38 minute read
Ambitious Plans and its Implementation
from D&C 6
The City has been working hard on attracting potential investors and promoting entrepreneurship, which should contribute to the creation of new jobs. Concurrently, projects are being implemented that should promote development of the economic and tourist potential, including Novi Sad's candidacy for the European Capital of Culture in 2021
MILOŠ VUČEVIĆ Mayor of Novi Sad
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The fact that the Serbian Progressive Party (SPP) occupies all four levels of government is a positive development that implies full agreement on the most important projects that will improve the lives of our citizens – says the incumbent and newly elected Mayor of Novi Sad, Miloš Vučević.
You are starting your second term as mayor of Novi Sad. Which development direction should the City take and which economic branches are the best for its future? — We have been developing industrial zones in the close proximity of the E75 motorway, in addition to expanding the capacity of the Free Customs Zone and continuing to implement incentive programmes for the development of small enterprises, agriculture etc. We are creating an even better business climate and environment for future investors. Apart from industrial production, our construction sector has become the most appealing area to investors. The new data collated by the Ministry of Construction shows that construction activities are the highest in Novi Sad, i.e. higher than anywhere else in Serbia. Since 1st January, when we started issuing electronic building permits, the City’s Urban Planning Administration has received 1,330 building permit applications. Of all towns and cities in Serbia, Novi Sad has issued the most building permits, which makes it the best environment for investors.
Some say that Novi Sad has fewer investments than other areas in Serbia because foreign investors have to pay €100 more for an average salary in the city than in smaller towns? — The fact remains that the economy of Novi Sad is recovering. After several decades, production facilities are being opened by two multinational companies – Lear and Delphi – which are going to employ 5,000 people. The biggest international insurance companies and banks, as well as one of the biggest global energy companies – NIS Gazpromneft – operate in Novi Sad. We have been working hard on attracting potential investors, while our most important goal is to create new jobs. However, the most pressing matter at the moment is to harmonise our education system with the needs of the labour market. I think that dual education would be sustainable here and I have heard that many companies are willing to support it. Our education system needs to be reformed and, in order to have a more successful economy, we need
THE NEW DATA COLLATED BY THE MINISTRY OF
CONSTRUCTION SHOWS THAT CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES ARE THE HIGHEST IN NOVI SAD, I.E. HIGHER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN SERBIA. OF ALL THE TOWNS AND CITIES IN SERBIA, NOVI SAD ISSUED THE MOST BUILDING PERMITS, WHICH MAKES IT THE BEST ENVIRONMENT FOR INVESTORS
to provide worker profiles that the labour market actually needs. As a local government, we have discussed the expansion of certain technical education majors so that pupils who graduate from these high schools would be able to find employment in existing and future factories in Novi Sad immediately after they finish school.
Very few people know that in the last ten years Novi Sad has been a hub of the IT industry, which currently employs over 5,000 people. How are the City authorities going to support this sector? — The City authorities have been supporting the development of IT companies for years now, through the provision of assistance to startup programmes or first chance programmes, and by opening business incubators and cooperating with the local university. Novi Sad provides the biggest incentives in Serbia. This is where we are completely synchronised with the Serbian government's policy of providing the best incentives in Europe, especially to start-ups, with the view of encouraging people to start their own businesses. I visited the Employment Fair recently and there I saw both large companies, like Lear and Delphi, and small family businesses, standing shoulder to shoulder. This is proof that we are on the right path and that our incentives programmes for self-employment, start-up programmes and first chance programmes are yielding results. With regard to the further development of the IT sector, and considering the fact that Novi Sad is the IT hub of Serbia, there is still the problem of a lack of highly-educated staff.
According to certain data, Novi Sad needs at least 7,000 new IT professionals. Following the construction of the Science & Technology Park, I expect the Faculty of Technical Sciences to produce even more young IT experts. We need to provide a fast response to the market’s needs, especially when it comes to a sector that has been developing constantly.
