foreign Markets for Small and Mediumsized Enterprises of the Federal Republic of Germany.

ONLINE PORTAL FOR SUPPLIERS FROM SERBIA Following numerous supplier initiatives and gatherings organised in Germany, and in response to great interest in cooperating with SMEs and for imports from Serbia, AHK Serbia launched an online portal for suppliers from Serbia https://www.lieferanten-serbien.com/. At a time when doing business digitally is a “new reality” for companies globally, domestic business leaders and entrepreneurs have gained an excellent opportunity to present their companies, products and services on this platform, via which German companies seek suppliers of goods and services in specific areas and receive insight into the offer of domestic suppliers. A great advantage of this is that AHK Serbia has initiated exclusive cooperation with the German Association for Materials Management, Import and Logistics (BME e.V.), so that companies from Serbia that are participants in the AHK Serbia portal are also promoted on the BME portal. BME represents a professional association for buyers, supply chain managers and logisticians in Germany and Central Europe, with a total of over 9,750 individual and corporate members.

AHK Serbia invites all interested companies to secure their place on the AHK portal and take advantage of all the benefits of this digital platform – to present their companies, products and services to potential German customers. Contact us for more information and ways to promote.

CONFERENCE: MODERNIZATION IN THE SECTORS OF TRANSPORT, LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO In February 2020, AHK Serbia, under the patronage of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany and in partnership with German company em&s GmbH, organised a conference on the topic “Modernisation in the sectors of transport, logistics and transport infrastructure in Serbia and Montenegro”.

The conference saw a delegation comprising seven German companies present their production programmes,

innovations and services in these areas, after which all conference participants had an opportunity to hold B2B meetings with German companies.

ONLINE BIOMASS AND BIOGAS CONFERENCE AHK Serbia, under the patronage of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany and in partnership with German company energiewächter GmbH, organised an online conference in September 2020 on the topic “biomass and biogas in Serbia”, with the aim of connecting successful German companies with domestic companies from Serbia in order to share technology and experiences.

CONFERENCE “WESTERN BALKANS AND THE GERMAN ECONOMY: INVESTMENTS - SUPPLY INITIATIVES - MOBILITY”

In November 2019, under the patronage of the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and in cooperation with the Committee of the German Economy for Eastern Europe – Eastern European Association of German Economy (OA) - and the German Association for Southeast Europe, AHK Serbia organised a conference on German initiatives, economic development, new conditions and the effects of the German Law on the Immigration of Skilled Workers from Non-EU Countries, as well as demographic challenges in Serbia.

The conference was opened by AHK Serbia President 53

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Dr Ronald Seeliger, Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of Demography and Population Policy, Dr Slavica Đukić Dejanović, and the Head of the Section for Southeast Europe, EU Enlargement and Turkey at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Helge Tolksdorf.

DUAL EDUCATION

VISIT OF PETER ALTMEIER, MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS AND ENERGY OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, WITH A BUSINESS DELEGATION

Under the auspices of the visit to Serbia of the Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Peter Altmeier, at the end of October 2019, AHK Serbia hosted German business leaders at the Business Briefing and Round Table at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.

The Business Briefing gathered businesspeople from Germany, who came as part of the delegation of Minister Altmeier, and German MPs. Businesspeople from Germany received relevant information on the political situation in the country from Dorothea Gieselmann, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, while the situation in the economic sector was presented by the AHK Serbia President Seeliger.

Following the briefing, Minister Altmeier spoke at a meeting attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Serbian Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Marko Čadež, Deputy Director General of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce (DIHK) Dr Volker Trajer, AHK Serbia President Seeliger and AHK Serbia Director Martin Knapp, as well as German and Serbian business leaders representing members of AHK Serbia.

Minister Altmeier said that Germany and Serbia want to intensify their relations and that they can primarily achieve that through economic cooperation. Also speaking on this occasion, AHK President Seeliger assessed the current economic cooperation between Serbia and Germany as good, noting that Germany invests a lot in Serbia and that German companies employ more than 60,000 people in the country.

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A conference of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce entitled “Dual Education - Experiences of German Companies in Serbia” launched the Week of Dual Education at the end of October 2019, under the patronage of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia (CCIS).

