D&C 9

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November 2016 | ISSUE No. 9 | Price 350 RSD

WE HAVE CREATED A STRONG LEVER FOR SERBIA’S DEVELOPMENT

9772466380002 PAGE 22

PAGE 10

ŽELJKO SERTIĆ

Director of the Development Agency of Serbia

RIGHT APPROACH TURNS MAGIC

"OKTOBERFEST": NOVI SAD GOT ANOTHER GREAT FESTIVAL! 28th October

From Austerity to Shared Prosperity

PAGE 8

PAGE 42

Prof. DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ, PhD Minister of Finance

LAZAR STOJKOVIĆ

Lead Product Designer at Super and Mentor at 500 Startups

BRAND LIVES ON, DESPITE CENSORSHIP PAGE 55

New Frontiers for the Cooperation Set MIRO CERAR

Slovenian Prime Minister PAGE 21

DIPLOMACY & COMMERCE PRESENTS

Belgium

STRONG AND GREEN AT THE CROSSROADS

IN FOCUS

DAŠKO & MLAĐA

Radio-hosts

Special

SUPPLEMENT

H.E. VLADIMIR GASPARIČ

Slovenian Ambassador to Serbia

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EDITORI AL

C O N T EN T S

Rage Against the Machine Dear readers, Morrissey has always been political and controversial, and as children we looked up to his and The Smiths' lyrics to form our rebellious minds. He might have changed many attitutes in the course of time, but he was always provocative. And his latest comment about the media is painfully right: media were shamelessly leaning towards one side in their projections, and even worse, they did not stop even after the results of, say, Brexit. OK, the people opted out, so what? The sun will shine tomorrow. But the propaganda that the voters are “wrong” and “narrow-minded” continued. Instead of understanding why they voted for something, the liberal media unleashed the lash against the voters. The same happened in America. So the media were pro-Clinton, famous personalities moan today, which is the day of the election results. Very few ask themselves why the voters in blue states swang. It is about the rage against the machine, to say it musically. (Although they hate Trump, ironically.) Angry people who want to disassemble the system of connections of politicians, moguls, to disempower the Wall Street, to end it all – Clinton clan, Bush clan, to erase it all. We woke up today once again in a new world. Will that new world be brave? Will America be great again? We don't know. We only know that the people wanted to “drain the swamp” and they elected Trump. And please, don't say the people are “wrong”. The swamp is obviously there. And it is destroying the very tissue of Western societies. It seems that all but the populist forgot the words of Lord Kaynes.

The care about ordinary people doesn't mean you are a Socialist or a Communist. It means saving the capitalism. Otherwise the ordinary man, disenfranchised and dissatisfied, will try to disassemble the whole system.

The people are full of rage. The result might be Brexit, might be Islamic State, might be Trump, or Lenin's October Revolution. Never understimate the power of rage against the machine. ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Editor-in-Chief

06 FROM AUSTERITY TO SHARED PROSPERITY

50 THE INTERMARIUM REBELLION

Prof. DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ, PhD

Politics

Minister of Finance

10 WE HAVE CREATED A STRONG LEVER FOR SERBIA’S DEVELOPMENT ŽELJKO SERTIĆ

Director of the Development Agency of Serbia

13 LISTENING TO THE TEMPEST Politics

14 A QUIET BUSINESS REVOLUTION WAITING TO HAPPEN DAVID DOWSE

Corporate Communications Consultant, Trainer & Writer

Diplomacy&Commerce www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Editor in Chief

zikica.milosevic@color.rs

JOVANA MARKOVIĆ

ROBERT ČOBAN

jovana.markovic@color.rs

robert.coban@color.rs

NATAŠA NEŠIĆ

Photos

Advertising manager

TANJA BANKOVIĆ

Advertising manager

tanja.bankovic@color.rs

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Editorial manager

natasa.nesic@color.rs

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VANJA KOVAČEV

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Translation and lecturer

VLADIMIR ĐORĐEVIĆ

MRP EDITORIAL Translation SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ

Novi Sad, Mileve Simić 27 · tel.: +381 21 6417 333 · fax.:+381 21 6417 334 colorprint@color.rs · web: www.colorprint.rs

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”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21000 Novi Sad, Temerinska 102 TIN 107871532 • Matriculation number 20887303 · Phone: +381 21 4897 100 • Fax: +381 21 4897 126 Office: Vase Čarapića 3/IV/38, Belgrade • 011 4044 960

CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji Biblioteke Matice Srpske, Novi Sad 33 Diplomacy & Commerce / glavni i odgovorni urednik Žikica Milošević, 2016, br. 1 (mart)-.Novi Sad: Color Media Communications, 2016 - , -33cm Mesečno.

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Regional Manager Visa SEE

54 2021 EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE NEMANJA MILENKOVIĆ

Chairman of the Organizing Committee for Novi Sad’s Candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2021

55 BRAND LIVES ON, DESPITE CENSORSHIP DAŠKO & MLAĐA Radio-hosts

57 THE FIRST #CHECKIN2016 CONFERENCE IN NOVI SAD 58 UNUSUAL (AND FORGOTTEN) INHABITANTS OF VOJVODINA Vojvodina minorities

60 WOMEN’S HANDIWORK Aleksić 3000 winery

61 HIGH LEVEL HEDONISM Golf Gentlemen Concept bar & restaurant

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I NTERVI EW

From Austerity to Shared Prosperity At the end of the sixth review the IMF mission praised Serbia’s continued strong overall performance under the economic program, especially the robust fiscal performance driven by stronger than expected revenues

Prof. DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ, PhD Minister of Finance

After ten months the general government fiscal balance is in surplus, indicating that we are more than one billion Euros ahead of the originally projected deficit for this period. For the whole year, the general government deficit is now officially projected at 2.1% including a seasonal spike in expenditures and the expected assumption of old public enterprise debts.

You have just completed the sixth review under the IMF precautionary arrangement.

What remains to be done before the IMF Board scheduled for mid-December?

— The main pending task is the preparation and approval of the 2017 Budget in line with agreed parameters. We will continue with a gradual fiscal consolidation that will allow for a targeted public wage and pensions increase and ensure longer-term public debt sustainability. The fiscal deficit is expected to decline to 1.7% of GDP in 2017, while the pensions and public sector wages will continue to decline as shares of GDP, converging to more sustainable levels over the medium-term. Over the past two years we have already achieved 3.9% of the structural fiscal adjustment.

We need to do one small step in 2017 to achieve the 4.0% structural fiscal target set under the three-year

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program. In short, we are gradually moving from austerity measures to sustainable expansion.

Over the last two years we have seen multiple upward revisions of key macroeconomic variables. What are you expectations for 2016 and projections for 2017?

— Indeed. A pattern of upward revisions has emerged over the last few years.

The initial GDP growth projection for 2016 was set at 1.2% and has subsequently been revised to 1.8% and then 2.5%. The IMF now expects real GDP growth of 2.7% in 2016 with a possible upside potential if the last quarter turns out as good as presently estimated. We have seen similar upward revisions

and the floods in 2014. The other is the extra caution of the IFIs not to fuel unrealistic public expenditure expectations. The last one is underestimation of our efforts and ability to manage the reform process. After two years, as these factors lose relevance, the bias is gradually being eliminated. As a result, projections for GDP growth in 2017 have already stabilized at 3%.

What will be the main sources of economic growth in 2017 and in the medium term 2018-20?

— I expect that the main sources of GDP growth (on the demand side) will expand from investment and exports to include private consumption, already in 2017 but much more in subsequent years. On the supply side processing industries

COORDINATED EFFORTS OF THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE ARE AIMED AT DETECTING, MONITORING AND REDUCING THE SHADOW ECONOMY in the fiscal deficit projections. In 2015 the original general government deficit was expected at 5.9% of GDP and the outcome was 3.7%.

This year the original deficit number was 4% of GDP and the expected outcome will be only half as big.

I see three reasons for this bias.

One is the inherent difficulty in predicting the revival of production and GDP following the global recession

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will continue to provide new jobs, generate incomes and value added in 2017 and the medium run. In the longer run, however, modern services will become progressively more important, not only in the traditional IT sector but in the broader digital economy and in the wide area of professional services.

Going beyond sectors, the main source of new value added will be

increased productivity, initially by lowering the unemployment rate, and in the longer run through innovation and greater competition.

The role of government is to support these processes through the right institutional and incentive framework.

What are the main reform challenges going forward?

— The successful fiscal consolidation and macroeconomic stability will be sustainable in the longer run only if they are supplemented with structural reforms and lead to strong inclusive growth.

In our case, structural challenges include the reform of the public sector (public administration, education, and health) to provide citizens with modern and efficient service delivery and free up their time for productive work, learning and leisure.

It is equally important to prevent the drain on public resources by large utility companies (Srbijagas and EPS) and state-owned enterprises (for example RTB Bor, Resavica, Petrohemija, Azotara and MSK). This was the main risk factor in the past and the re-emergence of energy and other arrears must not be allowed.

In the initial design of the reform program we emphasized that restructuring of public enterprises is at the core of structural reforms. Delays in implementing PE reforms and accumulation of energy arrears rep-

resent a continuous threat to public finance and the reform program.

How does the Ministry of Finance see completion of the Tax Administration reform?

— The strategy for Tax Administration (TA) reform has been adopted in June 2015. Detailed diagnostic assessment of the organizational structure and key functions of the TA have been completed in early 2016. These findings have been confirmed by the World Bank horizontal and vertical functional reviews. The proposed solutions, grouped into short term actions, medium term organizational and institutional changes, and long run deep TA reform, are now ready to be discussed and approved by the authorizing environment and all the stakeholders.

The proposed changes include greater orientation on risk assessment, transition to a more rational network of offices, gradual elimination of non-core functions, improved discharge of key TA functions and responsibilities, better client/taxpayer services, improved appeals process, The Ministry of Finance is vitally interested that we move ahead with the TA transformation (reform) as soon as possible to secure a sustainable basis for a compliance based, transparent and efficient TA system that will broaden the tax base and secure revenue mobilization for vital social services.

What are your plans to additionally strengthen tax revenues by fighting shadow economy and reforming the tax system?

— Coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Finance, the Tax and Customs Administration are aimed at detecting, monitoring and reducing (fighting) the shadow economy.

We do this by discharging our core legal responsibilities as well as through additional initiatives that include NGOs and a wide range of stakeholders.

At this time the main sources of risk fuelling the shadow economy range from smuggling, illegal re-export activities and reimbursement of VAT, to improper accounting practices and manipulations of books. The problem is exacerbated by the fact these activities are done both by mafia-criminal structures in unregistered companies and formal sector employees in legally registered companies.

It is difficult to estimate the level of the shadow economy in Serbia.

Based on partial and imprecise

information we have, including the results of targeted tax audits in recent years, the size of the shadow economy appears to be quite large, well beyond the acceptable levels of around 10% to 15% of GDP in comparator countries.

Reducing the scope for shadow economy is an important element of that strategy. The state can raise the level of public awareness regarding the negative consequences of the shadow economy, improve the inspection system, and more effectively prosecute crimes and infringements. It can reduce the scope for shadow economy by providing incentives for non-cash payments and electronic book-keeping, engaging broader public through tax-receipt lottery, and many other ways.

You mentioned a few times that better public debt management is an important element of longrun fiscal sustainability. How

long-run growth. We already have the primary surplus and soon will meet the second condition as our GDP growth rate will stabilize above 3% and the cost of our debt (interest payments) will soon be lowered below 3% of GDP. The recently ratified budget support loan from Abu Dhabi Development Fund does not increase the level of public debt and it does not change the currency structure of the public debt. At the same time it contributes to lower cost of public debt by about 4% (i.e. USD 40 million annually per one billion of refinanced USD loans contracted in 2011-12).

The size and scope of Government involvement in the financial sector proved to be one of the main challenges in transition economies. What are the remaining issues related to Government ownership in banks and insurance companies?

I EXPECT THAT THE MAIN SOURCES OF GDP GROWTH WILL EXPAND FROM INVESTMENT AND EXPORTS TO INCLUDE PRIVATE CONSUMPTION ALREADY IN 2017 do you plan to address foreign exchange risks associated with higher FED interest rates anticipated by many analysts?

— Public debt is falling a year ahead of schedule envisaged in the IMF supported program and our three-year fiscal strategy. Presently, public debt is at 70.8% of GDP and projected to stay below 74% of GDP at the end of 2016 despite the anticipated assumption of old debts from public enterprises.

The key to lowering the share of public debt in GDP and achieving sustainable public debt levels is to secure a primary surplus and lower the cost of financing below the increment in GDP secured through

— The immediate task is to implement fully the NPL resolution strategy through more decisive action that will significantly reduce bad loans. We are particularly interested in advancing the process in stateowned banks. We are also continuing with the privatization process of banks and insurance companies with large state ownership.

Finally, we are ensuring that the banks that will stay in state ownership (such as Poštanska) are properly managed and focused on the areas of operation aligned with their capacity and business model.

Agriculture and related processing industries have been

performing below expectations.

What can the Government do to change that?

— From the Ministry of Finance point of view, the Government can modernize and align subsidies and other incentives extended to agriculture with EU rules and methods (i.e. IPARD based reimbursement of 50% of capital expenditures in qualified projects). This could help move agriculture from present orientation to subsistence farming and provision of basic staples, milk and meet at low (subsidized) prices to modern export oriented sector supplying quality food to European Union and world markets.

Present extensive subsidies targeting small (subsistence) farms and old rural families should be moved to the ministry responsible for social protection.

There were numerous announcements of large infra-

structure projects in the recent months. What is the rationale of these projects and the financial/ fiscal feasibility?

— We plan to introduce a decree on Public Investment Management that will provide a consistent methodology for evaluating all development (investment) projects, first at the project identification stage, then at the level of pre-feasibility study, and last at the level of feasibility study / appraisal (when financing is secured). The methodology also includes monitoring and evaluation during project implementation and inclusion of these results in the planning of future projects. This methodology, which will also rank already evaluated projects following the EC single project pipeline framework, will help us better manage the pipeline of all investment projects to maximize development results and minimize the cost of financing.

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P O L I TI C S

Watch out, world Donald Trump wins the presidential election

When Barack Obama proffered his election-day olive branch to a divided country on November 8th, it sounded rather trite: “No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning.” But in the dark of a night that, state by state, delivered a coruscating verdict on Mr Obama’s legacy and elected Donald Trump to the White House, those words started almost to feel optimistic.

Most pundits had predicted a comfortable victory for Mr Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Opinion polls put her around four percentage points ahead, and her paths to the necessary 270 electoral college votes looked easier and more numerous than the narrow way Mr Trump seemed to have mapped for himself.

Early voting returns, which suggested a heavy turnout by Hispanics, whom Mr Trump has frightened and offended, seemed to confirm that advantage. So did the first exit polls in the dozen or so battleground states, some of which contained snippets to suggest voters considered Mr Trump unelectable. Polls for ABC News suggested 61% of voters considered him unqualified to be president; only 34% said he had the right personality and temperament. But they went ahead and elected him anyway.

As polling stations closed in a slow ripple across America, east to west, television networks began calling a predictable roster of results based on exit polls and early voting. Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey stayed blue; Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee remained red.

But then Mr Trump changed the script by taking an early lead in a trio of important swing states, Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, which he never lost. Along the way, Mrs Clinton suffered a scare in Virginia, where she had won or tied 86 of the past 91 polls, before being saved by a late surge

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of support from the state’s northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. Yet by the time results started coming in from right across the Midwest the electoral trajectory seemed clear.

Mr Trump tore through the Rust Belt states, such as Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin, turning red a swath of states that had not voted for a Republican presidential nominee in decades—including Pennsylvania, which last voted Republican in 1992, Michigan which last went red in 1988, and Wisconsin, which had been blue since 1984. Mrs Clinton had hardly bothered to campaign in the latter two states, where almost every poll gave her a solid lead; she did not even visit Wisconsin after the primaries.