The topic of revitalisation and reconstruction of Petrovaradin Fortress’s Suburbium has always been somehow pushed aside, while the 18th century Baroque quarter has been gradually deteriorating. Many medieval Central European towns have been earning millions of euros in tourist revenue from similar attractions. Why hasn’t the reconstruction of the Suburbium started yet? — The problem lies in legal property relations. We have inherited an extremely difficult situation in Gradić (the Suburbium part of the Fortress) and I have been trying to resolve it at the systemic level, although time is working against us. The Suburbium is an important cultural and historic location with great tourist potential and we owe it to this city, which I love very much, to take care of it, because it lies at the foot of a fortress that has for centuries been a symbol of the defence and liberation of Novi Sad. The only thing I can confirm is that in the past four years we have been trying to find the quickest and best solution for the people living in the Suburbium, so that we can finally start revitalising the buildings and utility infrastructure there.
The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) now occupies the leading positions at all four levels of government – the City of Novi Sad, the Province of Vojvodina, the Republic and the President of the Republic. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a situation from your perspective? — We are going to have cooperation and coordination without bureaucratic and political conflicts, as well as being in full agreement about the most important goals. The citizens chose us to be united around the projects that will create a better life in Serbia. And I do hope that we are never going to hear how the state government in Belgrade is to blame for everything, which many have used as an excuse for idleness or incompetence.
You were recently appointed as an SNS Vice President. What is the most important task that your party will have over the next year? — We are not going to alienate ourselves from the people. You can be sure of that. And if anyone forgets about the needs of their neighbours who voted for them, because they are intoxicated by the power of their high positions or privileges, the party will make sure that they take their cockiness somewhere else and not demonstrate it under the party's umbrella. All officials are constantly being examined and none of them are untouchable or eternal. SNS is a people’s party, not an elitist party. It is the party of the future. We are not going to let political vanity destroy us, because the people voted for us to take care of them and not of our personal interests. We have been given yet another major opportunity to work for Serbia and we are not going to squander that. at Radio & Television Vojvodina (RTV), with editors being replaced and subsequent protests? — I am sorry that RTV has been a tenant for 16 years and this is the politicians' fault, as well as the only instance when we are allowed to “meddle” in the work done by the provincial public broadcasting company, with the intention of helping them secure the best possible working environment and, above all, to get their own building after their headquarters in Mišeluk were destroyed in the 1999 air raids. As a local self-government, we are going to help with the construction of the new RTV building. I think that this is the most pressing issue for them at the moment. As far as the street protests go, my only concern is whether they have been properly
IF ANY OFFICIAL BECOMES INTOXICATED BY
THE POWER OF THEIR HIGH POSITION OR PRIVILEGES, THE PARTY WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY TAKE THEIR COCKINESS SOMEWHERE ELSE AND NOT DEMONSTRATE IT UNDER THE PARTY'S UMBRELLA. SNS IS A PEOPLE’S PARTY, NOT AN ELITIST PARTY, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE DESTROYED BY POLITICAL VANITY
What is your view of the situation registered with the police and if they are disturbing public order or not, and preventing the normal functioning of the city.
Vojvodina and Novi Sad are both multinational areas with a long tradition of tolerance between different nations and religions. There is a Serbian Orthodox church, a Catholic church, several Protestant churches, a synagogue and a Greek-Catholic Ruthenian church on a single square kilometre here. During Exit, we saw a peaceful Hindu procession of the Indian Chariot Festival. What future do multinational areas in Europe have, considering that many countries have edged closer to xenophobia and isolation in the last few years? — I am proud of Serbia for showing that it is living the true European values. During the migrant crisis, we have shown solidarity and humanity towards all the people who were expelled from, or forced to leave, their homes. Not only that... It is our duty to make different nationalities feel good, not to foster division and not to fight, but rather to build a better Serbia together.
The EXIT Festival has become Novi Sad's trademark event over the past 15 years. There are also many other events that bring in tourists. In which direction should the city's tourist offer develop? — The projects that we want to implement will greatly affect the city's development, especially the development of its economic and tourist potential. I am referring to Novi Sad's candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2021. I cannot wait for October, when the decision will be made in Brussels. I will be very proud if Novi Sad wins the candidacy as the first city from a country that is an EU candidate. This will be great encouragement and an incentive, both for the City and the Republic of Serbia. I want us to be optimistic, to fight, to believe and, of course, to win. We are also candidates for the European Youth Capital 2019. We are also preparing to build Youth Polis – a centre for young and creative industries. The projects that are going to be implemented here are all geared towards young people who can have fun in the centre, while learning and exchanging knowledge and experience, which, in turn, creates new development opportunities for Novi Sad.