The conference was opened by AHK Serbia director Knapp, Assistant Minister for Dual and Entrepreneurial Education and Training Gabriela Grujić, and Director of the CCIS Centre for Dual Education Mirjana Kovačević.

Representatives of German companies Siemens Srbija, Robert Bosch, ContitechFluid Serbia and Draexlmaier Serbia shared their experiences in the implementation of the dual education system with media representatives and the gathered members of AHK Serbia.

AHK ONLINE PORTAL FOR STUDENT WORK PLACEMENTS

The portal for student work placements at AHK Serbia member companies, www.ahk-praksa.com, was created on the initiative of AHK Serbia and the University of Belgrade, “Model of German business to work experience”, with the aim of advancing students professionally and ensuring their better connection with the labour market.

This online platform enables members of AHK Serbia, but also other companies with German capital that are not members, to regularly publish open positions for work placements within their companies.

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SENIOR EXPERT SERVICE

• The International Fair in Munich • The International Fair in Cologne • The Nuremberg Toy Fair • The Intec and “Z” fairs in Leipzig AHK MEMBERS DINNER

The main activity of the Senior Expert Service (SES) programme is based on the mediation of professional consultants in various economic and non-economic activities around the world. This German non-profit organisation, which is subsidised by the German Ministry for International Cooperation, deals with the mediation and organisation of engagements of professional consultants from Germany in SMEs. SES consultants are active German retirees, experts with vast experience who undertake their engagements with great enthusiasm and a strong work ethic. They provide consulting services without financial compensation, with the aim of helping and promoting the organisation of the operations of SMEs, public institutions, associations and educational institutions, both in Serbia and around the world.

The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce has been representing the SES programme in Serbia since 2005.

Until the end of 2018, approximately 250 SES engagements had been realised in Serbian companies and non-business entities.

The AHK Serbia business dinner for representatives of member companies is among the most popular events among members of this association. The event is opened with an honorary speaker from the domestic economic and political scene, with a short presentation on a current topic, followed by a discussion and a cocktail reception in a relaxed atmosphere. In January 2020, the guest of honour at the AHK Members Dinner was Zsuzsanna Hargitai, regional director for the Western Balkans at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who spoke about opportunities and obstacles to investing in Serbia from the EBRD’s perspective.

WORKING GROUPS

FAIRS IN GERMANY

German business fairs, as the most significant promotional mechanisms and sales institutions in Europe and beyond, have always occupied a significant place in economic cooperation between Serbia and Germany.

AHK Serbia represents:

The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce organises working groups with a focus on three areas: human resources, communications and public relations, but also energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. At interesting interactive meetings of members that have an average of 35 participants, attendees present common topics, while expert lectures are given in selected fields, with exchanges of experience among colleagues from various companies.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

ESTABLISHING OF THE NEW AHK WORKING GROUP FOR CSR/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Reputation is the most important aspect in the business of modern companies, which is expected to not only yield a positive financial performance, but also to create a positive contribution to social development. Everything is important for a good corporate reputation today, from the quality of employees, via product quality and financial performance, to corporate culture. Recognising the importance of corporate social responsibility and corporate philanthropy, AHK Serbia this year established its Working Group for CSR/Sustainable Development, which has to date organised three online meetings, with the support of the Serbian Philanthropic Forum.

AHK OKTOBERFEST

The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce each year conveys a German tradition dating back almost 200 years with the unique AHK Oktoberfest. The tenth Oktoberfest in Belgrade, and the fourth organised by AHK Serbia, was held over the course of two days on 10 th and 11 th October 2019. Around 1,300 guests from member companies, partners and guests from business life enjoyed Erdinger beer, a variety of specialities of Bavarian cuisine and the music of Dejan Petrović and his Big Band, as well as competitions in holding multiple beer mugs and drinking beer.

SERBIAN VISIONS

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The fifth Serbian Visions multicongress was held on Friday 22nd November and Saturday 23rd November 2019 at Belgrade’s Radisson Collection Old Mill Hotel. The opening ceremony of the fifth Serbian Visions multicongress saw plaques awarded for the third time: the plaque for the Best Vision was awarded to the Association ‘Žene na prekretnici’ [Women at a Turning Point], which is the only association dedicated to the economic empowering of unemployed women aged over 45, who represent the most vulnerable group on the labour market in the Republic of Serbia.