There was a consistency, too, in what was fuelling Mr Trump’s success. The Republican did better than his immediate predecessors in places with large concentrations of whites, especially in

non-whites by some 50 points; Mr Obama beat Mr Romney by 61. She won 54% of younger voters (almost 10% of whom voted for a third-party candidate), while Mr Obama had won 64% of them. Most conspicuously she did far less well in the major urban centres where Democratic voters are congregated than Mr Obama had. In Philadelphia, where Mrs Clinton held a massive rally on November 7th, at which her husband Bill, Mr Obama and his wife Michelle, and Bruce Springsteen all performed, she won 46,000 fewer votes than Mr Obama had in 2012. Hate Mr Trump as they did, many of Mr Obama’s voters, it seems, just could not bring themselves to vote for the unexciting and reviled alternative that Mrs Clinton presented them with.

The repercussions of Mr Trump’s victory will be enormous—they seem to grow bigger with every passing second of contemplation. Mrs Clinton ran a lavishly funded and highly professional campaign, using the sophisticated voter identification and mobilisation methods perfected by Mr Obama. Mr Trump raised less money, had little organisation to speak of in many states, and relied largely on social media and an outsized reality television persona to push his authoritarian and protectionist agenda. He was endorsed by only a tiny handful of newspapers and tipped for success by almost no serious pundit. Barely anyone gave him a chance. Yet, soon after the results started flooding in, his eventual victory hardly looked in doubt.

It is one of the most dramatic electoral upsets America, or anywhere, has ever seen. America’s next president will be a man who led a racist campaign to discredit the incumbent, Mr Obama. While campaigning, he abused women, the disabled, Hispanics and foreigners. He advocat-

MR TRUMP TORE THROUGH THE RUST BELT STATES, SUCH AS IOWA, OHIO AND WISCONSIN, TURNING RED A SWATH OF STATES THAT HAD NOT VOTED FOR A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE IN DECADES —INCLUDING PENNSYLVANIA, WHICH LAST VOTED REPUBLICAN IN 1992, MICHIGAN WHICH LAST WENT RED IN 1988, AND WISCONSIN, WHICH HAD BEEN BLUE SINCE 1984 rural and semi-rural counties, and among men.

Exit polls suggested he won the votes of 60% of white men and 52% of white women. He won whites without a college degree by 39 points—his predecessor Mitt Romney won them by 26 points when losing to Barack Obama in 2012. In Florida this outperformance allowed him to do better than Mr Romney had in 51 of the state’s 67 counties.

Meanwhile, Mrs Clinton fared worse than Mr Obama in almost every voter group. She led with

ed using torture, and nuclear bombs, said his opponent was corrupt and possibly a murderer, and swore that, if elected, he would lock her up.

Almost half of American voters have now given Mr Trump an opportunity to follow through on that threat. Who knows; perhaps he will.”

From The Economist, published under licence.

The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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I NTERVI EW

We Have Created a Strong Lever for Serbia’s Development ŽELJKO SERTIĆ

Director of the Development Agency of Serbia

“We are shaping the Development Agency of Serbia (DAS) into a modern organisation that offers a wide range of services, including the promotion of direct investments and export, as well as implementation of projects with the goal of boosting competitiveness, Serbia’s regional development and reputation” The formation of the Development Agency of Serbia was a natural consequence of the core changes made in the legislative framework regulating the economy, and it promotes equal support to both domestic and foreign investors and innovative SMEs. The Agency is considered an influential factor in regional development – says Željko Sertić, Director of the Development Agency of Serbia. As a former economy minister, Sertić has participated directly in instigating these changes. Here we discuss the future of investments in Serbia and DAS’s further plans with him.

and contain recommendations from investors themselves, while applying the best global practices in the given area.

This is how DAS came about.

What we are trying to do is to shape the Agency into a modern organisation that offers a wide range of services, including the promotion of direct investments and export, and the implementation of projects aimed at boosting competitiveness, Serbia’s regional development and reputation.

DAS provides a project advisor to every investor free of charge and their task is to facilitate solutions to problems that investors could

DAS was founded a year ago, and you - as a former economy minister - were able to monitor its work. How would you rate the work done by DAS to date, and what are the Agency’s main advantages in terms of providing focal support to the Serbian economy?

AS A COUNTRY THAT IS STILL BATTLING HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, WE NEED TO CONTINUE SECURING JOB-INTENSIVE INVESTMENTS, WHILE ATTRACTING INVESTORS WHO NEED A HIGHLY EDUCATED WORKFORCE

— The establishment of the Development Agency of Serbia was a stipulation in the Law on Investment, which we used to complete the legislative framework that regulates Serbia’s economic environment. I would like to remind you that the first step was to make the necessary amendments to the laws on privatisation, bankruptcy, spatial planning and construction, as well as labour.

All of these amendments were harmonised with European legislation

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encounter in their operations. This is done at the highest professional level. Moreover, the DAS advisors are engaged in the entire life cycle of an investment – from providing initial support with information, through the operational implementation of a project, to the opening of a factory and the launch of production. In modern parlance, this is called project aftercare.

On the other hand, our project management and economic development sectors have created a wide

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range of support instruments for businesses by paying close attention to the real needs of businesses.

To what extent has the goal of providing equal treatment for both domestic and foreign companies, in terms of investment subsidies, been reached – given that this is also something you have been advocating for – and what further steps are needed when it comes to strengthening the domestic economy?

— I think that the balance between domestic and foreign investors has been absolutely reached, both in the legislative sense (through the Law

on Investments), and in the operational sense, through the work done by everybody involved in allocating incentives for investors. In terms of the number of projects, domestic investors account for almost 50% of all of supported investments. The difference is noticeable in regard to the absolute investment amounts, because foreigners are currently able to implement bigger projects than their domestic counterparts.

They can also invest more money and create more jobs. That’s why

we are implementing the “Year of Entrepreneurship” project – to help our small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners to achieve higher competitiveness, increase their capacities and become more capable of competing for bigger projects.

The Serbian Government has been very vocal about attracting so-called third generation investments, with a pronounced component of technology transfer and hiring highly skilled local workers. How can DAS participate in this proactively?

— Throughout this entire time, our analysts have been closely monitoring and anticipating market trends.

As a country that is still battling high unemployment, we need to continue securing job-intensive investments, while taking into account balanced regional development. Furthermore, we have successfully created a market niche of service investments where, on the one side, we have the so-called shared service sector, with companies like U.S. corporation NCR successfully operating in Serbia, while, on the other, there are investments in development centres which have sparked the interest of quite a few companies. Such companies have been increasingly employing highly educated workers with good knowledge of foreign languages and diverse skills, whose salaries are way above the national average.

For many countries, including Serbia, export is the main driving force behind economic development. What can DAS do to further promote export?

— This year, in cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, DAS organised five appearances of national companies at international fairs. All in all, 62 companies presented themselves at Serbia’s national stands. One should bear in mind that these companies would not have been able to afford this individually. We will also continue with this practice in the years ahead.

We have additionally provided domestic companies with a financial instrument aimed at internationalising companies, small business owners and clusters, and which is used to co-fund new products or product packaging design, to develop new technological processes and new products for foreign markets, product testing, foreign markets research and participation in international fairs abroad. This year’s budget for the aforementioned activities is set at 90 million dinars, and we have so far supported a total of 99 projects.

The Year of Entrepreneurship is nearly over. Could you give

us your impressions about the results achieved?

— We are currently processing the results and I can tell you that the initial ones look very encouraging.

Out of a total of 33 programmes, 11 have been culminated, 17 are ongoing and five should be launched.

Interest was really high. Close to 12,000 companies, start-ups, local self-governments and clusters applied to participate in one of the

about successful start-ups in Serbia. How active is DAS in this field and what are the Agency’s long-term goals when it comes to supporting start-ups?

— The first of the four financial instruments we provided in the Year of Entrepreneurship were intended for start-ups. We allocated 100 million Dinars for this purpose and had 156 approved applications in the first stage and 116 in the second

WE ARE CURRENTLY PROCESSING THE RESULTS ACHIEVED DURING THE YEAR OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE INITIAL RESULTS LOOK VERY ENCOURAGING. THIS WILL DEFINITELY ALSO REMAIN AMONG OUR PROGRAMME’S PRIORITIES IN 2017 said programmes. A total of 7,118 of them received support, while a certain number is currently under consideration.

The Year of Entrepreneurship is not only about tangible support for our companies, but also promoting entrepreneurship as a way of life through many seminars, training courses, mentoring sessions and educational programmes.

We have heard a lot this year

stage. After these applicants undergo appropriate training, they appear in front of a commission and present their entrepreneurial ideas. This will definitely also remain as one of our programme’s priorities in 2017.

DAS also plays an important role in promoting regional development, which is a sore spot for many countries. How much did the current solution – of scaling job subsidies for investors to

match the development level of the area in which the investment recipient is based – help to bridge the gap between the most developed and undeveloped municipalities in Serbia?

— The Decree on Direct Investments stipulates five groups of municipalities that are classified according to the level of their economic development. The first group is comprised of developed areas and the last includes vulnerable and devastated areas. Depending on where an investor wants to invest, each group defines required minimum and maximum investments and the number of new jobs to be created in order for the project to be considered for incentives. Of course, incentives are the highest for those areas that are considered devastated, and for which investment requirements are the lowest in terms of the level of investment and amount of new jobs. For instance, in order for someone to qualify for incentives in Belgrade, they need to invest a minimum of €600,000 and hire at least 50 workers. On the other hand, if an investor wants to invest in Babušnica, the minimum required investment is €150,000 and they need to hire at least 20 new workers.

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NATIONAL DAYS

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES

in October

1st November The new CEO and member of UniCredit Leasing Serbia

ŽELJKO LAZARAC

After the approval of the National Bank of Serbia, Željko Lazarac was appointed to the position of Chairman of the Executive Board of UniCredit Leasing Serbia doo. He replaced Emilijan Štajnfl who led UniCredit Leasing since June 2013, and continued his career as Director of the International Center in UniCredit Bulbank in Bulgaria. At the same time, as a member of the Executive Committee of UniCredit Leasing, was appointed Ratko Petrović, who will be responsible for legal affairs and compliance of operations, and to support business operations. Željko

ALGERIA evolution Day (Start of the R War of Independence)

4th November

TONGA National Day

9th November

CAMBODIA RATKO PETROVIĆ

Lazarac joined UniCredit Leasing in August 2010 as a member of the Executive Board responsible for finance and support business operations. Željko is a member of the Union of Accountants and Auditors of Serbia. It has a degree in Economics, University of Belgrade, licenced agents and brokers in insurance and certificate of chartered accountants, or auditors. Ratko Petrović joined UniCredit Leasing in January 2011, on the function of Head of the Team for Legal Affairs and Compliance Department. Ratko holds a law degree at the University of Belgrade. He also acquired the licence of an authorised person for the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing in leasing in 2012, while in 2014 he passed the exam for Notary.

Independence Day

11th November

ANGOLA Independence Day

11th November

POLAND Independence Day

ŽELJKO SERTIĆ

Željko Sertić was born in Secanj in1967. He graduated from the Faculty for Business and Industrial Management of the University Union in Belgrade.

He was appointed to the position of the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia - CCIS in March 2013, with over two decades of experience in managing SMEs, production and servicing companies. During his time in CCIS extensive reform of the chamber system was launched, and for the results achieved, Sertic

Acting Director of the Development Agency of Serbia

was declared the Best Manager in Southeastern and Central Europe for 2013 and 2014 and acquired Best European Award in the field of economy. From September 2014 Mr. Sertic was appointed as a Minister of Economy. Attracting investments and supporting the economy will be the focus of Mr. Sertic work that he will continue as a Acting Director of the Development Agency of Serbia where he was appointed on October 11th 2016. Mr.Sertic speaks English language.

15th November

BELGIUM King's Day

15th November

PALESTINE Independence Day

18th November

LATVIA Independence Day

18th November

MOROCCO Independence Day

ŽELJKA ĆIRIĆ JAKOVLJEVIĆ

New Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication Division

Željka Ćirić Jakovljević has been named the new Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication Division of Eurobank in Serbia.

Mrs. Ćirić Jakovljević has been with Eurobank since the early days of the Bank’s presence in the Serbian market. She joined Eurobank in 2004, and has performed a variety of marketing activities over the years.

She began her professional career at BK Group Belgrade. Since 2009, Mrs. Ćirić Jakovljević has been the Corporate Communication Manager and was engaged in marketing and PR activities related to all major events and changes the Bank underwent. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the Faculty of Banking and Trade in Belgrade.

19th November

MONACO The accession of Prince Albert II to the throne in 2005

22th November

LEBANON Independence Day

28th November

ALBANIA "Dita e Pavarësisë" Independence Day

28th November

MAURITANIA Independence Day

30th November

BARBADOS Independence Day

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Diplomacy&Commerce

POLITI CS Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

LISTENING TO THE TEMPEST

Donald Trump becoming U.S. President is 2016’s second revolution Once again in 2016 we have awoken in the morning to find a different reality. Just a few days prior to the U.S. election, I spoke to my friend about the prospects and everybody seemed to agree that Hillary would get her victory. Why? Because of the opinion polls and her “three per cent lead”. I mentioned one thing, and this is “poll bias”, or the incorrect poll results connected with elections every time one side is demonised. In the days before the Brexit referendum, the media portrayed the Leave voters as racist, narrow-minded isolationists and, of course, when asked how they would vote, many of them said something like “Nothing, I will abstain.” But these are in fact socalled “silent voters”. They don't express their opinions, as they think they are unpopular and that they will be ostracised. And the promised ostracism makes them even fiercer and angrier, and firmer in their opinion. So, we are in a vicious circle. You cannot or must not say aloud something that is not politically correct, but you can silently vote for it. And there we go: the results always favour the conservative side. This is what has happened again in the U.S. Donald Trump epitomises everything that many people would call “unacceptable” - he freely and carelessly talks about his deeply incorrect actions towards women, as though bragging in a locker room.

But do we think that the voters completely forgot Bill Clinton's Oval Office adventures (they are, like, better?), and do we (seriously) think that the public would think that Trump’s sometimes outrageous comments would be worse than “I caught my husband cheating on me, but I swallowed the frog and kept silent because I wanted to be president after him”? Obviously, many people thought that Hillary's connections with Wall Street, her restless zeal for foreign interventions, her laughter over Gaddafi’s dead body, are unacceptable… even if Trump is the only other solution. And there was an alternative! Bernie Sanders was a perfect next step for leftist America, after the Afro-American Obama. A secular Jew and a socialist seeking to make a shift towards a Canadian or

why we now have Trump.

Sanders had all the solutions for American society that Trump has, but his were even better. He wanted to disassemble the crooked liaisons between Wall Street and politics.

He criticised TTIP and inequality, as well as the decay of the working class. But when he was left aside, Trump came in and merely targeted all of the American fears: the destruction of the working class; Wall Street continuing its job; the outsourcing of traditional jobs to China and Mexico, a high crime rate, tension with Russia etc. The Rust Belt turned red. Americans may fear the unpredictable new president and his racism, misogyny and everything else, but now they really hate the system. No more jobs outsourced; no more interventions around the

TRUMP PROMISES TO “DRAIN THE SWAMP” AND, NO MATTER WHAT THE HOLLYWOOD STARS SAY, THE SWAMP IS HERE. AND IT STINKS Australian model of society, something like the “Great Society” introduced in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson, perhaps the greatest revolutionary president in U.S. history (OK, on par with Lincoln). Johnson was “killed” politically by his crazy Vietnam adventure, but his internal policies were great. And then, despite the polls showing that only Bernie – and not Hillary – could defeat Trump, she pushed him away in her second attempt to take over the White House in her own right. And that’s

world; no more fighting with Russia; no more weak support for the anti-ISIS fight. They wanted their little lives back; the restoration of their decimated middle class; their American Dream that crumbled slowly into despair. It is not Trump's genius. It is the fault of the liberals who left room for populists. This is a much broader subject across the whole world, but, essentially, the Democrats traditionally championed the working class and the middle class. Now they are championing

the free market and oligarchs. The Dems simply shifted their attention to Afro-Americans, Hispanics, the LGBTQ population and others. Who is going to be the patron of the working class? That empty space created a vacuum, and the vacuum created Donald Trump. He is not the cause of the problem, but rather the result; the result of the long-term disenfranchising of ordinary men and women all around America. Brexit happened once again. The City forgot the English suburbs, London forgot Birmingham and the Europhiles forgot the Eurosceptics. The same happened here. The Capitol forgot the Rust Belt. Wall Street forgot the blue collar workers. New York City forgot the defunct industrial towns and cities.