Further from that, are you going to raise the issue of Čenej Airport again, which can be transformed into an airport for low-cost flights that could bring hundreds of thousands of tourists annually? — I have had many meetings with people who love aviation and are willing to participate in a public-private partnership. We must first talk to the representatives of the Vojvodina Government, but I think we are on the right track to implementing this idea, which has been around for decades. The entire project requires a lot of money and there are certain property issues that need to be resolved. However, we don't want to give up on our plan to modernise Čenej Airport in order for it to become suitable for commercial and cargo flights.
CSILLA IHÁSZ the new CEO of UniCredit Bank Serbia
After the approval of the National Bank of Serbia, Csilla Ihász was appointed to the position of Chair of the Executive Board of UniCredit Bank Serbia on 19 July. She succeeded Claudio Cesario who led the Bank since May 2012, and who continued his career in Croatia as Deputy CEO of Zagrebačka banka, also a member of UniCredit Group.
Csilla Ihász joined UniCredit Group in 2007, after having occuping series of different posts in the field of business development, sales and marketing, which she performed in the leading international banks in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). As Director of Marketing and segments within the sector for the retail business in CEE, she was responsible for establishing a service model and a series of projects of strategic importance for UniCredit Group. In 2009 she was appointed to a higher executive assistant director of the Division for operations in the CEE region, while the following year she became a member of the Executive Board of UniCredit Bank Hungary responsible for Retail Banking. In the period from September 2014, she was the Director of Commercial Development at UniCredit Bank Austria AG, and in April 2015 took over the director Department of Retail Banking in CEE, which included 12 markets.Csilla Ihász holds a degree Westfield State University in the USA and an MBA from Brunel University in London. FRANCESCO FAELLA new CEO of Tetra Pak for SEE
Tetra Pak, the world leader in food processing and packaging solutions, has recently appointed Mr Francesco Faella as the new CEO for Southeast Europe. Francesco will replace Maria Krasilowez, who has moved to the new position in the global organisation of Tetra Pak. With hi 20 years of experience in the food products packaging industry, Francesco took over this post bringing with him a wealth of experience in management and operational management. Before taking up a new position in the region of SEE, Francesco hled numerous management positions in Tetra Pak, the last of which includes the city manager of the portfolio of clusters for Europe and Central Asia, as well as the manager of the products in the global organisation of the company. ”I am very excited and honoured to take on this new role and I am looking forward to take over the leading position of the future growth and development in SEE,” said Faella. Francesco Faella will be stationed in Belgrade, and will lead all business markets of fourteen companies in the region of Southeast Europe, of which the largest are Serbia, Greece, Croatia, and Romania.
JAN LUNDIN new Ambassador of Sweden
As from 28 July 2016, Mr Jan Lundin is the new ambassador of Sweden to Serbia and Montenegro. H.E. Mr Jan Lundin, Ambassador of Sweden presented the letters of credence, signed by the King of Sweden, His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf to the President of the Republic of Montenegro, Mr Filip Vujanović on 26 July and to the President of the Republic of Serbia Mr Tomislav Nikolić on 28 July 2016. Prior to his post as Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia and Montenegro, Jan Lundin was appointed Director General of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) Permanent International Secretariat, Stockholm from 1 September 2010. Being a career diplomat at the Swedish Foreign Service, he came from the posting as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden to Germany. Mr Lundin graduated from the University of Stockholm in 1996 with a Master of Law. He had previously studied at the University of Uppsala where he was awarded his Bachelor of Arts in Slavic Languages, East European Area Studies and Economics.
Alongside his native Swedish, he has knowledge of ten languages and fluency in four, including Serbian, English, German, and Russian. He is married and has two daughters.