The plaque for the best social engagement was awarded to the Association of Internal Auditors of Serbia, which works to promote sound corporate governance and ethical principles, as well as to raise awareness of the value of internal audits.

• 40 two-hour events over the course of two days • 40 participants and event co-organisers: NGOs, expert associations, institutes, institutions, companies, associations, universities…

• 40 different ways of presenting: discussions, forums, presentations,workshops, seminars, film screenings and many others • 40 interesting topics covering the fields of human rights, economics, education,culture, health, environmental protection, EU integration and others • 40 plus reasons to come as a citizen and visit the only multicongress in Serbia!

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

VLADAN MARKOVIĆ, DIRECTOR, VLADO BAUMASCHINEN

BUSINESS

NEW CHALLENGES Drive Efficiency

Vlado Baumaschinen, a Surčin-based company that deals in construction, transport and services, has been engaged successfully in civil engineering for more than a decade and has achieved successful cooperation with both domestic and foreign construction companies

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e have enviable experience and great references when it comes to the construction of roads, earthworks, building demolitions, excavations, securing foundation pits and landscaping of all kinds, as well as basic and ancillary civil engineering structures,” says Vlado Baumashinen Director Vladan Marković with pride.

You founded the company in 2004 and it has gone on to become one of our country’s most successful and respected companies in the field of civil engineering in a relatively short period of time. How would you evaluate these first 16 years of operations?

- The first few years were extremely difficult. It was necessary to work hard and make sacrifices for years in order to create the conditions for the procurement of new machinery and equipment essential for achieving a certain market share. Over the last five years we’ve been working on the development, expansion and improvement of the work process necessary for providing high-quality services.

Everything is easy when you have a goal, and the goals of our work and operations imply a professional and detailed approach to work, the application of economical solutions, utilising modern technologies, hiring a professional team of people and constantly increasing the efficiency work through the accepting of new challenges.

mists and trained, qualified workers of all required profiles, and we are absolutely committed to improving working and organisational skills and capacities. The largest percentage of employed personnel comprises workers who have completed secondary education - construction machine operators, dump truck drivers and auxiliary construction site workers. Employees with higher education qualifications include engineers, project managers and financial experts.

Vlado Baumaschinen has spent years investing in the latest construction machines, tools and cago vehicles, but primarily in the continuous training of around 80 employees who achieve exceptional results in practise.

We have spent years investing in the latest construction machines, tools and cago vehicles, but primarily in the continuous training of employees

What is the structure of your personnel like?

- In our team we have managers, licensed engineers, econo-

Your colleagues point out that it’s increasingly challenging to achieve everything, particularly some of the specific requirements of clients. Isn’t that a problem for you?

- We have amassed more than ten years of experience in the field of civil engineering, we successfully perform works on the construction of roads, earthworks, building demolitions, excavations, securing foundation pits and landscaping of all kinds, as well as basic and ancillary civil engineering structures. By applying the latest technology and mechanisation, as well as high-quality construction materials, along with the experience and knowhow of professional staff, we realise all requirements of clients, which we perceive as a great challenge, within agreed deadlines and to the highest standards. Given that this is about specific demands and that each project is unique, we approach each project carefully and respond with high-quality services within the deadlines sets.

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

BOOKS

EXHIBITION 2009 DEVOTED TO THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLECHTROMMEL AT THE GÃœNTER-GRASS-HAUS

10GERMAN BOOKS

You Have To Read Before You Die These ten novels, ranging from the late 19th century to the last couple of years, are modern German classics. Earning international acclaim, each one is essential reading. This list takes a whistlestop tour through Germany's most influential books and authors

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

1. DIE BLECHTROMMEL (THE TIN DRUM) BY GÜNTER GRASS (1959)

But to get a taste of Mann’s writing, Der Tod in Venedig is a good place to start.

Gustav von Aschenbach is a famous writer who takes a summer holiday in Venice. During one dinner, he notices an exceptionally beautiful adolescent boy.

He becomes obsessed from a distance, shutting out the ominous news of a danger spreading through the city.

3. DER VORLESER (THE READER) BY BERNHARD SCHLINK (1995)

In Die Blechtrommel, Oskar Matzerath narrates his life story from a mental hospital in the early 1950s.