This is the second warning for the world's leaders. The people want to change the system; to break it into pieces. Good news: both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party will have to change from their roots. The unhealthy ties between lobbyists and big capital will weaken. Trump promises to “drain the swamp” and, no matter what the Hollywood stars say, the swamp is here. And it stinks. If you did not want to let Bernie do it, then Donald will do it. Branko Miljković once said: “Who is not able to listen to the song will listen to the tempest”.

Welcome to the new world; a different world. We don't know what it will look like, but the old one was rotten, as proven by Brexit and the U.S. election.

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COLUMN

A Quiet Business Revolution Waiting to Happen One of the many pleasant surprises that greeted me when I arrived in Belgrade in the chilly January of 2006 was the way that age and experience is still relatively highly valued in Serbia

DAVID DOWSE

Corporate Communications Consultant, Trainer & Writer

It was a welcome change from the ‘finished by 45’ attitude that prevails in corporate London. Of course, youth has some great attributes for business – energy, ambition, drive, creativity, innovation – qualities every leader wants and needs in a strong team. But every team needs leadership, and good leadership demands experience, usually gained through surviving hard times and making mistakes. There are no shortcuts.

I have often interviewed young job candidates with excellent PR or Communications degrees. They’re full of the latest theories and enthusiasm, but completely helpless when set loose among the lions in the business jungle of the real world.

Thankfully, in Serbia age and experience still seem to be largely seen as a good thing. This is especially true in the academic world. Professors are regularly invited into TV studios to comment on developments. The greyer the hair and the longer the beard, the more respect they tend to engender. The opposite tends to be true in the UK, where ‘academics’ and ‘experts’ were specifically targeted for public ridicule during the recent, cataclysmic EU referendum.

Business training is valued in Serbia – but mainly if it’s gained outside Serbia – in London, New York, Rome… or delivered by some visiting, over-paid international ‘expert speaker’. By ‘business training’, I mean ‘in job’ training, as opposed to the many ‘business academies’ where

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graduates go to try to improve their employability, with varying degrees of success. There’s certainly no lack of appetite for learning, as I’ve found from many guest lecture spots in public and private faculties.

I’m talking about practical, business-focused training in areas such as Customer Service Excellence, Leadership Skills, Conflict Resolution, Time Management, Managing Effective Meetings, Presentation and Negotiation Skills, Verbal and Non-Verbal Communications, and so on. This is where the ‘in job’ business training industry inside Serbia is still relatively in its infancy. I think there are some specific cultural reasons for that.

Respect in the average Serbian office is often still based on

growing number of women in senior positions as it is for their male counterparts).In behaving this way, leaders callously throw away any chance of developing the most important strength any team can acquire –good morale and a strong team spirit.

Career progression is often still grounded in the murky world of patronage. There’s little incentive to train and develop new skills if your next career move is determined by who your father or your ‘kum’ knows, what influence they can bring to bear on your behalf, and who owes what favour to whom. How demotivating must it be to see a lazy, incompetent colleague promoted ahead of you for those kinds of reasons?

When foreign investors come to Serbia, they often inherit en-

THANK GOODNESS SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST YOUNG BUSINESS STARS IN SERBIA ARE NOW TAKING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL PATH, SCORING SOME MAJOR SUCCESSES IN THAT FREER, MORE VERSATILE ENVIRONMENT fear, and those in some positions of power give full rein to their macho egos. Top jobs frequently come via patronage, rarely through simply being a very good manager. Many top positions are not deserved, and everybody knows it, including the senior person himself. Treating ‘subordinates’ appallingly helps to reinforce an already inflated self-image. (Sadly, this seems to be equally true of the

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trenched local management hierarchies, and it takes a lot of time and energy and to introduce the oxygen of meritocracy when it’s fiercely resisted by entrenched vested interests.

Foreign companies are also more concerned with business ethics and corporate reputation – throwing them into direct conflict with patronage in all its forms, and – let’s tell it how it really is – where financial ‘kick-

backs’ for lucrative supplier contracts are the nasty-smelling elephant in the room.

I’ve seen all these scenarios first hand. As someone who is committed to a future in Serbia – I’m married to a Serbian wife and our child will grow up here – I care deeply about these issues.

Why does it matter? Compared to many international businesses, Serbian companies are inefficient and slow to develop. Genuine talent is wasted and potential future leaders are left to languish in meaningless positions. Thankfully some of the brightest young business stars in Serbia are now taking the entrepreneurial path, and scoring some major successes in that freer, more versatile environment.

A business system so deeply rooted in tradition and culture isn’t going to be changed overnight. But it can and must be changed. Training and Knowledge Transfer should play a vital role in the evolutionary process towards meritocracy – and there are many people in senior positions right here in Serbia who have a vast amount of knowledge and experience to pass on.

Business owners – you simply need to invest more in your most valuable asset. Do it willingly, substantially and intelligently, and your ROI will be enormous.

Let’s train Serbian business people so that many more reach their true potential; among the world’s finest. david.dowse@webbdowse.com

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS CONFERENCE ON SMALL AND MEDIUMSIZED ENTERPRISES

10th October

SSCC’s “Conference on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises SMEs” took place as part of SSCC’s efforts to emphasise the importance of the SME sector in further enhancement of economic relations between Switzerland in Serbia. The Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia, H.E. Mr. Philippe Guex outlined the key role SMEs played in the economic development of Switzerland.

Opportunities and challenges related to SME establishment and growth were addressed during the panel discussion.

Mr Rolf-Juergen Seyerle, CEO of „Star Import d.o.o“

Goran Knežević, The Minister of Economy, H.E. Philippe Guex, Swiss Ambassador, Mrs. Yana Mikhailova, President of SSCC and Regional Director of "Nestle Adriatic" and Ana Govedarica, Vice President of SSCC and CEO of "Roche"

THE ISRAELI BUSINESS COMMUNITY NETWORKING COCKTAIL

10th October

The Ambassador of Israel H.E. Dr. Alona Fisher-Kamm invited illustrious guests to The Israeli business community networking cocktail on Monday, October 10th at the Israeli residence. The gathering was intimate and the crowd was small but this “small welcome party” given by Her excellence was very productive. Thje guests enjoyed quality and stylish food and wine and had useful conversations in a pleasant atmospher.

H.E. Axel Dittmann, German Ambassador, H.E. Philip Herbert Pinnington, Canadian Ambassador and Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative

Danijel Bogunović, President of the Jewish Community of Belgrade, Darko Obradović, Zoran Stojković Executive Director of the Nikola Tesla Airport, H.E. Dr. Alona Fisher-Kamm, Israeli Ambassador and Darko Trifunović, professor of the Faculty of Security in Belgrade

MIRJANA RAJIĆ CONCERT AT GERMAN RESIDENCE

15th October

The piano concert with pianist Mirjana Rajić was held at the German Residence containing the piano recitals. This famous pianist who is also assistant professor at the Academy of Music "Carl Maria von Weber" in Dresden used the magnificent works of Beethoven, Debussy and Liszt and took on a musical journey through Germany, France and Italy. Many personality from public and cultural life of Serbia were present.

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THE 1ST AHK OKTOBERFEST IN BELGRADE

14-15th October

Seventh Oktoberfest in Belgrade, and the first organised by the newly founded German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia) was held on 14 and 15 October with the support of partner company Stihl, in an authentic Bavarian tent set on the Belgrade Fair. It brought together nearly 1,500 guests, mostly businessmen, members of AHK Serbia and their guests.

The role of Kapellmeister he was German Ambassador to Serbia Axel Dittmann, who, as tradition dictates, made an official start of the event with the opening of the first barrel of beer with the blue-and-white setting and with the sounds of trumpets of fantastic Dejan Petrović Big Band, Bavarian specialties and German beer on tap.

H.E. Axel Dittmann, German Ambassador, Ronald Seeliger, President of AHK, CEO and President of the Board of Directors of Hemofarm and Martin Knapp, Director of AHK

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS SLOVENIAN BUSINESS CLUB MEETING

20th October

Slovenian Business Club held its meeting in Hotel Hyatt Regency, in Sala Focaccia. The Minister of Finance of Republic of Serbia Dušan Vujović attended the meeting, and talked with businessmen during one hour. Also, Nenad Mijailović, State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance was present and many interesting conversations occured resulting in future business plans. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Slovenian Embassy of Slovenia, led by HE Vladimir Gašparič as well as a large number of members of the Club.

Minister Vujović called Slovenian businessmen to invest in Serbia more.

H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office) of India and Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative

Danijela Fišakov, President of SPK and Dušan Vujović, Minister of Finances

MAHATMA GANDHI INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENCE

15th October

Branko Greganović, CEO of NLB Banka Beograd, H. E. Vladimir Gasparič, Slovenian Ambassador, Dušan Vujović, Minister of Finances and Goran Križ, economic attaché at the Embassy of Slovenia

Embassy of India, jointly with United Nations Office in Serbia & Belgrade, City authorities, was commemorating Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of Indian nation and the International Day of Non-Violence on Saturday, 15 October 2016. Gandhi, known as Mahatma (a Great Soul), had during the 20th century, which was quite violent, succeeded in promoting the philosophy of non-violent resistance and solving disputes, a unique experience in social protest that was later an inspiration to other world movements and individuals.

“TOWARDS THE HOLIDAY” WITH BELARUSIAN MUSIC 19th October

The concert "Towards the Holiday" was performed by students of the Music Academy of Minsk (Belarus) and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra "Borislav Pašćan" (Serbia), at the National Theatre in Belgrade. The concert was organised on the occasion of the liberation of Belgrade under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Culture and Information of Serbia, the Government of the AP of Vojvodina. Belarusian Ambassador H. E. Vladimir Chushev, President Nikolić and many dignitaries were present.

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Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian President with his wife and H.E. Vladimir Chushev, Ambassador of Belarus

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15 YEARS OF LEADING CHANGE IN SERBIA 20th October

On the occasion of celebrating the fifteenth anniversary a gala dinner was organized for member companies and Government representatives, diplomatic corps, media and partners who support the continuing work of AmCham in promoting competition, transparency and free enterprise. Marking the fifteenth anniversary of its establishment, AmCham Board decided to donate a symbolic sum of $15,000 to the Mathematical Grammar School.

The ceremony was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Ana Brnabić, Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antić, state secretaries, partner organizations and the media.

Zoran Petrović,President, CEO of Raiffeisen bank and H.E.Kyle Randolph Scott , US Ambassador

Vera Nikolić Dimić, Executive Director AmCham and Draginja Đurić, President of the Banca Intesa, Executive Board

SERBIA-SLOVENIA BUSINESS FORUM

24th October

President of the PKS Marko Čadež said, opening the Business Forum Serbia-Slovenia in Belgrade, that the economies of the two countries have always been linked, and that he hopes this year to reach the level of trade over €1b. He said that every year more and more jobs are assembled. Slovenia in Serbia is among the top ten trading partners, and among leading investors with volume of €1.2b, just behind Italy and Austria. Within the framework of the working part of the forum there were panels and B2B meetings of businessmen from Serbia and Slovenia.

Marjan Mačkovšek, President of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce, Miro Cerar, Slovenian Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić, PM of Serbia and Marko Čadež, President of PKS

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS 60 YEARS OF HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION 24th October

In honour of the National Day of Hungary, 60 years of revolution and war of independence in 1956, H.E. dr. Attila Pinter, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, organised a celebration in the Hyatt Hotel, in its Crystal hall. Ambassador emphasised the lasting Hungarian fight for freedom. The ceremony was attended by many guests and members of political and diplomatic life in Serbia.

Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative and Ivica Dačić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

Nebojša Stefanović, Minister of Police, Jadranka Joksimović, minister without portfolio responsible for European Integration and Zoran Đorđević, Minister of Defence

THE DAY OF UNITED NATIONS

25th October

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Serbia Ivica Dačić attended the celebration of Day of the United Nations addressing the representatives of the United Nations and the specialised agencies, representatives of the diplomatic corps and other numerous guests at the Palace of Serbia. Dačić stressed the key role of the UN in the areas of peacekeeping and security, respect and protection of human rights, the exercise of freedom and equality and socio-economic development, and called for the strengthening of their role in dealing with global problems of today.

LEGION OF HONOUR FOR ZORAN SEKULIĆ

25th October

At the residence of the French Embassy, French Ambassador to Serbia, H E Christine Moro, presented to Mr. Zoran Sekulić, founder and director of the news agency FoNet, France's highest decoration, the Legion of Honour with the rank of knight. Zoran Sekulić got his order during the solemn ceremony and reception. The reception was attended by numerous prominent figures of diplomatic, political and public life of Serbia.

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H.E. Christine Moro, French Ambassador and Zoran Sekulić, Director of FONET

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H.E. Denis Keefe, British Ambassador and Saša Janković, Ombudsman

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AUSTRIA CELEBRATED RE-GAINING OF ITS STATEHOOD

26th October

The National Day od Austria was celebrated by a ceremony organised by Austrian Ambassador H E Johannes Eigner in the City Hall. Austria commemorates 26 October 1956 when the country obliged to perpetual neutrality thus obtaining full sovereignity once again. The national anthems were performed by a Town Female Choir Barilli from Požarevac, a town which contibuted to Austria population a lot. Among many guests there were Episcop of Austria and Switzerland Andrej and Vuk Drašković.

H.E. Christine Moro, French Ambassador and Aja Jung, Director of Belgrade Dance Festival

H.E. Johanes Eigner, Austrian Ambassador and Ivana Jordan

Ivan Tasovac, former Minister of Culture, bivši ministar kulture, H.E. Philip Herbert Pinnington, Canadian Ambassador and H.E. Henk van den Dool, Dutch Ambassador

AJA JUNG AWARDED THE ORDER OF ARTS AND LITERATURE

27th October

Aja Jung, founder and director of the Belgrade Dance Festival, was awarded the Order of Arts and Literature in the rank of Knight of France. It was given for "engagement and activities for the benefit of cultural and artistic ties between the two countries". The order was granted by H E Christine Moro, French Ambassador to Serbia. “You embody the principles of France”, she said. aja jung thanked with words: “It is a great honour when an award comes from a rich culture to a small Balkan town.”

N1 TV’S SECOND BIRTHDAY

31th October

Television N1 celebrated two years of operation. At the cocktail party for the media it is estimated that the N1 for two years has become a credible and competitive media that aims to be the first choice of viewers when it comes to news. In the new season N1 several new projects and innovations were announced. Director of the editorial board N1 television Brent Sadler announced the continuation of work on the creation of the brand. "We expect very soon a new, modern studio, which is in preparation. We expect the same in Zagreb and Sarajevo as N1 wants to stay in this area. In addition, we continue to work on reputation and creating a brand," he said.