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Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ Go East and Start a Business
Oliver Hougham is a Scotsman who decided not to “go west” but to “go east” instead, in his persue of happiness and business opportunities. It is the tradition that the British entrepreneurs followed for centuries, but we don't have to go that far. Many of the German and Czech businessmen tried to make their happiness in the Balkans not so long ago. This is Oliver's story
OLIVER HOUGHAM Co-owner of Scotts Cider and owner of Beeraj
You live in Aberdeen, yet all of a sudden you decide to become an entrepreneur in Serbia. Strange? Not for three Scotsmen who moved to Novi Sad, bought Salaš 190 in Čenej, launched the production of Scotts Cider, the first Serbian-made cider, and found their home there. We are talking to Oliver Hougham, one of the three pioneers, to ask him about their story and future plans, which, we should be aware, include some craft beers at a place called Beeraj!
So, the first question should naturally be – how did it all start? I mean, you were sitting somewhere in Aberdeen and all of a sudden you decided to come to an Eastern European country to start making cider, and everything that followed. — Well, the whole idea was not actually from Aberdeen but from Ljubovija, on the Drina. My father was hosting refugees in Aberdeen. They were from Sarajevo. And in 1998 he came to Ljubovija, where they relocated and opened a shop there. The reason was the huge unemployment in Ljubovija at the time. So I was actually sitting in Ljubovija and I started to think about Serbian production and what could be done with it. I noticed that you had all the raspberries here and nobody was doing anything with them. Then I started to think about how to commercialise Serbian produce. And then, from 2004 to 2006, I started hosting Exit festival guests, and by 2007 the number of Exit guests had risen exponentially and there were some 14,000 British people here in Novi Sad, so I decided that I had to offer them something of Serbian produce. Just these 14 thousand here represented a huge market, but there were also festivals popping up around the former Yugoslavia, with Croatia representing the biggest market. Soon, in 2008, I decide to start a company and the whole initial concept was making cider for festivals. We named it Scotts Cider, because of our Scottish ancestry and because the three of us, all Scotsmen, started the story.
and Bohemia, like Zoffmann or Weifert. In Bosnia, after the Turks left, the Austrians founded the Sarajevo and Banjaluka Breweries. Is it natural to move from a richer country to a poorer one, albeit with a formula and a clear business model for the product lacking on the market? — It is always easier for people from the outside to see the potential than it is for people from here. That applies to any country. It is just that you don't see inwards from the inside. So I established myself here, but a few years later I decide to go a step further. We recognised the potential, but we were later bullied out of the major Croatian festival where
I NOTICED ALL OF THE RASPBERRIES
Your move appears to be quite similar to the entrepreneurial spirit of the British people who, say, went to Ceylon, Kenya or India and set up businesses. That is deeply rooted in the British mentality, right? And not only British! When the Austrian Empire conquered new territories, the Germans and Czechs brought their brewing traditions from Austria we had strongholds by big cider companies. Simply, they offered sponsorships and the festival accepted it and we were out. But we had some exclusive rights for some festivals – the Dimension Festival in Pula, Outlook Festival, in some years from 2008 to 2012, and everything was good. We were doing great, selling some 14,000 litres in a couple of days. But we could not pay as much as the big brands, so we had to go. Then in 2012 we tried at the Exit Festival. Bojan Bošković gave us a chance in his last year, 2012. And after 2012 we approached the domestic market and diversified our portfolio by adding apple juice. So, with these two products we are trying to do our best, but as one of the few microbreweries in Serbia, which has a monopolised market, it is hard. We were one of the first, and unfortunately the Serbian market was not ready for cider anyway. So we did it for three years and after that we decided we should go back to contract work and exports. We have now been bullied out of the Serbian market. The pressure on microbreweries it strong; the market has been monopolised in a way that many clubs have to buy exclusively from the big players. But now there is a growing number of freehouses, as we call them in the UK, which are pubs and restaurants that can buy freely from anyone as they are not contracted. There are some 30 freehouses here now, which sell craft beer and domestically produced beer or cider. Now this has opened up and there is an opportunity for profit, and lots of microbreweries are now operating. So the whole scene has changed, both for the consumers and the producers. There are associations being built and they are now active at all levels.
It is really impressive. But also I noticed a change in the behaviour of pubs. For exam-
ple, I was walking down the street and there was a place advertising music, food and, in huge letters, CRAFT BEER! It now seems to be very important to mention that you have craft beer. It is time for action, right? — It is huge now, yes. There is a huge market out there. And the most interesting is the American market. Last year craft beer took a seven per cent market share and this seven per cent of consumption employed 50 per cent of all employees in the beer industry in the States.