Born in 1924, Matzerath decided at the age of three to stop growing, retaining the stature of a child whilst having an adult’s capacity for thought. Nobel Prize-winning author Günter Grass’ most famous novel is not the easiest of reads, but it is definitely worth the effort.

The book “most completely defines the [20th century] in all its glories and catastrophes - the moods, atmospheres, manias, streams, currents, histories and under-histories,” writes The Guardian.

2. DER TOD IN VENEDIG (DEATH IN VENICE) BY THOMAS MANN (1912)

Buddenbrooks and Der Zauberberg (The Magic Mountain) are probably Thomas Mann’s most renowned novels.

In the late 1950s, 15-year-old West German Michael Berg finds himself in a passionate but secret love affair with a woman who is over 20 years his senior, leaving him confused yet enthralled.

As a law student several years later, he is observing a trial when he realises that the woman in the dock is his former lover. But the woman on trial is a very different person to the one he thought he knew.

Der Vorleser belongs to the genre of Vergangenheitsbewältigung - a term used to describe post-war attempts to come to terms with the Nazi past - and is one of the best known examples outside of Germany. In 1997 it became the first ever German book to top the New York Times bestseller list, and Kate Winslet won an Oscar for her performance in the 2008 film adaptation.

The book has, however, come in for staunch criticism, as critics claim it encourages identification with the perpetrators of the Holocaust.

4. IM WESTEN NICHTS NEUES (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT)

BY ERICH MARIA REMARQUE (1929) One of the most well-known books about the First World War, Remarque’s novel tells the story of German soldier Paul Bäumer, giving a human perspective to the mass of 59

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

When it was published in 1985, Das Parfum shot to the top of the best-seller tables. It stayed on Der Spiegel’s bestseller list for eight consecutive years, also experiencing great success internationally.

You will not regret picking up this gripping yet grotesque read.

6. AUSTERLITZ BY W.G. SEBALD (2001)

fighting in Europe between 1914 and 1918. Remarque was himself a veteran of the war, and he wrote and published the book a decade after its conclusion.

The novel zooms in to the daily life of an army private, detailing both the violence of battle and the mundaneness of life on the front.

Published in 1929, it quickly received international acclaim, being translated into 22 different languages and selling 2.5 million copies in the first 18 months.

It was also one of the first books banned and burned by the Nazis for being “degenerate.”

5. DAS PARFUM (PERFUME) BY PATRICK SÜSKIND (1985)

Whereas most good novels manage to conjure up images in your head, Das Parfum also conjures up scents and smells that waft up from the page.

Following the journey of a boy with an exquisite sense of smell which drives him to gruesome deeds, Süskind’s novel transports you back to 18th century France, and the sprawling, stinking city of Paris.

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W.G. Sebald’s fourth and final novel before his untimely death in a car crash in 2001 is a challenging but unquestionably rewarding book. He lived in southeast England for the majority of his life as a university professor, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge shared in the novel could only be that of an academic.

The novel traces the journey of Jacques Austerlitz, a man who arrived in Britain in 1939 as a young boy from Prague. Through a series of lengthy conversations with the narrator, Austerlitz slowly reveals his life story.

Sebald’s unusual style has been described as its own genre: dense and slightly old-fashioned, it still captivates the reader and leads them on a fascinating journey through the history of Europe.

7. DIE VERWANDLUNG (METAMORPHOSIS) BY FRANZ KAFKA (1915) Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, now capital of the Czech Republic.

At the time, Prague was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Kafka wrote in German. He is now regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century, and the adjective “Kafkaesque” – meaning nightmarishly complex and oppressive – is taken from the themes of his works.

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

9. IMPERIUM (IMPERIUM: A FICTION OF THE SOUTH SEAS) BY CHRISTIAN KRACHT (2012)

Die Verwandlung is probably his most famous work, and many are familiar with the bizarre first line: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect-like creature.”

Don’t expect this novella to get any less nightmarish from thereon in.

8. BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ

BY ALFRED DÖBLIN (1929)

The year 1929 - when Berlin Alexanderplatz was published - was the highpoint of the Weimar Republic, before it all came tumbling down with the Wall Street Crash. Berlin was like no other city in the late 1920s: diverse, liberal and often debauched.