Brent Sadler, Director of the editorial board N1 television

Dragan Janjić, NUNS Vice President and Jugoslav Ćosić, N1 Programme Director

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PEOPLE & EV ENTS "OKTOBERFEST": NOVI SAD GOT ANOTHER GREAT FESTIVAL! 28th October

On Friday 28 October at 7PM in the hall of the Master Centre of the Novi Sad Fair, Novi Sad Oktoberfest was officially opened. At the opening ceremony were: Miloš Vučević, Mayor of Novi Sad, Alexander Jung, Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy in Belgrade, Slobodan Cvetković, general manager of the Novi Sad Fair, Robert Čoban, the president of Color Press Group and Doris Danilović, Deputy Director of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Miloš Vučević with the help of a wooden hammer officially opened the beer keg and thus symbolicallyopened the festival held for the first time in Novi Sad, organised by Color Press Group and the Novi Sad Fair, under the auspices of the city of Novi Sad.

Mayor Miloš Vučević opened the beer keg with Alexander Jung, Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy in Belgrade

Zvonko Bogdan, legendary singer of Vojvodinian songs

In the audience that day many public figures were seen, like Maja Gojković, president of the Assembly of Serbia, Vladan Vukosavljević, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, or Dragan Đilas, former mayor of Belgrade.

The music programme included Zvonko Bogdan, The Frajle, Ničim izazvan, Gift, Orthodox Celts, Jurassic Rock , Štikle and vikleri and singer Ivana Jordan. Every evening there was a competition in fast beer drinking and keeping mugs.

The first "Oktoberfest" in Novi Sad was visited by 15000 people, tens of thousands of liters of beer were drunk, and 5 thousand sausages and over 10 thousand pretzels were eaten. The festival is now among the most important events in Novi Sad. It was supported Heineken, Apatin Brewery, Carlsberg Serbia, Chipsy, Paulaner, Best Seed Producer, Ford, Gebrüder Weiss, and a large number of manufacturers of craft beers.

Vladan Vukosavljević, Minister of Culture and Information with Maja Gojković, President of Assembly of Serbia

Music programme was attended by a cheerful crowd

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Ivana Jordan hosted the programme

Miloš Vučević and Alexander Jung enjoying beer and pretzels

The Frajle heated up the atmosphere

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TURKEY CELEBRATES THE FOUNDATION OF MODERN STATE

31th October

Ambassador of Turkey in Belgrade H E Mehmet Kemal Bozay hosted a reception to mark the National Day of Turkey, and 93rd anniversary of the founding of the modern, independent Turkey under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He announced the establishment of the Turkish-Serbian Business Association whose honorary president will be Mr Bozay.

The reception was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajić, Minister of Defence Zoran Đorđević, Meho Omerović, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights, representatives of the diplomatic corps, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, Head of the UNHCR Mission in Serbia Hans Schodder, religious representatives and representatives of cultural and public life .

Mira Adanja Polak, TV personality, Michael Davenport, H.E. Axel Dittmann, German Ambassador with his wife

H.E. Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Ambassador of Turkey in Belgrade with his wife

ITALIAN ARMED FORCES DAY

4th November

The Italian Ambassador to Serbia, H. E. Giuseppe Manzo and Mrs. Manco together with the Attaché for Defence of the Republic of Italy, Colonel Paolo Sfarra organised a reception at the Italian Embassy on the occasion of Armed Forces Day of the Republic of Italy. The reception was preceded by the laying of wreaths at the Italian military cemetery and a photo exhibition on the involvement of Italian troops in assisting migrants.

Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Zoran Djordjević, Minister of Defense

Zoran Đorđević, Defence minister of Serbia and H.E. Giuseppe Manzo, Italian Ambassador

ALGERIAN NATIONAL DAY

7th November

Sanda Rašković Ivić and Dragoljub Mićunović

On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the outbreak of the struggle for National liberation in on November 1st, 1954, marking the date of the National Day of Algeria, the Ambassador of Algeria H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub hosted a reception. At the reception were present the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ivica Dacic, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Zoran Djordjevic, several members of the Parliament, personalities from the religious and cultural life, members of the Association of Friends of Algeria, the cameraman of the Algerian Revolution, Stevan Labudovic, Algerian students and members of the Algerian community in Serbia.

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EUR O P E’S S I N GL E C UR R EN C Y

France v Germany The founders of the euro have fundamentally different ideas about how the single currency should be managed

Text from: Markus Brunnermeier, Harold James and Jean-Pierre Landau” The Euro and the Battle of Ideas.

Princeton University Press

The euro crisis that first blew up in late 2009 has revealed deep flaws in the single currency’s design. Yet in part because it began with the bail-out of Greece, many politicians, especially German ones, think the main culprits were not these design flaws but fiscal profligacy and excessive public debt. That meant the only cure was fiscal austerity. In fact, that has often needlessly prolonged the pain. Later bail-outs of countries like Ireland and Spain showed that excessive private debt, property bubbles and over-exuberant banks can cause even bigger problems for financial stability.

That is one early conclusion of “The Euro and the Battle of Ideas”, by three academics from Germany, Britain and France. They describe thoroughly the watershed moments of the crisis, how power shifted to national governments (especially in Berlin) and the roles played by the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB).

They blame euro-zone governments for failing to sort out troubled banks more quickly, for not realising that current-account deficits matter when public debts are in effect denominated in a foreign currency, for not making the ECB into a lender of last resort and for not pushing through structural reforms in good times.

Such complaints are often heard, not least from Britain and America. But more originally, the authors find the roots of these failings not in stupidity but in clashing economic ideas.

Simplifying a bit, they focus on Germany and

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France. The Germans like rules and discipline, and fret about excessive debt and the moral hazard created by bail-outs. The French prefer flexibility and discretion, and worry about large current-account surpluses and the lack of a mutualised debt instrument. The Germans favour budget austerity even in hard times; the French favour fiscal stimulus on Keynesian lines. German policymakers are often lawyers, French ones more frequently economists.

Examples of such ideological clashes run

THE GERMANS FAVOUR BUDGET AUSTERITY EVEN IN HARD TIMES; THE FRENCH FAVOUR FISCAL STIMULUS ON KEYNESIAN LINES. GERMAN POLICYMAKERS ARE OFTEN LAWYERS, FRENCH ONES MORE FREQUENTLY ECONOMISTS throughout the book. They range from the design of the Maastricht treaty and the later stability and growth pact to the constitution of the ECB and the application of the fiscal compact. Throughout the crisis the French tended to see bank or national-debt woes as cases of illiquidity whereas the Germans usually viewed them as signs of insolvency. Similar divides have emerged in rows over Eurobonds (backed

by France, opposed by Germany) and over accountability and democratic control at supranational level (backed by federal Germany but not by centralised France).

As the authors note, such differences in ideas

are not party-political (they persist regardless of whether the two countries have centre-left or centre-right governments). Nor, interestingly, are they fixed forever in history: in the 19th century, and even more in the 1930s, it was France, not Germany, that favoured rigid rules, big surpluses and the discipline of the gold standard.

Only after 1945 did that change.

The authors end on an optimistic note, with proposals for a Europe-wide insurance mechanism built on a form of Eurobonds designed to please both France and Germany. But their analysis might equally lead to pessimism. The euro crisis is far from over, with Greece needing more debt relief, Italy mired in banking problems and chronic slow growth and high unemployment almost everywhere. Britain’s Brexit vote will not help the mood, even if it was greeted by some as one more reason to push towards deeper fiscal and political union in the euro zone.

The trouble is that, as the book shows, France and Germany still have huge differences over the direction of travel. The French want debt mutualisation and more fiscal flexibility first, and are only then ready to talk about more discipline and deeper integration. The Germans are the reverse, pushing for discipline and integration before being ready even to think about debt mutualisation. After next year’s elections in both countries, such deep differences are likely to cause continuing problems for the single currency.

From The Economist, published under licence.

The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

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INTERVIEW

Photo: Toshiro Sugihara

RIGHT APPROACH TURNS MAGIC

Serbian startup scene is at a very early stage but everything’s been going up and to the right for a while now, so it’s no surprise it started attracting attention. If it wants, the Government can do a lot if it improves business conditions for tech and other entrepreneurs

LAZAR STOJKOVIĆ

Lead Product Designer at Super and Mentor at 500 Startups

„With a little help the magic can start happening“, says Lazar Stojković, MSc, MIMS, talking about the prospects of the Serbian tech companies, and what both startup accelerators and wise government engagement can do for the IT scene.

You have recently replaced your entrepreneurial and academic career with the position of the lead product designer in Super, a startup based in San Francisco.

What makes Silicon Valley so appealing to young experts like yourself despite many countries claiming that they have very strong replicas of the Valley?

— Silicon Valley is unlike any other place in the world. Almost 27,000 tech companies call San Francisco Bay Area home, including tech giants like Apple, Google, Facebook, Uber, and Tesla. Two out of top three research universities in the world

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— Stanford and UC Berkeley — provide global talent and big ideas. Almost half of the U.S. venture capital is concentrated here. There are countless tech events every year. The weather is not too shabby, either.

Aside from the Valley, there is only one other tech ecosystem in the world that consistently produces world-class technology companies and that is Israel. No one else comes even close if you look at the data.

whether it’s based in California or Serbia. Nobody’s ever gotten rich from a startup salary alone.

An early team member typically gets just enough money to lead a decent life in their location while helping out with building the company. That’s where the regional compensation differences you mentioned come from. If you live in San Francisco, your salary by necessity needs to be a lot higher than somebody else’s in Belgrade or

THE GOVERNMENT CAN LEARN FROM GOOD PRACTICES OF OTHERS, SUCH AS ESTONIA’S STELLAR E-GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND ALBANIA’S 0% TAX RATE FOR STARTUPS There are many people, teams even, in Serbia who are working remotely for startups based in Silicon Valley. Can we argue that there are just cheap labour in this industry and to what extent are they really involved in small- or large-scale revolutions in Silicon Valley?

— Let’s get one thing clear: no startup in the world offers big salaries. It doesn’t matter

Novi Sad because the cost of living in Bay Area is much higher.

Every month, you are forced to spend a multiple of a typical Serbian tech salary on rent alone. Bottomline: if you want a big paycheck, job security, and lavish perks, you don’t go join a startup. Rather, you find a job with a large tech corporation like Google, Microsoft, or Salesforce.

What startup folks do get — or at least should always get — is

stock options. That way, if the company hits a home run known as “exit”, the team will usually do much better financially than if they’ve been working for a big corporation all that time. From that perspective, the issue is not whether a remote team member in Serbia earns less or more than his counterparts elsewhere. The real question is: did the person get stock options as a part of their compensation package? If the answer is “no” and they work for salary alone, then they’d be much better off working for a larger company that’d pay them more cash.

Is there any room for the government to play a role in developing startups and establishing links between our technological community and Silicon Valley, and, if there is, what place should it occupy?

— The government certainly has a place in fostering a healthy tech ecosystem in Serbia.

Its main objective should be removing obstacles to growth.

How can it achieve that? Educate more STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) workers. Pick and choose good things other countries have

implemented, like Estonia’s stellar e-government services and Albania’s 0% tax rate for startups. Make freelancers’ lives easy - don’t strangle them with bureaucracy until they have no other option but to start dodging taxes by using Payoneer and the like. Keep the National Bank of Serbia on a tight leash.

Its enforcement of antiquated foreign currency rules is not just appalling to a modern world - it is the main reason why techies in Serbia rather opt for registering companies abroad then in their own country. If Croatia could fix that issue by statute, so can Serbia. Don’t give hiring subsidies to foreign companies when you know local companies are competing for the same talent pool. Things like that.

Looking back at the last few years, we can see that there startups have been popping up here in Serbia too, and that there is as a community that supports them via the ICT Hub, which you are a member of too. Also, there various

other startup accelerators available. How much is Serbia on the tech world's radar, so to speak, and what is your view of this foreign support (like, for instance, 500 Startups)?

Is this yet another brain drain from Serbia or should we view it as an investment in Serbia?

— Serbian startup scene is definitely improving its visibility

tively. They all contribute not just through funding, but also by educating local entrepreneurs, which then share that knowledge with others at, say, events at the Startit Centers and thus further enrich the entire ecosystem.

And what happens if some of these companies do end up moving to Silicon Valley because it’s easier to scale a business

STARTUP ACCELERATORS ARE A VERY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, THEY CONTRIBUTE THROUGH FUNDING, EDUCATING LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS, AND ENRICHING THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM in the tech world. It is still at a very early stage, of course, but everything’s been going up and to the right for a while now, so it’s no surprise it started attracting attention.

Startup accelerators are a very important and valuable piece of the puzzle. It doesn’t really matter if they’re foreign, domestic, and hybrid such as 500 Startups, ICT Hub, or StartLabs, respec-

from there? Nothing, really. Very few European startups that make the move sever all ties to their previous residence. Most keep development teams in the home country due to lower costs and move just the business folks over the pond. The latter go on to become economic ambassadors in a sense, forging deeper ties between the Valley and the tech ecosystem they originated from.

When the company eventually strikes gold, guess who ends up funding the next generation of entrepreneurs back home? We live in a globalized world and need to start thinking beyond made up lines that divide us.

Do you think that young startup entrepreneurs in this part of the world have enough knowledge about global trends and do they know what business moves they need to make in order to transform their local products into global solutions?

— Unfortunately, lack of business development talent is evident in all industries in Serbia, not just tech. A lot of people got disconnected from the world during the ‘90s or grew up in that disconnected environment and thus behave as if they live on another planet, separated from the rest of humanity. Startup accelerators can help with fixing that problem by teaching soft skills to tech entrepreneurs who already have hard technical skills. And that is when the magic starts to happen.

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CORPORATE

MILLIONS OF NEW, CONNECTED DEVICES PAY SECURELY

Visa in Serbia records impressive growth in number of contactless transactions

VLADIMIR ĐORĐEVIĆ

Regional Manager Visa SEE

In the past three years Visa in SEE records 35% growth, while consumers Serbia, BIH, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo market perform over 320.000 purchase transactions per day at more than 115.000 merchant outlet trough Visa cards.

How can electronic payments and usage of Visa cards contribute to economic growth?

— We are partnering globally with governments, financial institutions, merchants and technology companies to develop innovative payment products that will accelerate electronic acceptance, grow commerce, and bring the benefits of card payments. Electronic payments are the major contributor to consumption, increased production, economic growth and employment creation. Electronic payments also provides a higher potential tax revenue base, while

also bringing the added benefits of lower cash handling costs, guarantee payment to merchants and greater financial inclusion for consumers. In Serbia, increased use of electronic payment products added US$230 million to GDP while raising household consumption of goods and services by an average of 0.19 percent per year.

How would you rate the SEE market in terms of market development?

from ATMs and that trend can’t be change over the night, but we colaborate with banks while offering them more choices and benefits of using electronic payments via different devices.

How do Visa cardholders accept innovations coming from your company?

— Our clients are more than ready to use innovations coming from Visa. Visa in Serbia records impressive growth in number of

VISA ALWAYS EMPLOYS MULTIPLE LAYERS OF SECURITY THAT WORK TOGETHER TO HELP US MANAGE FRAUD — Markets in SEE region are still developing, with a lot of potential for additional growth. Cash remains our biggest competitor and we are working hard to win that battle one day. Looking at business results, we see a double-digit growth (expressed in percentages) in the usage of cards at POS. A lot of cash is still being withdrawn

contactless transactions: around 300%, and purchase volume over 235% what makes us leading market in Visa payWave usage in SEE. We are happy to see the growing popularity of Verified

by Visa service, which brings more security to those who shop online. Visa always employs multiple layers of security that work

together to help us manage fraud.

Visa leads payment innovations in SEE. Which moments would you single out as crucial and what are you especially proud of?