And there is a question of uniqueness. Let's say, I go to a place where there are only major known brands. So I have tasted it. No challenge, but if I really want to drink beer I will buy it. However, if, for example, I am with my girlfriend who does not drink beer and you say that you have a few brands of craft beer, that is tempting. Now everybody wants to taste it, to feel something new. And there is a feeling that you are special, so every time someone opens the bottle or gets a pint, it feels like there were some people really making an effort to prepare it. It was not made by a robot or on a conveyer belt. The feeling that it was hand-made is great. — Yes, but also microbreweries are not an easy business niche. There has to be passion in it; there has to be love in it. In most cases these are the second jobs and the third jobs for these people operating microbreweries. So you have to be passionate about preparing it, and the people consuming it also must feel special about it. As you told me, in art, people don't want .pdf catalogues, they want paper ones. They hold them in their hands and they feel special because it is limited. It is identity that now matters. And that's why the growth of microbreweries in Serbia will be exponential. But how many of them are really successful and how many of them are working from the heart? That is yet to be seen. But what the guys in Serbia are doing now is diversifying. It is not all California-styled, or not all Indian pale ales. Do you know that the hop is just a flavour preservative? Barley is important, but hops were only added to preserve the flavour during long journeys. So, the Brits added hops just to preserve the beer during voyages to British India, where thousands of civil and military personnel lived and needed beer, so that is why this kind of ale is called Indian Pale Ale. So the scene is diversifying, everyone is trying to find a new style and a new niche, so what we started here at Beeraj, where we sell craft beers, is a concept I kind of wanted from the start for cider: “try before you buy”. It is concept that the beer and wine and cider industries will have to embrace. When you walk into a pub and want to order a pint of beer, you know what the big brands taste
You started cider production nine years ago and now you are also in the craft beer business. Do you have any intention to start your own microbrewery for craft beer, which would be a logical step? — Well, no. We started cider production and after seven years we got the chance to expand it, and now we are planning to expand it even further. Now the people know about different brands of cider from the UK, and the girls particularly like cider. There is a clear niche for it after all these years. Now what is especially popular at this time of the year is “zova” (elder) and the
WE NOW HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
BOTTLE SCOTTS CIDER AND WE ARE NOW EXPANDING TO DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MARKETS. WE ARE ALSO DIVERSIFYING INTO APPLE AND ELDER JUICE PRODUCTION
like, and if you have to order a new craft beer, which is far more expensive, you will be reluctant. So the people are often scared by the price and so they choose a generic industrial beer (I call them “generic”), and they often don't know what craft beer tastes like. Beeraj is about teaching people what these styles are, encouraging people to find their flavour, and trying to ensure them enjoy it.
And how many types of beers are you currently offering? — We have eight types on draught, three types in bottles from two different breweries and in the next five days this will grow to four different breweries and a wide range of new flavours in bottles. juice from elder is huge now. We have an opportunity to bottle Scotts Cider and we are now expanding to domestic and foreign markets.
It is pretty much like music. When someone tries to spread the message, it has to be the right moment. When you see the Coldplay discography, you see that the first five singles charted awfully and they had to wait for the world to accept them. — Exactly, now is the time. Now everybody knows what cider is. You have to take into consideration the maturity of your market. And for an immature market like Serbia’s, we definitely came too early. We succeeded in exporting cider from Serbia, and this is our main success. We tried to expand here, but it was not huge. Our main markets for export are Croatia and London.
London? Really? So you managed to “sell the ice to the Eskimos”, in a way? I was expecting Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary or the like. — Sort of... Serbian cider was accepted well in London. Cider from Serbian apples was sold to a mature market.
What is your conclusion after all these years in the business? — My conclusion is that, after almost ten years doing business in Serbia, we are finally on the right track. We are seeing microbreweries; we are seeing entrepreneurs and people who are not afraid to try. And there are more and more people in every sector getting involved and this is really encouraging.