This iconic novel narrates the story of ex-convict Franz Biberkopf who, after being released from prison in Berlin, swears that he will live an upstanding and decent life. He is soon, however, plunged into the capital’s louche but exhilarating underworld. Döblin’s novel was voted one of “The top 100 books of all time”, on a list compiled in 2002

by The Guardian.

In Imperium, a vegetarian nudist from Nuremberg sets sail for a South Pacific island to set up a religion worshipping coconuts and the sun. Sounds like absurdist fiction?

Kracht’s novel Imperium is actually based on a true story.

In this witty and ironic book, Kracht - one of modern German literature’s most elusive figures - tells more than just the surprising yet true story of this extreme figure. He also deals with extremist movements of the 20th century, as well as offering other interesting insights.

10. EFFI BRIEST BY THEODOR FONTANE (1896)

Written at the end of the 19th century, Fontane’s novel tells the story of a way of life that was also on its way out, with the unification of Germany and its rapid modernisation.

Effi Briest is a young girl from traditional Prussian noblility, who is married off to a considerably older official.

Although a devoted servant to the state, her husband is less loving towards his wife, which leads to great problems.

This poignant work is seen as one of the great German realist masterpieces, and a beautiful yet tragic story of two people caught up in the shackles of society.

By Alexander Johnstone

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

KEY MESSAGES

H.E. Thomas Schieb, German Ambassador to Serbia

Ronald Seeliger, President of German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia) and CEO of Hemofarm (STADA Group)

Speed Of Accession In Serbia's Hands

We Can Still Do Wonders

There is a danger of imbalance between the overall pace of negotiations and pace of rule of law reforms. Therefore, the basic equation is quite simple: The more progress in rule of law, the more chapter openings are possible Thomas Schieb

You don’t need to be a businessman to know that the shortfalls in production during the spring will affect balance sheets for 2020. However, there is a window of opportunity for institutional changes that may help the business community and keep us all healthy and in our workplaces. And then it will be possible to break new records, as we have done at AHK over the past decade.

The annual report of the European Commission, which has been announced for publication in October, should evaluate how far Serbia has progressed in the implementing of reforms linked to EU membership. At that time there will be discussion within the EU over whether some new chapters in the accession negotiation process could be opened,” say H.E. German Ambassador Thomas Schieb, speaking to CorD Magazine. Turning to the recent renewal of dialogue on the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Priština, ambassador Schieb says that the essence is to ensure that “both sides reach a legally binding agreement that enables both Serbia and Kosovo to pursue their EU accession aspirations and fulfil their rights and obligations as EU members”. Asked whether that process also implies that Serbia must recognise Kosovo’s independence, Schieb says: “In my political imagination ... it would be hard to envisage such a solution without Serbia recognising Kosovo”.

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“I feel a great pleasure when I look back and see the way in which German investments developed in Serbia.

This year is of special importance to us because we symbolically mark two decades of the presence of the German economy in this region. About 450 German companies operate in Serbia today, employing over 60,000 employees. Figuratively speaking, an entire Pirot or Kikinda work at the companies that came to Serbia from Germany,” points out Dr Ronald Seeliger, President of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Hemofarm, speaking to CorD.

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

KEY MESSAGES

Martin Knapp, Executive Member of the Board of Directors of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbien)

Frank Baumann, Director, Goethe Institute

We've Quickly Learnt To Live With The Crisis

It Will Be Continued

Companies have learnt over time to work under new circumstances. We are now waiting to see the results of the survey among German companies operating in Serbia and 16 Eastern European countries in early 2021, in order to get a clear picture of how the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way they see the world. The results might give us a better idea of whether the idea of nearshoring will gain momentum.

Like in the case of many other organisations in the previous period, AHK had to face the challenge of shifting many of its activities online. One of the most challenging would be the organisation of the AHK-supported Serbian Visions, the traditional annual festival of civil society with 60 co-organisers that used to see thousands of visitors over the course of one weekend in November. Yet some of the signature activities, such as bringing German industrial companies into contact with potential suppliers from the Western Balkans, took place almost as usual this year, only in electronic form.

“Many things are still unclear and we will have to wait a little longer before we see clearly what has happened in 2020,” says Martin Knapp, Executive Member of the Board of Directors of AHK Serbien.