— Serbia was the first market in SEE region of Visa Inc. to introduce Host Card Emulation (HCE) mobile payment service, what puts our market firmly on the innovation map. The technology enables contactless payment service via mobile phones based on advanced HCE technology, on all POS terminals that accept contactless payments with Visa cards in Serbia and abroad. The things we did back in 2001. have now become a business standard. In 2003, when we issued the first chip card in this part of the world, that was considered as a great success. Today, it is impossible to imagine a card without a chip. In only 3 years, from 2001. till 2004. our clientsbanks issued a million Visa cards which was the biggest growth in the world at the time.

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B USINESS NEWS Banca Intesa

MOBILE CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS

Banca Intesa, in cooperation with Visa, has introduced Wave2Pay to the Serbian market, a revolutionary contactless payment services via mobile devices based on advanced HCE (Host Card Emulation) technology. Wave2Pay, the first mobile wallet on the domestic market, is available to all users of Banca Intesa Visa Electron and Visa Inspire cards who own smartphone operating system Android 4.4 or later, and NFC technology.

“Banca Intesa has become the first bank in the SEE region to introduce HCE mobile payment services. Wave2Pay, the first mobile wallet in Serbia, enables clients to pay in a simple and safe way, without a classic wallet or card,” said Darko Popović, Member of the Banca Intesa Executive Board and Head of the Retail and Small Business Division. The Wave2Pay service enables mobile contactless payments at all POS terminals with optional contactless Visa cards in Serbia and abroad, as well as access to account balances and viewing account transactions by payment card. To use the service, user needs to activate the Wave2Pay mobile application, which can be downloaded free of charge via the Google Play Store.

Philip Morris

COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Company Philip Morris Serbia and the Belgrade Faculty of Economics have concluded a cooperation agreement. The agreement was formally signed by Tatjana Jovanović, director of human resources at Philip Morris for Southeast Europe, and Branislav Boričić Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Economics. Cooperation will include student and professional practice in the company, support for the development of student research and diploma works in accordance with the operating policies of Philip Morris, guest lectures at the college by company experts, as well as training programmes in management, organisation and information systems. “We are extremely pleased that the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Economics has become another of our higher education institutions with which Philip Morris is building long-term cooperation in Serbia,” Jovanović. Dean Boričić considers the agreement useful in many ways, and that the two parties will ensure the extremely high quality of transfers of knowledge and experience.

Nelt

NELT ANNOUNCES GROWTH IN TURNOVER

The Nelt Group has achieved significant results after three years of the consolidated operations of all companies within the Group. The Group’s turnover totalled €702 million in 2015, while organic growth, the signing of contracts with new principals and customers, as well as the launch of new businesses in 2015, has seen Nelt Group increase its number of employees by 250 and revenue growth of 28.5% is expected by year’s end. Today, the 12 companies of the Nelt Group employ nearly 4,000 people on seven markets, making it one of Serbia’s most successful business systems.

“By applying new technologies in all of our activities, and by responding professionally to the needs of our customers and principals, we have become a successful and recognisable business system,” said Nelt Group Executive Director Miloš Jelić. Better positioning on the logistical services market, geographic expansion and continued investment in development are the strategic orientations with which Nelt Group intends to ensure its reliable operations in the future.

Telenor

PM VUČIĆ VISITS TELENOR

Naled

BUILDING PERMIT REFORM ELEVATES SERBIA TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD

The launch of e-building permits in Serbia has led to the country entering the ranks of the top 50 most successful countries according to the World Bank’s latest Doing Business list for the first time. The role played by e-permits was agreed at the conference “Doing Business 2017 - Enhancing the Competitiveness of Serbia”, which was co-organised by the British Embassy in Belgrade, the USAID Project for Better Business Conditions and NALED. The introduction of e-permits has shortened permitting procedures by 100 days, resulting in our country leaping 103 places. “With the support of the governments of Germany and Switzerland, we have developed software for e-permits, through which 35,000 requests were submitted the first eight months of this year, 90% of which have been resolved,” said NALED vice president Stanka Pejanović. Great progress has been made in terms of starting a business (up from 65th to 47th place) and registering property (up from 73rd to 56th place).

“The UK strives to be a reliable partner to Serbia in legal reform through real support for real reform. Through this fund, the UK government has provided support worth a total of 180 million pounds for the five countries of Eastern Europe,” said UK Ambassador Denis Keefe.

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Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić visited Telenor, the largest individual investor in Serbia. The visit included a working meeting with Ingeborg Øfsthus, CEO of Telenor Serbia, H. E. Norwegian Ambassador Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Rasim Ljajić, and Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Ana Brnabić.

“The Serbian government has invested significant efforts in improving business conditions and the investment climate in Serbia. We want to digitise society in Serbia, because the new solutions enable the quality of life of citizens and have numerous benefits both in the private sector and the state,” said Øfsthus.

“Telenor is the largest foreign investor in Serbia. Over 10 years, the company has grown in line with Norwegian values dating back to 1855. Today, Telenor is one of the best promoters of Serbia as a place for business development,” said Ambassador Bjørnstad.

Nectar Group

MILKY JUICE – A NEW BEVERAGE

Company Nectar, Southeast Europe’s largest producer of fruit juices and processor of fruits and vegetables, has presented a new production line for the production of Milky Juice, a refreshing noncarbonated soft drink with fruit juice and milk (a variation of the traditional Dominican beverage “morrir soñando”). “The development of the technology itself, recipes and testing lasted for two years, in close cooperation with our long-time partner Tetrapak,” said Mihailo Janković, director of Nectar Group. “For us to be a leader in innovation is one of the strategic goals,” said Francesco Faella, Tetra Pak CEO for Southeast Europe.

Combining fruit juice and milk creates a new, refreshing beverage that combines the best of these two categories. It contains no preservatives, artificial colours or fat, and is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E. Milky Nectar Juice is already on sale, available in three flavours – pineapple & coconut with milk, banana, strawberry & red grapes with milk, and orange & peach with milk.

Banca Intesa

BANCA INTESA PICKS MOST SUCCESSFUL INTESA FARMERS IN 2016

Banca Intesa declared the winners of the fourth annual Intesa Farmer competition for the most successful farmers. According to the jury, the competition’s winners were: Vladimir Pavasović from Sremska Mitrovica in the category Intesa Farmer, Peter Dobrković from Bačka Topola in the category Intesa Fruit Grower, Antal Januško from Novo Orahovo in the category Intesa Livestock Farmer and Renata Nagy in the category Intesa Vegetable Grower, while Milanka Trtović from Nova Varoš won the competition in the category of Slow Food Intesa for small agricultural producers, which was introduced this year in partnership with the Slow Food Serbia Association.

Banca Intesa awarded the competition’s most successful participants with a trip to the Slow Food Fair in Stuttgart – Fair of good taste (Markt des guten Geschmacks - die Slow Food Messe) and vouchers worth 100,000 dinars for the purchase of raw materials.

“RAISE” AMONG EUROPE’S TOP 20 PROJECTS

Erste Banka

SAVINGS REMAIN RELEVANT TO CITIZENS, 4,215 DINARS PER MONTH SAVED

Slightly more than 50% of Serbian citizens save money, with a total of 40% of monthly savings ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 dinars, while 7% of savers set aside more than 12,000 dinars. Interest in energy-saving products is at approximately the same level as it was in 2015. Putting money aside is deemed important by 71% of citizens. The trend of saving in cash at home or in a safe is declining – with 32% of respondents doing so. According to Erste Group’s latest research on the saving habits and attitudes of Serbian citizens, savers in our country now set aside an average sum of 4,215 dinars on a monthly basis. This year there are fewer people who are dissatisfied with the money they have saved, 22% less than in 2015. Apart from Serbia, Erste Group Research conducted the same poll elsewhere in the region.

Average savings per month in Romania are €46, Hungary €52, Croatia €57, and Austria €216. The share of those who are very satisfied with savings is at the same level in Croatia as it is in Serbia (6%), while that percentage is higher in Hungary and Romania. All of these countries have many more citizens who are completely dissatisfied with savings, with this figure in Croatia, for example, amounting to 35%.

As part of the research and evaluation of different projects and models on the theme of immigrant entrepreneurship, The European Commission has included the Rural and Agricultural Integration in a Supportive Environment (RAISE) project – which is jointly conducted by the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, UniCredit Foundation and UniCredit Bank, in cooperation with the Novi Sad humanitarian centre – among the top 20 projects in Europe in the field of promoting and supporting entrepreneurship and the integration of refugees and internally displaced persons. RAISE was implemented in the period from 2009 to 2012 and included 140 refugee families and internally displaced persons from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, who had lived until then in collective centres. The goal was to provide them with the necessary conditions and support to start their own business, in order for them to thereby integrate into the local community in which they live. Ana Koeshall, director of the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, expressed contentment. Also speaking on this occasion, UniCredit Foundation Chairman Maurizio Carrara said: “This award is confirmation from the EC for the support of a variety of initiatives in the territories where we operate”.

VISIT OF DR JITENDRA SINGH Dr Jitendra Singh, Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region, Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, paid an official visit to the Republic of Serbia from 12th-16th October 2016. Whilst in the country, he met many Serbian dignitaries, including PM Aleksandar Vučić.

The visit also included the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Information Technology & Electronics, which aims to establish inter-institutional cooperation, as well as encouraging cooperation and exchanges between private companies, capacity building institutions, governments and other public and private organisations from the two countries. India and Serbia will also explore cooperation in R&D and innovation though joint collaborative projects, as well as organising technical exhibitions, workshops, seminars, expert visits & training sessions.

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B USINESS NEWS Naled

SOLUTION FOR STATE PHARMACIES’ DEBTS BY YEAR’S END

The Serbian government and relevant ministries will develop a solution to stop the growth of debts owed by pharmacies that were founded by the local government by the end of this year. This was announced by Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Ana Brnabić, during a consultative meeting with representatives of pharmacies, health centres and local governments on the establishment of sustainable financing for healthcare institutions, which was organised at the Palace of Serbia by the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government, with the support of NALED. Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar said that it is necessary to determine the responsibility of the management and control bodies of the pharmacies and health centres. Mirjana Ćojbašić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, said that the implementation of new software to monitor the performance of obligations of direct and indirect budget users would create increased supervision over local governments and healthcare facilities, as agreed with the International Monetary Fund.

NEW DR OETKER CAKE MIXTURES AT MAXI

Thirteen new irresistible flavours for cakes from company Dr Oetker were presented at an event held in the pleasant atmosphere of Maxi supermarket Alonso. The products, which are imported from Germany, are on sale at selected Tempo and Maxi supermarkets. Thanks to the cooperation of companies Delhaize Serbia and Dr Oetker, those in attendance had the opportunity to check out cakes from the expanded range of mixtures for cakes, which were specially prepared for them by cook Nenad Gladić, host of “Gastronomad”. He shared with the audience his confectionery advice and unveiled an expanded Dr Oetker assortment of mixtures for cakes, which prove that the perfect dessert needs a little time and effort. Chocolate rhapsody is made of brownies, mini muffins, chocolate and stracciatella cookies and chocolate, stracciatella and a marble cloud, while the refreshing taste of paradise is reserved for a creamy cheesecake, cake with raspberries and hazelnut cake with cherries, Danube waves, Russian Cake and cheesecake.

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TRADITIONAL MENTORING WALK The Traditional Mentoring Walk held on 5th November in Belgrade provided the occasion to announce a new cycle of the programme S " hare Your Knowledge – Become a Mentor". Mentors, mentees and their guests walked the central streets of the city in order to draw attention to women's solidarity and the importance of mentoring for the empowerment of women in Serbia. Through several months of the mentoring programme, young women just starting their careers are given the opportunity to acquire new knowledge from mentors, professional women leaders from different professions. All interested youth leaders wanting to be trained along with mentoring support can apply until the end of this month in an open competition for participants in the programme.

After a walk, the Impact Hub organised an award ceremony for certificates for successful completion of the sixth cycle. Guests were welcomed on behalf of the organisers by Andrea Brbaklić, Director of the Department of Communications and HR at Erste Bank, Maja Bobić, Secretary General of the European Movement in Serbia, and Zorana Antonijević of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation.

PepsiCo, Inc.

PEPSICO INC. ANNOUNCES SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA

PepsiCo, Inc. has announced an ambitious global agenda of sustainability that it has created to encourage continuous business growth in a manner that respects the needs of consumers and society. This Business Platform for the coming decade is focused on three main priorities: contributing to better health and greater prosperity through the products it sells; protecting the planet and the communities in which it operates; and empowering people around the world.

Efforts include the company’s specific goals to be achieved by 2025, in view of the continuing transformation of the product portfolio of food and beverage company PepsiCo, the global contribution to a more sustainable system of food production and assistance in local communities achieving progress.

“In order to succeed in today's volatile and changing world, corporations must do three things extremely well: focus on achieving top financial performance in order to work in a way that is sustainable over time and respond to the needs of society,” said Indra Nooyi, president and CEO of PepsiCo.

SHOPPI RETAIL PARK OPENED IN BORČA Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali and Director of MPC Properties, Thomas H. Villadsen, officially opened the second Shoppi Retail Park, covering an area of more than 13,000 square metres and representing a total investment of €15 million. “Construction is a visible sign that the whole left bank of the Danube is progressing, and it is also being reaffirmed as a centre of trade. For Borča, it is extremely important that this retail park created over 500 jobs for our fellow citizens,” said Mayor Mali.

“The Shoppi Retail Park in Borča was built in record time and is 100% leased. I thank the Mayor of Belgrade, as well as all institutions of the City administration for their excellent cooperation and support in the process of obtaining all necessary permits,” said MPC Properties CEO Thomas H. Villadsen.

CPG ON THE MEDIA MARKET The Media Market event was organised under the auspices of the International Belgrade Book Fair for the second consecutive year, from 26th to 30th October. The Market brought together the largest media companies, publishers and agencies. Color Press Group had a pleasant atmosphere at its stand, at which it presented the most popular magazines in Serbia and the region. On the first day, with the hashtag #zelimimogu, everyone who came to the stand was able to paint with light installation and set up their own photos on Instagram, organised by Lepota&Zdravlje. The second day of the fair saw Diplomacy&Commerce host a Wine Matinée for its partners and advertisers, at which visitors drank wine made by the Deurić Winery. On the third day, the CPG stand was turned into a kind of classroom, where new participants in the CPG School of Journalism had a class led by famous TV presenter Aleksandar Filipović. The fourth and fifth days included Color Media Communication’s promotion of the world-renowned BEOCON conference. Visitors to the stand had the opportunity to be photographed with the setting of the hit series The Walking Dead.

DAYS OF GERMANY Belgrade’s Stadion Shopping Centre hosted the traditional Days of Germany event, which was successfully implemented in cooperation between the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Tourist Organisation of Germany, the Embassy of Germany in Belgrade and Goethe-Institute. The opening ceremony’s honorary guests included the Secretary of the Embassy of Germany in charge of economic cooperation, Jürgen Schmid, Executive Board member of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Martin Knapp, PR of the Tourist Organisation of Germany, Tijana Djuricic, Deputy Director of the Goethe-Institute and head of the German language Department, Dr Bernd Schneider, and Vladimir Savić, on behalf of Shopping Centre Stadion. The three-day event enabled all Belgraders to enjoy promotions of Germany, German brands and German languages, photographs of German cities and landscapes, as well as the promoting of Germany as a popular tourist destination, music, dancing, wine tasting, Paulaner beer, wurst sausages, pretzels and cakes.

VIP

VIP STEP FORWARD AWARDS GRANTED

The Belgrade Dance Festival and Vip mobile awarded the “Vip Step Forward” Prize to Marija Krtinić, a journalist of daily newspaper Danas, at an official ceremony organised by the National Dance Foundation. Krtinić has contributed to the promotion of artistic dance in the country, as well as additionally affirming great ballet stars and young artists.

“I thank the Belgrade Dance Festival, Aja Jung and company Vip for recognising that we are all part of the same team and for recognising the role of journalists in the relationship between the artist and the audience,” said Krtinić. .

CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH MALAYSIA

Belgrade’s Hyatt Regency Hotel, in cooperation with the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade, organised a reception to mark the opening ceremony of the “Culinary journey through Malaysia” event.

The event was opened by Hyatt Regency Belgrade CEO Hom Parviz, after which a speech was delivered by Nik Ady Arman, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade. The culinary journey through Malaysia was introduced by famous Malaysian Chef Dato 'Ismail Ahmad, who is personally committed to the preservation of traditional Malaysian cuisine. The event was supported by Turkish Airlines, the Office for the Promotion of Malaysian Tourism in Milan, and company Silbo doo.

PROSPERITY AND SECURITY THROUGH ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Prosperity and security through economic cooperation in the Western Balkans has been the subject of several different events in the U.S. “Positioned at the crossroad of the geopolitical manoeuvring of our time, the Western Balkans is now in a position to be a good example,” said Duško Knežević, president of Atlas Group and board member of the Summit of 100 Business Leaders of Southeast Europe, speaking in New York at a plenary session of the 12th Final Clinton Global Initiative.

Great attention was also devoted to Azerbaijan, which is very interested in investing in the Western Balkans. Our region is in a position to attract more investments from the Middle East and Asian markets.

“For us, it is important to connect Europe through infrastructure with these growing and energy rich markets,” explained Knežević.

The meeting was also attended by numerous leaders from the region and world-renowned politicians. Among those in attendance were Serbian PM Aleksandar Vučić, Podesta Group President Toni Podesta and former EC president José Manuel Barroso.

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POLITI CS

THE INTERMARIUM REBELLION

Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

After many years of blindly following the “Western-Western” model of the values that drive European civilisation, the easternmost members of the European Union seem to being opting for a middle ground and their own set of values Well, this all could be called the “Eastern-Western” model.

Although deeply schizoid, this definition is in fact perfectly balanced and nuanced, since it shows that it is not a “Central European perspective”, although it might look like one. The Eastern European members of the EU members feel deeply that they are in the West. There is nothing “central” about them, they say. But here comes the catch. They feel deeply that they are the true bearers of Western and European values in general, and that Western Europe has somehow deviated from that path.

The whole idea can be observed in Russia, too, although they opt for a different set of values, which was properly dubbed “Eurasian” by Nikita Mikhalkov, and in Turkey, where there is a growing sense of Turkish separate identity as a bridge between Europe and Asia, secularism and religion, East and West. Even in Serbia. But the Eastern EU version says the same thing, summarised like this: “Back in 1989, we wanted to be like you, Western Europe. You were a perfect model, a raw model. We just wanted to imitate you, to emulate you. But, in the meantime, you have moved towards some strange values and it is not that we are not following the Euro-

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pean values, rather that you are no longer following them”. And what are the values that Eastern EU members highlight? Social conservatism (not too much LGBTQ stuff, not too much multiracial immigration, let us remain the same as in 1992 or in 1892, OK?), fiscal and economic anti-austerity with state assistance for economic growth, stronger religious and national feelings even in non-religious countries, a lack of will to let things go to Brussels.

And I properly dubbed it (I hope) “The Intermarium Rebellion”. What is Intermarium, after all? It is a plan for a federation of Poland, Czecho-

oppose Russia and the Western EU (not with the same zeal, of course) and try to set their own values. Of course, Finland is out now, and only two out of the six former Yugoslav countries are in the EU, but, according to its own set of values, we can easily add Austria to this group.

And it is quite funny when you analyse the texts about Hungary and Poland lately, with all the astonishment about their attitude towards Brussels. Like nobody ever read history books. The recent “Freedom Day” event in Hungary, commemorating the unsuccessful 1956 Hungarian Revolution, was

THE EASTERN EUROPEAN MEMBERS OF THE EU NO LONGER WANT TO IMITATE ANYONE. THEY THINK THE WEST BETRAYED EUROPEAN VALUES. AND THEY ARE READY TO SAY SO ALOUD slovakia, Yugoslavia, Finland, Hungary, the Baltic States, Romania and Bulgaria (and sometimes also Belarus and Ukraine), as a “cordon zone” against the Russian Empire or Soviet Union from the East and against the imperial powers of Germany, Austria and Italy from the West. The term was coined by Józef Piłsudski, as “Międzymorze” (or “Međumorje” in Serbian), since it stretched between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. Now it is pretty much the same. It is a group of countries that

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once again underlined by the rebellious spirit of the Hungarians. We should recall that they were the first to rebel against the Habsburg multinational state in 1743 and 1848; they were the first to rebel against Moscow in 1956, and they are the fiercest rebels against Brussels now.

They simply dislike foreign values being imposed on them and being dictated from a foreign centre.

That’s why they are the first in line to rebel against Brussels. And Poland? Does nobody remember Pol-

ish rebelliousness against Tsarist Russia, or the Warsaw Rebellion against the Nazis? They are another unsettled nation that does not like other people’s values and centralisation. Even when they had their own autonomous kingdom within the Russian Empire, with their own parliament and laws, they were not satisfied. You should not be so bewildered. You just have to read history more thoroughly.

And what is the solution? Well, if you have some 12 of 27 (in the near future) countries that have their own set of values, inherited by – it doesn’t really matter what – Socialism, Habsburg Mitteleuropan parish narrow-mindedness or whatever you cynically call it, it does not change a thing. The Eastern European members of the EU no longer want to imitate anyone. They think the West betrayed European values. And they are ready to say so aloud. The question is how Europe, or at least the EU, can be one mind and one soul again? Europe has already lost Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Turkey. They have their own mindsets now. The countries in between (Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Moldova, Macedonia...) lie in a shaky zone. At least the current members of the EU can be saved. Or will we see a few different Europes, as in the case of the culturally sharply divided U.S.? We will see.

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MO DER N I S T A R T FR O M M EX I C O

Evolutionary Tales A ground-breaking art show explores what it meant to be Mexican in the mid-20th century

In 1927 John Dos Passos, an American writer and artist, returned from a long stay in Mexico where he had been soaking up the vibrant cultural scene south of the border.

Reporting on what he found in an article for the New Masses, he proclaimed: “Everywhere the symbol of the hammer and sickle. Some of it’s pretty hasty, some of it’s garlanded tropical bombast, but by God, it’s painting.”

“Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism 1910-1950”, a fascinating exhibition that has just opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and will travel to the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City next year, takes its name from that essay and largely confirms the writer’s judgment. The kind of painting that the novelist had in mind is epitomised by Diego Rivera’s “Sugar Cane” (1931, pictured), a scene of plantation life filled with tropical scenery and, yes, plenty of bombast. Much of the work in the show preaches and hectors, stokes nationalist fervour and promotes Marxist ideology. But most of it has such gusto, such sense of purpose and a conviction that images well made and well intentioned can change the world for the better, that one can forgive the occasional heavy-handed messaging.

As is inevitable with any survey of Mexican art from the first half of the 20th century, “Paint the Revolution” is dominated by the muralists who rose to international fame in the years following the decade-long turmoil that ended in 1920. Put to work by a reformist government that was anxious to heal the wounds of the

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recent past, these artists participated through vast mural cycles combining indigenous imagery with socialist agitprop in the great patriotic project of rebuilding the nation.

The “big three”—Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros—are well-represented with paintings that reveal powerful narrative styles that were at once both passionate and didactic. Typical of the way in which the language of modernism was harnessed for polemical ends is Orozco’s “Barricade” (1931), a painting in which the violence of revolutionary

THE “BIG THREE”—RIVERA, JOSÉ CLEMENTE OROZCO AND DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS—ARE WELL-REPRESENTED WITH PAINTINGS THAT REVEAL POWERFUL NARRATIVE STYLES THAT WERE AT ONCE BOTH PASSIONATE AND DIDACTIC struggle is enhanced by bold simplification and spatial compression borrowed from Cubism and Expressionism. Of course the works that made these men famous are the mural cycles in buildings across Mexico and the United States.

They cannot travel, so video installations in the museum galleries provide an experience that is the next best thing to being there.

“Paint the Revolution” enriches this familiar tale, showing how, for instance, the cause of nation-building spurred experimentation

in photography and printmaking, and even transformed arts education. Crucially, the show provides a more nuanced understanding of the age, puncturing the myth that everyone was marching in lockstep towards a common goal, and exposing the contradictions and cross-currents that characterised this most innovative period.

One group, known as the Estridentistas, rejected the impulse to fall back on traditional imagery. Instead, they tried to hitch Mexican modernism to the wider avant-garde by imitating the promotional techniques of Dada and Futurism. Also running against the grain were the Contemporáneos, a group associated with a literary magazine of the same name. Whereas the muralists proclaimed, “[Our] aesthetic aim is to socialise artistic expression, to destroy bourgeois individualism,” the Contemporáneos tried to carve out a private space where individual sensibility could endure. Roberto Montenegro’s “Portrait of Xavier Villaurrutia” portrays an elegant, dandified figure who is the polar opposite of the macho, chest-thumping strivers who populate the work of the muralists.

What all these artists share, and what gives the period its peculiar urgency, is their common search for identity. Whether making works for public consideration or private consumption, each of them wrestled with what it meant to be Mexican in the wake of civil war and in the aspirational decades that followed.

Nowhere is the fraught question of identity more movingly explored than in the work of Frida Kahlo. All her life she toiled in the shadow of Rivera, her larger-than-life husband, and for decades after her death in 1954 she remained a forgotten figure. It was not only the prejudices of a patriarchal society that were responsible for her obscurity, but the fact that her idiosyncratic, even neurotic, paintings did not fit the heroic story the nation preferred to tell about itself.

Kahlo’s approach is intimate and introverted.

The gemlike “Self-Portrait on the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States” is as topical on the subject of national identity as any of Rivera’s murals, but Kahlo’s approach is meditative and confessional. Caught between two worlds, she appears frail, vulnerable and out of place in her Sunday best. Her patriotism is heartfelt but tinged with sadness, and even a bit of irony. The Mexican flag held tentatively in her left hand is mocked by the cigarette she holds in her right. This tiny work speaks as eloquently about an exciting but anxious age as the booming voices that surround it.

From The Economist, published under licence.

The original article, in English, can be found on www.economist.com

CORPORATE

BEL MEDIC AND GENERALI TO COOPERATE The high standard and constant development of medical services provided by Bel Medic have certainly contributed to a wide-reaching cooperation The Bel Medic General Hospital has established cooperation with Generali Insurance Serbia stipulating that that Generali’s clients are now able to receive treatment at this renowned medical facility. „The quality of services provided to our clients is of utmost importance for us which is why we are confident that the cooperation with Bel Medic will further solidify the leading position of Generali Insurance Serbia on the health insurance market. We believe that our clients will welcome the fact that, as of now, they will be able to use medical services of a renowned healthcare facility such as

Bel Medic“, said Dragan Filipovic, Chairman of the Executive Board of Generali Insurance Serbia.

Apart from Generali, Bel Medic also cooperates with UNIQA Insurance, Wiener Stadtische and 18 other insurance companies including Allianz, Cigna, Aetna and SOS International.

The high standard and con-

stant development of medical services provided by Bel Medic have certainly contributed to a wide-reaching cooperation that this medical facility has with over 100 insurance companies and corporations.

This year, Bel Medic invested in the development of its diagnostics centre which now has the

THIS YEAR, BEL MEDIC INVESTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS DIAGNOSTICS CENTRE WHICH NOW HAS THE LATEST MRI, 64-SLICE SCANNER, THE DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY AND THE DIGITAL X-RAY MACHINES

latest MRI, 64-Slice scanner, the digital mammography and the digital X-ray machines. Thanks to this new top quality equipment and renowned experts, Bel Medic has set the standard among the regional diagnostic centres.

Bel Medic is the only medical facility in Serbia to have a complete laparoscopic center where abdominal, urological, gynecological, spinal, hip and knee surgery, as well as certain types of thoracic surgery (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery - VATS) are performed with the least invasive methods.

Bel Medic has three facilities in Belgrade and it will open a new medical centre in Vračar soon.

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INTERVIEW

2021 EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE

Text: MILAN KUZMANOVIĆ

The representatives of all levels of authority will be included in the management of the new organization called Novi Sad 2021 with the goal of ensuring a better coordination between all departments and the appropriate allocation of resources

NEMANJA MILENKOVIĆ

Chairman of the Organizing Committee for Novi Sad’s Candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2021

In mid-October, a panel made of independent experts made a historically important decision to choose Novi Sad for the European Capital of Culture 2021 after the city’s official presentation of the Novi Sad 2021 project. The Chairman of the Organizing Committee for Novi Sad’s candidacy for the European Capital of Culture 2021, Nemanja Milenković was at the helm of the Novi Sad delegation which presented the project in Brussels.

What were the main challenges when presenting the final project for the European Capital of Culture initiative? What was crucial in selecting Novi Sad as the culture capital?

—Time was the main challenge we had to overcome. The European Commission’s criteria for selecting the European Capital of Culture (ECC) were exceptionally high and the deadline was very short – only ten months. That’s why we had to not only made a good application book and make all the changes in line with the suggestions from the experts, but also do all of that in a very short amount of time. Bearing in mind that this was a project which had many people involved – artists, cultural organizations, both private and public, public sector at all government levels, companies, NGOs and citizens themselves – it we didn’t have it easy all the time.

We think that the crucial thing in choosing Novi Sad was the quality of our application book, the town’s

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development strategy that we presented, the creativity and good preparation for project presentation, as well as highly developed cultural, human and infrastructural capacities in Novi Sad. In which way is the city government and provincial and state authorities going to participate in the project?

—Due to its complex nature, the EEC project requires joint participation and cooperation between all three government levels. For that reason political stability, support and financial guarantees for project implementation were some of the main

of the new organization called Novi Sad 2021 with the goal of ensuring a better coordination between all departments and the appropriate allocation of resources. Although the title of the EEC is give to a city, it goes beyond the city itself and positively affects the development of the entire region and the state. Hence, it is often said that this project is also an investment because it entails investing public sector funds which are subsequently returned to the state budget but in a much bigger amount.

Can private capital become involved in the project?

—Of course it can! The experiences

ALTHOUGH THE TITLE OF THE EEC IS GIVE TO A CITY, IT GOES BEYOND THE CITY ITSELF AND POSITIVELY AFFECTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENTIRE REGION AND THE STATE

criteria to apply for this project and the criteria which every city needs to fulfill in order to become the EEC. The authorities have been actively participating in the project and we would like to use this opportunity to thank them all. The representatives of the all three government levels will be included in the management

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from the past European Capitals of Culture show that private sector has made substantial investments in project implementation. Business sector is often keen to show its social responsibility while, on the other hand, a high visibility of the EEC project not only in the local community, but also in a much

wider geographical area, is also great for marketing. This is a winwin situation for all project participants, and having private companies involved is beneficial in many ways for the city and its citizens, as well as its sponsors. We can already show you concrete examples of cooperation with the private sector.

We have new investments already announced and we expect the Serbian business sector to get even more involved. We are especially looking forward to developing public-private partnerships primarily in implementing infrastructure projects like the Youth Creative Polis which goal is to become the centre of cultural and creative industries and the youth sector in the town.

There was some talk about having a united region of culture.

Timisoara was also given the EEC title. Do you envisage cooperating with other nominated towns?

—The members of the Timisoara 2021 team were the closest associates of our team when creating the application book. Our cooperation was based on exchanging the knowhow, giving comments and suggestions and planning joint projects. In the following years, we are going to implement concrete projects aimed at raising the capacity of both towns for implementing the EEC project, cultural, arts and literary projects and joint projects aimed at better networking between the two towns.

So far, we have been cooperating with 23 towns that have carried the EEC title. We are very focused on cooperating with the candidates from Romania and Greece and we have some form of cooperation with all seven EEC finalists from these two countries. Hence, we are equally supportive of Elefsina, Kalamata and Rhodos.