Now you cannot scare people, especially not young people. You can't tell them in America “Don't vote for Sanders, it will make America a socialist country”. Young people cannot be fooled anymore. They will say, “So what? I've been to Canada and Germany and Sweden and I liked it.” They are well-travelled. They have internet and cable TV with hundreds of programmes. Like 24Kitchen made a revolution in cooking, everyone tries to taste something new. It seems that we are in the New Discovery Era and are trying to expand our minds. — Definitely. And it is funny how I missed curry when I came here. In every food, I missed known spices. Thinking in retrospect, it is good to keep the food simple, but on the other hand, having the option to buy spices, to buy different flavours, to experiment with the 24Kitchen, they really pushed the boundaries, they now want to experiment and go further. Try different food, spices, wine, cider, beer. It could be childish in a way, or even ridiculous, but as long as there is an option, it is what we should be fighting for. The same is with cider and craft beer: as long as there is an option, that is really encouraging for the consumer. Who wants to can continue drinking whatever they want, the classical things and brands. But craft beers have done so well in such a short period of time. And that is great.
Dr MILAN PARIVODIĆ LL.M. (London), Attorney at Law, Parivodić Advokati/Lawyers, former Minister of Serbian International Economic Relations
More Predictability and Legal Security
The new Serbian Investment Law, passed in November 2015, introduces significant novelties for investors. One novelty is that the Investment Law extends its scope to all investors, both domestic and foreign, responding to global trends and domestic demands
The Law sets Aims, which should be construed as legal commitments of the Republic of Serbia: improving the investment environment in the Republic of Serbia, encouraging direct investment, equalizing treatment of domestic and foreign investors, increasing efficiency of state service to investments, and creating a more attractive business environment for domestic and foreign investors. Therefore, all laws and subordinate legislation need to be interpreted towards realization of the said aims.
For realization and maintenance of investments the Law grants the privilige of an expedited procedure before all authorities processing administrative matters: duty of issuance of public documents to investors in shortest possible time if an investor has filed complete documentation. Monetary fines are imposed for violation of the the above duties against the responsible person in the authority.
The Investment Law divides investments into two categories to afford them appropriate treatment: 1) investments of local significance and 2) investments of special significance for the Republic of Serbia.
New bodies of state to support investors are 1) Government Council for Economic Development, 2) Development Agency of Serbia (RAS), 3) “Unit for local economic development” in municipalities, cities, and Autonomous Province. An investor may use the Unit for Local economic development as one-stop shop for submitting to local bodies of state all documents and collecting all permits so as to avoid multiple contacts.
An investor may request formation of a Project Team for its investment, composed of civil servants relevant to the project. I suggest that the project teams are composed of those respective heads of bodies who should sign the various permits for the investment. As need be, a Project team may be established by 1) municipality or city for investments of local significance, 2) by the Autonomous province for investments for which incentive funds are provided from the budget of the autonomous province, and 3) by the Development Agency of Serbia for investments of special significance. The job of a Project team is to provide expert assistance, information and data and the efficient granting of permits for efficient and timely realization of investments. I suggest that if the Development Agency of Serbia establishes a Project team, it should encompass also officials from local and provincial level, to make the state team complete, coherent and their activities coordinated.
The Investment Program should be treated as the result of planning work done with the Project Team. Its purpose is that an investor has it all on paper and signed by the state which should secure a transparent investment process, reduce corruption and increase state responsibility in dealing with investors. Upon investor’s request the Investment program is drafted and signed by 1) local self-government unit and/or 2) competent authority of the Auton-
IN ANY CASE, ALL NOVELTIES IN THE NEW
omous province on the one side, and the investor on the other side. In content, the Investment program should determine 1) all documents and dates at which an investor needs to submit them, as well 2) all permits and the dates in which all public bodies are obliged to issue them. I suggest that members of the Project Team, who are heads of bodies due to issue respective permits, each are to sign before laying of signature by the reperesentative of local or provincial government. This would increase accountability between all actors and the benefits are obvious. Supervision over the implementation of and Investment Program is carried out by Development Agency of Serbia. An Investor has a right, not an obligation to use these services of the state. The Development Agency of Serbia is not expressly authorized in the Law to sign Investment Programs, but It should do so in line with its elaborate statutory duties from Article 36 to help investors in various ways and in line with best practices to date of assisting major projects. If it refused to do so, it would actually violate its duties to investors under the Law.