The Goethe-Institut in Belgrade adapted its programmes to the conditions imposed by the pandemic, preparing for the time when it will again be possible to function without the threat of the virus The commemorating of this year’s great jubilees – the 30th anniversary of the reunification of East and West Germany and the 50th anniversary of the establishing of the Belgrade centre of the Goethe Institute (Goethe-Institut) – has been adapted to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t reduce the quality of the celebrations. Apart from these major anniversaries, here we also discuss the experiences of the previous seasons for this German cultural centre with its director, Frank Baumann.

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KEY MESSAGES

Ivan Smiljković, Member of The Executive Board of Procredit Bank

Supporting Clients At All Times We are aware of the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic, but we were also ready to face them, so their impact on our operations will be much smaller than will be the case with companies that weren’t orientated towards their own priorities – and those are clients and employees, and digital services, where we have been pioneers in many areas

We Offer Consumers Joy

Dr Oetker will be celebrating two decades of its existence in Serbia next year, while in Germany the brand will celebrate 130 years of operations. It operates today in more than 40 countries, has more than 16 000 workers and 3,500 different products, but is continuing to expand and works constantly on innovations

Udo Eichlinger, Ceo, Siemens and Siemens Mobility

Ljiljana Topić, Director, Galenika Pharmacia

Our Company Is Here To Stay

We're Here When Times Are Hardest

Siemens, a company with a rich history and a pioneer in the field of digitalisation, today offers solutions and technologies that help its customers and partners respond far swifter and more efficiently to crisis situations and changing market demands

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Zoran Mitić, Director, Dr Oetker Srbija

Galenika Pharmacia is a factory that produces complete sanitary consumables – from compresses, gauzes and bandages, via disinfectants, to surgical masks that have become the number one product. Although exports at the beginning of the pandemic would have been the business move of the decade, no Galenika mask left Serbia

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

KEY MESSAGES

Michael Stauch, Zf Managing Director – Technical, and Milan Grujić, Zf Managing Director – Commercial

The Vision Of Next Generation Mobility ZF is a global technology company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF enables vehicles to see, think and act

Kruna Gavović, Ceo of The Lean Six Sigma Company Cee and Tms Cee Marketing and Academy Manager

FFE Has Got The Momentum The Lean Six Sigma Company CEE has high occupancy of its LSS courses. This is because the number of companies organizing training for their employees is increasing, as is the number of experts who independently invest in their education

Vladica Stanković, Director of Gruner Serbia

Gruner – Every Young Worker's Dream In just 13 years, Gruner has, as a company, succeeded in changing the economic situation in the south of Serbia and providing adequate earnings for almost 600 workers and their families through the expanding of production facilities and conquering of new markets and technologies

Nikola Ćatović, Director, Macs Energy & Water Doo

Serbia Will Need To Speed Up In a world affected by climate change, Serbia will need to speed up its transition to alternative, low carbon sources of energy

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PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

KEY MESSAGES

Milan Manić, Deputy General Manager of Leoni Serbia and Head of The Leoni Malošište Plant

Bojan Lasković, Managing Director, CFND Belgrade

Logistics Of The New Era

We Offer Secure Jobs

LEONI has invested in excess of 146 million euros in its facilities and equipment since 2009. The company currently employs around 10,000 people in Serbia and plans to increase that number when its Kraljevo plant begins operating at its full capacity. One of the 15 largest exporters in Serbia, LEONI also has a network of approximately 500 domestic suppliers

Predrag Skoković, Managing Director, Quality House

Vladan Marković, Director, Vlado Baumaschinen

"Bug" Hunters

New Challenges Drive Efficiency

Quality House was founded in 2004 as a home for software testing professionals driven by a passion to find “one more bug”. Today, with offices in Bulgaria and Serbia, Quality House is a leading provider of software testing services in Southeast Europe

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CFND deals in logistics services and is specialised in the transport of goods on inland waterways in the Danube Basin. A member of several national and international associations, since 2015 it has been part of the Rhenus Group, one of the worlds leading logistics companies.

“What distinguishes CFND Ltd. from the majority of companies on the local market is precisely its synergy of all modes of transport,” says Bojan Lasković

Vlado Baumaschinen, a Surčin-based company that deals in construction, transport and services, has been engaged successfully in civil engineering for more than a decade and has achieved successful cooperation with both domestic and foreign construction companies

PARTNER: GERMANY - SERBIA

Innovative systems for door and window technology www.geze.com

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