I NTERVI EW Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

BRAND LIVES ON, DESPITE CENSORSHIP It is enough to say “Daško & Mlađa” in Serbia for people to start smiling. This witty duo of radio hosts quickly became a brand on B92 radio, then they transferred to O-Radio in Novi Sad... and were eventually sacked because of an “expired contract”

DAŠKO & MLAĐA

Radio-hosts

Or they were released because of... too sharp a tongue? We spoke with them about it all, and they explained all of their future plans.

Many people who deeply disliked getting up early still woke up at 6am just to listen to you, even if they did not agree with your attitudes. And yet you got sacked?

Daško: Well, we were quite popular and we even had three TV links during the morning, and then they started cutting us. For the next two months, after Milica Kravić was transferred to the radio, we got only one TV link. It was really popular, but the new RTV management does not care for the size of the audience. Just like on the commercial stations, everything is pushed ridiculously to the other extreme – we will slaughter people live if there are viewers, sort of saying – here they are in the opposite extreme – they simply don't care. Everything has to be tamed and RTV has to be a place where you hire your people, and as for the programme... it can be broadcast, but that’s not necessary.

Mlađa: Basically, the new management just do not care about the quality of the programme being broadcast.

This demonstrates the fact that they replaced the best staff and their places have been occupied by cronies.

Such a public service broadcaster becomes a tool for the dissemination of similar information.

Archibald Reiss said that a real friend told you the truth. Why is the voice of the critics so disliked here, when it can be a constructive, corrective sign?

Daško: A real question! The ruling

man is a person who takes criticism as a personal insult. He is intelligent, but vain, while all around him are extremely unsophisticated, uncultured and arrogant people; “clerks”. Many dictators were justified in that way: “he's not that bad, the problem is the people who surround him”. But I think that every holder of power in Serbia since 1990 has functioned according to the principle “take the money and run”.

Mlađa: “Listen, Serbs!” by Archibald Reiss is to be learned by heart and repeated like a mantra. To replace i.e, Načertanije, the Bible and the Constitution. Perhaps we can then move on.

Talking about Daško & Mlađa, you made a brand that moved from B92 to O-Radio, which successfully attracted all talented people from all around. And then it started to crumble…

Daško: It did not crumble. They destroy it with a hammer… during one night. They needed years to take over the Belgrade media. And here they just did it with hammer in the head – with the overnight sacking of Arežina, the sole person responsible for the high quality of programming. “What, quality? We cannot allow that!” – that is what they say. We made the first media decentralisation at B92. It was a programme made in Novi Sad for a Belgrade radio station, broadcast across the whole of Serbia.

The first time we were victims of “formatting”, which is lowering the level of the radio programme to that of “Winamp with a few empty sentences”, and now we are victims of politics. O-Radio was a natural choice; we said what we wanted and played the music we wanted.

The “formatters” feel evil joy when they destroy radio stations, like in Orwell's 1984 when they shrink the dictionaries. “You will have three songs and love them”. The cretinism of the media all around.

Mlađa: A radio presenter in a formatted radio station has become a retarded song announcer: “You have heard this, then you listen to that; the weather is nice, have a coffee with friends, and be sure to run with your dog know if you notice a patrol on the road. Talk to you after four songs, with a story about whether you had coffee...

Brainwashing!”

You moved to podcast. Tell us about the new form.

WE DON'T FORM A SECT OF FOLLOWERS WHO AGREE WITH US; WE WANT OUR LISTENERS TO DISAGREE Daško: Internet radio and podcast are basically radios, just transmitted though different media. Radio was listened to through the airwaves and now it comes through the internet. No big deal. But now we are moving to self-management.

Everyone who wants to be our shareholder can be. It is a socialist experiment in capitalism. It was done through crowdfunding and it worked well. We gathered $3000 in three days, then bought a computer and tools. I was surprised the people were so ready to jump on board.

That reflects what we meant to people. And this was a check on loyalty that we passed. We are starting in November and we hope the people

will send us money – not to buy computers, but to make our living, to cover our salaries. Our show had education, fun and information merged, and it will continue to have them, I insist boldly. We don't form a sect of followers who agree with us; we want our listeners to disagree. It is just that I can’t stand racists and fascists.

Mlađa: We are not a sect, but nevertheless we hope that our fans will one day bequeath their property and bedding to the two of us.

Are you not surprised that you had a super huge fan base yet no one came to say to you “Guys, you are popular and free, come to my station and I will make money on you, selling one second of ads expensively”. Does the market not work?

Daško: It really proves that this is not a market economy. Everyone speaks about “the market”, but there is something above it – pure censorship. I did not feel that until very recently, with the joke about the PM. Any radio station that would hire us would certainly face very unpleasant media affairs. The rules change in the middle of the game. Our enemies were spreading rumours that our salary is 160,000, while it was 60,000. They stoop very low. We play football and you suddenly catch the ball with your hands. Now we do everything by ourselves. We are supported by people, and this is great!

Mlađa: We are currently a “hot potato in the hands”. It would be great to have us on your radio, but that carries risks that no one is willing to accept. That's why we are like our grandfathers, using partisan ways to fight to get to listeners!

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CULTURE Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

MACHINE THAT TURNS DREAMS INTO REALITY

Novi Sad-based glam pop-rock band Gift has been known for years for their energetic gigs, both in their hometown and in the capital.

But now they have taken a major step forward with their debut album, Dreamoscope (“a machine that turns dreams into reality”). This month, we interviewed the band’s members

We have waited so long for the first album. It obviously took quite a while to make, but how long did it take?

Is it correct that some songs are from the early ‘90s, considering your long career?

Jovan Matić, singer: — Two songs from the album are old, from the period of my growing up, while I was living in England during those four years. One of the songs is “Starbucks”, about the coffee shop that is a unique pacifist place on the planet, which sees no race or religion. It has a love theme, since I see a black girl who reminded me of my old lover who got old.

I tend to see people in different forms all around the world. The second one is “Dreamoscope”, written on the terrace of Somerset House.

You had a band named “Let's Bowie” in London. How much did David Bowie influence your work?

Jovan: I wrote a song about Bowie and dedicated to him, “Bright Star”, in just two days. I was under pressure to write a song for Eurovision last spring, but they didn’t trust that I wouldn’t strip half-naked, so they didn’t accept me. That was exactly at the time of his death, a song made of pain. I had to find a way out. We, the Bowie children, ask him what to do now? We communicate in this song through Tesla's Ball, since Bowie and Tesla are somehow one and the same, not only because of the film “Prestige”. They were two guys way ahead of their time. The song was a way to handle the death of my idol.

Your promotional photos and videos are quite glam in their

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aesthetics. This is quite new in Serbia and the region, though it is fairly common abroad. I like it because it is simultaneously underground, glam and mainstream. How many people will get the idea?

Žarko Dunić, bassist: — I don't expect them to grasp it instantly, but it is fresh and exotic and different, and we do it because we really love it. How the people will react is interesting, but not that relevant, sincerely speaking. I don't believe that any of the bands actually thought about their acceptance, but it went that way and they reached many underground people. And these people made mainstream events.

Dejan Toškov, guitarist: — It is important to show our sincerity. The reaction is secondary. All the bands we used to cover, like The Cure, are simultaneously “expensive” and open, both difficult and easy to understand. I would, however, really, really like it if the people here could like and listen to

create an audience who will love our songs. Somebody has to be the first. If someone formed a band that sounds like Gift that would be great!

David Bowie said that you should never be the first in something, but rather the second. The first loses too much energy and faces a huge backlash, while the others just pass easily after him.

Jovan: True. I saw Suede like five times and you can see that they, as the first Britpop band, had a hard time. They had to pave the path for the others. Only the chosen listen to Suede; they are like Mozart. Later on come the bands who just steal the audience and it is easier.

What reaction did you expect to the songs?

Jovan: Well, the audience surprised us. They chose some other songs to be their favourites, like “Da li si srećna?”, which became a cult classic.

We did not expect that.

“THE WORDS AND MUSIC AND LOOKS ARE INEXTRICABLE. WE MAKE A GESAMTKUNSTWERK, REALLY” our music, but, if not, it’s okay to be just like a jumpstart.

Jovan: We felt a sociological shift, even during the cover gigs, as we are people who give the audience what the others don't and that reminds them of some better times. You help us to be great enough to reach more people. Love us enough to reach out with to the people our lyrics and let our lyrics influence lives, like some other songs influenced ours, such as those of Bowie or Suede. We

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Do you see Gift as a job or pleasure? How do you feel?

Žarko: It is craziness to try to do something like this in this region, but it takes a lot of courage and I am happy to be part of it, as I know I have a lot of energy to push it through. I feel like I am in a family.

My life has changed ever since.

Is it true that you have the desire to say something in pop music and you simply have to express

it in this way?

Žarko: Exactly. The desire is enormous, but it is even more interesting that we all come from different musical backgrounds. Some loved blues, some punk, some metal, but we converged. And everyone can add something new. The band has focused and the members expanded their minds during the process.

Miloš Stojanović, drummer: — We are a bunch of people who love music and who want to express ourselves. That is the most important – to carry the feeling.

How much are poetry and lyrics important for you.

Do the words lead the music, like with The Doors, or, like Oasis, does the music carry it all? And why the name Gift?

Jovan: Jovan, Ivan, Yohannan, in Hebrew means a “gift of God”. In German it is “poison”, but that was not the intention (laugh). “Da li si srećna?” is quite touching and the lyrics are very important. It is all about Weltschmerz, it is all triggered by emotion, and sometimes music comes first, while sometimes lyrics come first.

Dejan: It is all about emotion.

Whether it will be expressed as music, or lyrics or a move or a facial expression, is secondary.

Olivera Budošan, keyboardist: — We are marrying together the things that have been wed in the West for ages, but this is new in Serbia. And if we get dislikes that could also be a good thing, but it all depends on the marketing – you have to invest a lot in that, and in Serbia that’s quite hard. The words and music and looks are inextricable. We make a Gesamtkunstwerk, really.

CONFERENCE THE FIRST #CHECKIN2016 CONFERENCE IN NOVI SAD 28th October

The first regional conference on trends in the hotel industry "Check In 2016" was held in the crowded hall of Master center at Novi Sad Fair. The conference brought together leaders in the hotel industry and tour operators from around the region who spoke about the problems in this industry, trends, digitization, security challenges and other current topics. The conference was opened - in front of the CCS, Dragan Šabić, on behalf of organisers, the President of Color Press Group, Robert Čoban. The first panel brought together H.E. Dr Fisher Alona Kamm, Ambassador of Israel, H.E. Gordan Markotić, Croatian ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Narinder Chauhan Ambassador of India. They spoke of tourism in their countries, which strategies are applied, and what is missing in Serbia.

Ambassador of India presented a rich India tourist offer and promotional campaign "Incredible India".

The following panels involved the general managers of the leading hotels in the region, "The World Is Not Enough: To be or not to be part of the international chain" and "Truths and Misconceptions in the hotel mathematics: Does increased number means higher ADR". They spoke about the competition and plans for the future. There was talk about education during the panel "From whom did we learn: Education in the hotel industry." Hoteliers and touroperaters discussed during the last two panels "Between growth and instability: What are the common problems of hoteliers in the region?" and "From the perspective of tour operators What we need from hoteliers and why we do (not) get it?"

"Bean and Leaf" and "Balkan Food Logistic" supported the conference.

H.E. Gordan Markotić Croatian Ambassador, H.E. Dr. Alona Fisher-Kamm ,Israeli Ambassador and H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India,

Dragan Marčeta, Magelan, Ivana Đurić, Big Blue, Slobodan Mićić, Kon Tiki, Saša Zarić, Ponte and Mihailo Vukić, Allegra Montenegro

Aleksandar Vasiljević, Falkensteiner Hotel, Živorad Vasić, Crowne Plaza, Nikola Avram, MK Mountain Resort, Danijel Koletić, Admir Hasanbegović, Courtyard

by Marriott, Dejan Đorđević, Hospitality Business of ESTA Holding Ukraine and Nikola Senaši, Hotel Brain

Katarina Cicvarić, Hotel Palisad Zlatibor, Harun Gogić, Hotel Sarajevo, Nebojša Daraboš, Ivan Vitorović, Mona Hotel

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VOJVODI NA M INORITIES

Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Seutour (Soltur) Elementary school with the school bell

St Hubert Catholic Church, built in 1791, destroyed by Partisans in 1948

UNUSUAL (AND FORGOTTEN) INHABITANTS OF VOJVODINA

The Frenchmen, the Spaniards, the Italians? Yes, native to Serbia. Long ago

There are just a couple of regions in Europe that can be compared to overseas colonies, such as the countries of the Americas or Australia. These include southern Ukraine and Russia’s Odessa region, but also the Southern Pannonia region, centred around the Serbian province of Vojvodina. Dozens of nations have

THERE ARE MANY WELL KNOW MINORITIES IN VOJVODINA, BUT THERE ARE SOME WESTERN EUROPEAN NATIONS THAT WERE PRESENT HERE, WELL DOCUMENTED, BUT EVENTUALLY, LOST AND ASSIMILATED settled in Vojvodina, but only a few have survived in larger numbers. This is the story of those whose languages are no longer official and cannot be heard on the streets.

This is not a story about Germans, Romanians and Hungarians, but rather about much more unexpected Vojvodinians whose

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roots can be ascertained only by their surnames, like Francuski... or something much less obvious.

FRENCHMEN

The three most interesting Vojvodina minorities are definitely the French, Italians and Spanish. The first of them settled in northern Banat, near Kikinda, in 1770. They came by ship from Lotharingie, which was then under Habsburg rule, and included 85 families. According to the decree of Empress Maria Theresa, who was a passionate Catholic, this part of Banat was exclusively designated for Catholics, and since the Germans were more “reliable” than the French, their neighbourhood was immediately settled by Germans. The French settlements were called Charleville (Charloville or, literally, “Charles Town”, the same place in Lotharingie where they came from still exists!) and Seultour (Soltur, literally “Solitary Tower”), while the village in the neighbourhood that “watched over” the French was the village of Saint-Hubert, where French people also lived.

The initiator of this settlement was a chamberlain named Maria Theresa Neu-

mann. Everyone received material to build a house, a cow, and seed to sow and, of course, the land in which to sow it: 34 acres.

They were exempt from paying taxes for between six and ten years. They had so many vineyards and so much wine that everyone could drink for days. The French also settled in the villages of Trübswetter, Ostern, Hatzfeld, Mala Ječa (Klein Jetscha) Albertsflur, Marienfeld, Heufeld, and some other smaller settlements. But the French were not given the same rights as others: the policy of Germanisation and non-use of French in schools and churches made it possible for the French to be Germanised in just a few decades. Only a few words and surnames remained of these colonists, while a typical surname is, say, Lerik (from the French L’Éric). Those who believed that they were Germans and who failed to prove their French origins were expelled after World War II in revanchist rage, while those who somehow managed to show that they belong to an “allied nation” shocked the partisan commissioners and remained in their homes.

Interestingly, the French were also the founders of Bečej (after a certain immigrant named Beče or Beše (in the books listed as

“Beche”) and Bečkerek (Bečej forest). Some families settled with an order of French Cistercian monks, who founded monasteries like the one in Petrovaradin. The settlement of Arač was originally named after the French, Franjevo. Karlo Gedl from Kikinda says that his ancestors were originally French with a Germanised surname: Grifatong.