The new concepts in the new Investment Law (extension of scope to domestic investors, expedited administrative procedure, one-stop shop, project team, and investment program) are inspired by the Bill on Investments of 2006 and draft Law on Investment Law of 2015, both of which I inspired and drafted based on years of working with foreign investors as lawyer, consultant and minister of international economic relations. My drafts were quite more elaborate and stronger in affirming investors’ rights than this Investment Law, which reflects the current political balance of interests. Yet, we continue work on securing investors’ rights both at statutory and at project-level basis. I
In any case, all novelties in the new Investment Law are practical solutions aimed at improving legal security and predictability of all investments. Therefore, I commend the new Serbia’s Investment Law and look forward to its creative applying towards realizing its ambitious aims of a sustainable Serbian economy with a strong and dynamic domestic and FDI private sector.
Bye, Bye Serbia
I promise that in each place I will be posted to I will continue to carry with me the memories of the great people I knew here and continue to cherish beautiful moments I had in this country, writes in his farewell passionate message Ambassador Yossi, who spent here five great years
YOSSEF LEVY Ambassador of Israel
Those were for sure the best five years of my life. Belgrade is a city that you easily fall in love with. Many foreigners speak about the special magic of Belgrade which is perhaps not the most beautiful city in Europe but still succeeds to overwhelm you with its human dimension. As a diplomat I felt that I touched a certain ceiling.
After their departure from Belgrade, the Israeli Ambassadors before me have always complained that they cannot find anything that could compare to the Serbian capital. In a mysterious way I’ve started to understand what they meant. As a writer, I am sure that the endless moments I had here will be adapted and transformed in years to come into a new novel, my Belgrade love affair, a collage of cafes and friends, sweet secrets, great food as well as the everlasting political dilemmas. Belgrade is always standing on a historical crossroads and each year seems to be more dramatic than ever before. Israel is the same. That’s why I feel here so much at home.
For five years I was afraid that Serbian magic will finally come to an end. And it does. It is time to pack and say bye, bye. I apologize for using this stage to express my personal thoughts, but I would like to thank this great country for being a second home for myself and my family.
I truly believe in the Serbian potentials and human values. Great individuals must, in the end of the day, create a great collective. There is absolutely no reason that such powerful, immense and creative nation will not be able to create an impressive and sophisticated modern economy based on wisdom, innovation and human spirit. People, my friends, are the biggest asset of Serbia. Not a burden, but a real treasure of this country.
The biggest challenge of our beloved Serbia is demography. The Serbian population is shrinking rapidly. In short – there is not enough babies. Someone told me that with each population census Serbia is losing a town in the size of Arandjelovac. Isn’t it a real disaster? The remaining are getting older, while many young and educated are standing in queues in front of foreign embassies to get visa and leave. As a friend I can tell you that
AS A WRITER, I AM SURE THAT THE ENDLESS
this is the most depressing human landscape and it makes me sad. Rich countries are benefiting from the flow of amazing young Serbian women and men who are looking for a better tomorrow. I pray and hope that in the coming years we will see the opposite scenes: Serbian expats will come back and rebuild life here at home.
I leave Serbia with a great admiration for human generosity I found here. I promise that in each place I will be posted to I will continue to carry with me the memories of the great people I knew here and continue to cherish beautiful moments I had in this country.
If you push me to the wall and force me to mention not only the good things but also the bad phenomenon I saw here, well - hajde. I don’t like the passive approach of some people, including some of my friends, towards the challenges of life, the Dorcolian mega philosophy of endless sitting in a café and complaining why and why and why, the unbearable clouds of cigarettes and smoke in public places and wild driving habits on the roads (drivers simply ignore passengers who try to cross the zebra line). In spite of those I do truly believe that Serbia is still a fantastic place to live and to visit. I promise myself to come back at first opportunity, this time as an ordinary visitor. I hope that some will still remember me, one strange Ambassador Yossi, who spent here five great years.
Dovidjenja Beograde!
Yair Arama Photograpy
YOSSI LEVY FAREWELL PARTY 7th July
Jewish Community of Belgrade, in cooperation with Color Press Group, Israeli Business Association, the magazine Diplomacy & Commerce organised a festive reception in the Synagogue “Sukat Shalom” in Belgrade to mark the departure of Israeli Ambassador H.E. Yossef Levy after a five-year term. “What would Schwarzenegger say – I’ll be back, but I do not know how. I love you so much,” said Levy, adding that wherever he goes he will be “an ambassador of Serbia”. Jewish Community thanked Levy and granted him the medal and the thankgsiving charter. On behalf of the Government of Serbia Vladimir Božović thanked Levy.
H.E. Yossef Levy, H.E, Jean-Daniel Ruch, the outgoing Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia and Miloš Milovanović, N1 TV Prince Aleksandar and Princess Katarina Karađorđević Ambassador of Turkey, Mehmet Kemal Bozay (middle) and Maja Nikolić with her husband Aleksandar Nikolić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (left)
H.E. Yossef Levy, Vera Jovanovska Tipko, Ambassador of Macedonia to Serbia and Zoran Stojković, the Executive Director of Belgrade Airport Ambassador addressing guests in front of the Synagogue
INDEPENDENCE DAY OF BELARUS 6th July
H.E. Ambassador of Belarus to Serbia Vladimir Chushev organised a reception on the occasion of marking the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus. The guests was addressed at Dedinje’s Villa “Jelena” by the Ambassador, who said: Today the main result of our independence is peace, inter-ethnic harmony and decent living conditions for our citizens”. The reception was attended by Aleksandar Vučić, Serbian Prime Minister, Maja Gojković, Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly, Ivica Dačić, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and numerous figures from cultural, economic and civic community.
H.E. Vladimir Chushev addressing the guests
Patriarch of Serbia Irinej and PM Vučić in conversation with the Belarusian diplomats Belarusian folk songs and costumes were presented Dignitaries at the reception included the very top of the government, military and the church of Serbia
H.E. Arne Bjornstad, Norwegian ambassador in Belgrade and Serbian PM designate Aleksandar Vucic
SERBIAN PM BREATHES NEW LIFE TO NORWEGIAN PROJECT 6th July
An impromptu football match between Mr Arne Bjornstad, the Norwegian ambassador in Belgrade, and Serbian PM designate Aleksandar Vucic marked the opening of the reconstructed Sports and Culture centre in Serbia and set a new milestone in Serbia-Norway friendship. The result of the SerbiaNorway match was 0:0 but some 1,600 people in the audience were still happy with the result and waving Norwegian and Serbian flags in the reconstructed Sports and Culture Centre in Obrenovac, Serbia on July 6.
Two years ago, on June 25, the Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende visited the same Obrenovac’s centre after disastrous floods hit the country and especially Obrenovac. In a bid to restore the facilities and services of the SKC and improve their functionality, Norway decided to donate 1.5 million euro for the interior reconstruction. The works started in November 2015 and were implemented by UNOPS.
AMCHAM HOSTS ANNUAL MEDIA BRUNCH 8th July
Members of the AmCham Board of Governors and Executive Office held a traditional meeting with leading Serbian journalist in Klub Književnika. The gathering was an excellent opportunity for Vera Nikolić Dimić, AmCham Executive Director, to recognize the guests’ cooperation and reporting on AmCham issues and to present the AmCham Board members and results achieved by the organization in last year. The audience was also addressed by Zoran Perović, AmCham President, who emphasized the importance of further regulatory changes AmCham will be focused on. After the business was concluded, the event continued in an informal and friendly atmosphere in the garden of the restaurant.
Minister Ljajić and the delagtion arriving in Felix Romuliana
OPENING OF A MULTIMEDIA CENTRE 12th July
The multimedia centre opened on 12th of July at the archaeological site Gamzigrad Romuliana near Zaječar. Director of National museum in Zaječar, Bora Dimitrijević hosted opening ceremony of this important Serbian cultural property under the protection of UNESCO. The event was attended by the Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, Ambassador of Austria dr Johannes Eigner, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić and director of the Tourist Organization of Serbia Marija Labović. Felix Romuliana imperial palace, one of the most important archaeological sites in Serbia is now home to the newly opened Multimedia Centre, one of the first of its kind in Serbia. This is one of the outcomes of the EU HERA Project “Sustainable tourism management of Adriatic HERitage” funded through IPA Adriatic cross-border cooperation programme.