ITALIANS

In old Hungary the Italian villages were Manđelos in Srem (Nagyolasz) and Olaszi on Begej, but the Italians soon merged with the Hungarians, even in northern Hungary, where many of them were resettled to carry out the production of wine. As colonists, they were part of the plan of an Austrian noble with a magnificent name, Claudius Florimund Mercy: this bold nobleman intended to “enrich” newly liberated areas rapidly with different nations than those who had lived there, in order to encourage industries that hitherto did not exist. The village of Mercydorf was founded in the Romanian Banat in 1728 - this village was already fully Germanised by 1763. All the other Italians were either Germanised and left with slightly unusual German surnames, or die from Banat malaria, which was rampant in Banat prior to the construction of the Begej Canal. Due to the horrifying annual floods and mosquito blight, resettlement to Banat was see in Austria at that time as a kind of exile to Siberia.

SPANIARDS

Under the auspices of the comprehensive colonisation measures that were implemented in the liberated territories and abandoned areas of Southern Hungary (Banat), the Viennese court, under the guidance of the aforementioned Mercy, in the first half of the 18th century a number of Spaniards were also resettled in this area. Unable to adjust to the new environment, they quickly succumbed to the aforementioned malaria or moved to other “healthier” parts of the Habsburg monarchy, merging over time with the Germans or Hungarians. The Spaniards found themselves in Banat because of the War of Spanish Succession, from 1701 to 1714, which led to a certain number of Spaniards, especially from Vizcaya and Catalonia (it can be said that these were in fact Basques and Catalans) first moved to Sicily and Naples, then to Vienna and Budapest.

The disobedient ones were sent to Banat, which wasn’t exactly a great place to live in that (swampland) era. With Banat having been so neglected after 166 years of Turkish rule, the Spaniards found it very tough to adapt to the very poor conditions in Banat: instead of cultivating wine, fruit and vegetable crops, and transform the mud of Banat into an orchard, it turned out that they were very “restless and lazy and drank a lot” and could not handle the climate. Nevertheless, they managed to plant the first mulberries and start producing silk, and many still proved to be excellent fruit growers. Italian geographer Francesco Griselini wrote about them, “and he allowed [Mercy] Spaniards

from Vizcaya [to settle] in Bečkerek, which they called New Barcelona; they lost this name, however, since those newcomers almost all died due to the air from the surrounding swamps that was filled with noxious fumes, and which they were less able to tolerate than the natives of Raca [Serbs]”).

Some historians also mention the Portuguese, who came from the Pyrenees together with the Spaniards, but they mention their names in the German form, making them indistinguishable. As a prelude to this, the first attempt was made in 1735, when 74 Spanish families migrated to Pančevo, under the leadership of a priest, Jose Munoz, from Madrid. Their surnames were Toledo, Serano, Estri, Via, Perez, Oliva, Granada, Rodunda, Muhika, Masarias and Rodriguez. Another contingent of Spaniards was relocated to Pančevo from Banat and Vienna in 1736.

That same year, the following Spanish families came to Vršac: Bidal, Carreras, Campemar, Figueres, Landolfi, Lombarto, Marimon, Martin, Martina, Mendoza, Vilja-Omet, Sanchez, Serra and Torente. Unfortunately, many of these later perished in the plague epidemic that swept through Pančevo (1737).

Historian Mileker writes in the book “The History of the city of Great Bečkerek 13331918”: “... Later the Timisoara provincial government had other plans for Bečkerek.

Given that construction of a special centre was planned for the Spaniards who settled in Banat at the end of 1735 and 1736, a certain place was set aside for that purpose, in order for all Spaniards to be grouped together. A senior civil servant called Hagen decided

in agreement that the newcomers place was across Begej, and he entrusted the development of the plan to the ingenious captain Kajzer and that plan was adopted in February 1737. The colony was to be called New Barcelona. Construction materials were provided, workers were engaged and houses were built; but by September 1737 the majority of these Spaniards had already moved to Buda, because Banat’s swamp air was unbearable, and so the plan to build this city remained unrealised. In 1737 the imperial commissioner brought 30 German families to Bečkerek on Belgrade rafts. They settled in the houses intended for the Spaniards...”

It was unfortunate that it was precisely during 1737 that the Austro-Turkish war broke out and was followed by the plague.

All these circumstances “piled up” to ensure that the Spaniards faired very badly. It is very interesting that there are still maps that include reference to the city next to Bečkerek, which is called “Neue Barcelona” (today it is part of Zrenjanin). The remaining Spaniards,

THERE ARE STILL MAPS THAT INCLUDE REFERENCE TO THE CITY NEXT TO BEČKEREK, WHICH IS CALLED “NEUE BARCELONA” over time, were mostly integrated with the local Germans, and shared their fate after World War II. Legend has it that the Banat town of Perlez was named after the Pérez family, descendants of Spanish colonists, but it is more likely to have been named after the Spanish Count Perlas. The Spaniards used the material from the demolished Bečkerak fortress to construct a grain store which became the first theatre in Serbia, while some suggest that the excellent acoustics were created precisely because of the material removed from the fortress. Some elements of Banat architecture are also attributed to the influence of Spanish architecture. Spaniards remained the most closely guarded secret of Serbia, but they are still among us. Dušan Juvanin from Zrenjanin did not know that he had Spanish heritage until he encountered Catalan officials. It was only when he offered his business card to the visitors from Spain that he learned that the surname Juvanin is as commonplace in the Barcelona telephone directory as the names Petrović and Đorđević in Serbia. Jelena Borljin left the former New Barcelona to study in Barcelona and now lives in Seville and studies “relations between her two peoples”.

They are no more, but they are here and don’t know who they are, due to discouragement, politics, nationalism, neglect, disease, crime and human cruelty. Nevertheless, they are part of Serbia and its history, our genes and traditions. It is therefore very important that we remember them, even if their languages are not today listed on official signs in our cities. Due to this mixture of cultures woven into our history and genetics, we are only stronger.

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ALEKSIĆ 3000 WINERY

WOMEN’S HANDIWORK From a small, family-run business, the Aleksić Winery has grown into a serious women’s operative where three sisters, through their elevenlabel-range, showcase their own interpretation of the style of wine that is recognized for its refined sensibility by wine aficionados. To top it all off, the sisters have founded the first ever Wine Bank in Serbia

Up until recently, the wine-making profession was usually considered a man’s world; a business that sons inherit from their fathers. However, three determined women and wine connoisseurs have decided to change all of that.

Three sisters – Dragana, Maja and Marija – are the first generation of wine makers in their family who have decided to go commercial. Their passion towards vine and wine making has arrived to Vranje via female lineage. Economist Dragana and technologist Maja ‘packed’ their experience, education and passion for vine and wine making into three wine ranges with each of them telling their own unique story.

The Aleksić Winery was founded in 2006. It evolved from a small family winery from two decades ago which produced only several hundred litres of wine to a winery that produces over a hundred thousand of liters of wine. The grape processing facility, the wine production and aging facility, and a contemporary wine tasting area are spread across three levels and 1,000 square metres. The winery’s capacity is 600,000 litres, and its annual production currently stands at 100,000 litres. The winery is located at the very entrance to the town of Vranje from the direction of the Belgrade-Skopje motorway and is a must-see-location for any wine lover.

The wine making sisters are showcasing their own interpretation of the style of wine that is

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IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR OWN WINE BUT YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO PRODUCE IT YOURSELF, YOU CAN CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED LABEL AT THE ALEKSIĆ WINERY WHICH HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY APPEALING TO WINE LOVERS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS

Diplomacy&Commerce

recognized for its refined sensibility by wine aficionados through their eleven-label-range. Their personal stamp is easily recognized in every single label and even they like to say that the wines they produce are “women’s handiwork” which definitely does not imply overly soft, feminine wines but rather the ones with a very refined sensibility. Apart from Maja and Dragana, who run the business, the chief technologist here is also a woman – Jelena. There is no margin for error in the Aleksić Winery. Their wines are clear, well-defined, with a strong character - from fresh, airy wines with crisp acids like almost forgotten Smederevka and Tamjanika, the full-bodied Sauvignon and two semi-dry Chardonnays to the powerful Cabernet and Vranac that are lying dormant in the wine cellar waiting for the right moment to shine in the glasses of wine lovers.

The semi-dry rosé called Barbara, which became the favourite of many wine connoisseurs as soon as it was launched, adds a splash of colour to the range.

To complement the modern lifestyle and a growing interest in the winery, the sisters founded the first and only Wine Bank in Serbia. Here you can buy and store wines until they reach their full maturity and are ready to be enjoyed, or until the occasion you have been saving them for finally arrives. If you want to have your own wine but you are not able to produce it yourself, you can create your own personalized label at the winery which has become increasingly appealing to wine lovers in the last few years.

GOLF GENTLEMEN CONCEPT BAR & RE S TA UR A N T

HIGH LEVEL HEDONISM New place for fans of golf and good food!

The fans of golf, good food and good wine now have a new place to frequent and enjoy – the Golf Gentlemen Concept Bar & Restaurant which opened in Novi Sad, on 7th October.

The Golf Gentlemen Concept Bar & Restaurant is unique in a way that it is the first restaurant in the Balkans with golf simulators. You can take up golf classes under the watchful eye of professional instructors right here, in the restaurant.

It was the restaurant’s owner, Željko Milovac’s idea to have golf simulators considering that he himself loves golf and has won many top golf awards. Željko brought to Novi Sad his vast experience from abroad and he would love for his restaurant to become the place where new golf hopefuls will take their first swing.

The restaurant's interior follows in the global concept bar & restaurant trends, and it is a fusion of elegance and urban style, fit for enjoyment all day long. Regardless of your reason for coming

here – having a meal, enjoying the company of your friends, or having team building sessions and business meetings – the restaurant will cater to all of your needs because, apart from the golf simulators, there are also locker rooms and shower cubicles.

The restaurant is the perfect place for the lovers of the French, Italian and Serbian cuisine. You can order salads, meat dishes, beef steaks, fish, pasta, burgers and desserts, as well as one of the chef's specialties which he prepares from his own recipes. Over 50 top class wines served at the restaurant perfectly complement the delicious dishes prepared by our professional chefs. If you are a bit indecisive, we have a sommelier who will suggest the best wine to go with the food you have ordered. Another interesting novelty, especially for

the technology-loving guests, is an e-menu. Should you wish to order your food from an electronic menu, please ask a waiter to bring you a tablet on which you can choose your meal and get all the information you want.

The pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff are additional reasons to come and visit this unique restaurant in the Balkans.

The Golf Gentlemen Concept Bar & Restaurant is located at 9k, Branka Bajića Street in Novi Sad. It is open every single day from 7am to 11pm, and from 7am to 1am on the weekends.

You can book a table or get additional information by calling 021/301-9837 and 062/97-0000-7 or by clicking on the restaurant official website www.golfcaffe. rs or the Facebook page Golf Caffe Gentlemen.

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KOLARAC

CALENDAR & NEWS

Concert hall

Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra

PHILHARMANIA 1

Nov 3, 2016 20:00

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Eiji Oue Soloist: Stephen Kovacevich, piano Program: D. Adžić: Thallus, Belgrade Philharmonic commission W. A. Mozart: Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 24 L. van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

FOR BEGINNERS 1

November 2016 Tuesday, 1st at 20.00 Kolarac Hall

ORCHESTRA OF THE MUSIC TALENTS FROM ĆUPRIJA

Nov 4, 2016 20:00 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Eiji Oue Soloist: Stephen Kovacevich, piano Program: D. Adžić: Thallus, Belgrade Philharmonic commission W. A. Mozart: Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 24 L. van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Artistic Leader and Soloist: Roman Simović, violin Soloist: Milena Simović, Viola Programme: Bartók, Mozart, Beethoven 600, 800, 1.000 Wednesday, 2nd at 18.00 Music Gallery Bodin Starčević, piano Programme: Scarlatti, Bach, Clementi, Balakirev Production: Music Centre Admission free

Closing concert - Phlicademy

THE BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC’S ORCHESTRAL ACADEMY

Nov 15, 2016 19:00 Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

Conductor: Fabris Bolon Program: L. van Beethoven: Symphony No7 I. Stravinsky: The Firebird

Nov 20, 2016 19:30 Palace of Arts (MUPA)

Conductor: Fabrice Bollon Soloist: Kristóf Baráti, violin M. Tajcevic: Seven Balkan dances for orchestra N. Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 M. Ravel: Tzigane, rapsodie de concert for violin and orchestra I. Stravinsky: Firebird, suite (1919)

EXCLUSIVE CLUB CONCERT OF SLOBODAN TRKULJA & BALKANOPOLIS

Production: RTS Music Production

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Eiji Oue Soloist: Stephen Kovacevich, piano Program: D. Adžić, Mozart, Beethoven Production: Belgrade Philharmonic 2630 – 744 BFO Ticket Office Friday, 4th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Eiji Oue Soloist: Stephen Kovacevich, piano Program: D. Adžić, Mozart, Beethoven Production: Belgrade Philharmonic 2630 – 744 BFO Ticket Office Saturday, 5th at 12.00 Hall

BAROQUE AT NOON

Wednesday, 9th at 18.00 Music Gallery

MUSIC WORKSHOP

Dalida Grmuša, piano Ana Stefanović, piano (as guest) Production: Music Centre Admission free

FESTIVAL TAKE OVER

November 17th until 20th Sunday, 20th at 11.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC Piano quintet Philipp Scheucher, piano Ceren Sezer, viola Patrycia de la Fuente, cello Sofija Radić, violin Programme: Mahler,

Friday, 11th at 20.00 Concert Hall

DUO GUITARS ZORAN BRANKOVIĆ & RELJA TURUDIĆ

Schumann,Turina Production: Music Centre Admission free Monday, 21st at 18.00 Concert Hall

175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SERBIAN KOLARAC PODIUM OF ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS CHAMBER MUSIC Formal Concert Sunday, 13th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Il Belpaese Quartet Production: Music Centre Admission free Saturday, 12th at 20.00 Concert Hall Jovan Kolundžija, violin RTS Syphony Orchestra Conductor: Stanko Jovanović Production: Saint Saens, Sarasate, Bizet Sunday, 13th at 19.30 Concert Hall

FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE DIMITRIJE KOTUROVIĆ 400

Monday, 14th at 20.00 Concert Hall

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WORK OF CONDUCTOR PAVLE MEDAKOVIĆ

of the Choir and Chamber Music of The Academicians (SANU) RTS Mixed Choir, Conductor: Bojan Suđić Free tickets

Tuesday, 22nd at 20.00 Concert Hall

KOLARAC – YOUR MUSIC WORLD

Dinko Blagojević, piano Programme: Production: Music Centre Admission free

Book & CD Promotion Admission free

How to Listen to a Concert Choir of Children Cultural Centre Host: Miloš Milovanović Production: Music Centre 200 Saturday, 26th at 19.30 Concert Hall

FOLKLORE ENSEMBLE ST. GEORGE 300, 400, 500

Sunday, 27th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Sunday, 6th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BUNT FESTIVAL

SMALL SCHOOL OF BONTON

Formal Concert of Symphony Music of The Academicians (SANU) RTS Symhony Orchestra, Conductor: Bojan Suđić Free tickets

ENCOUNTER WITH AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN ARTIST ARTIST

Wednesday, 16th at 20.00 Concert Hall Cycle: Editor and Artist’s Visit Rita Kinka, piano Programme: Bach Busoni, Brahms, Chopin

Saturday, 26th at 11.00 Concert Hall

175TH ANNIVERSARY KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC OF THE SERBIAN String quartet Mokranjac ACADEMY OF Production: Music Centre SCIENCES AND ARTS Admission free

Wednesday, 23rd at 18.00 Music Gallery

Monday, 7th at 18.00 Music Gallery

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Sunday, 27th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Wednesday, 16th at 18.00 Music Gallery

CONCERT OF ETHNO MUSIC – GUSLE

Thursday, 24th at 20.00 Concert Hall

Monday, 21st at 20.00 Concert Hall

Chamber Orchestra of the Faculty of Art in Niš Conductor: Milena Injac Production: Music Centre Admission free

KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

ORCHESTRA

Conductor: Uroš Lajovic Soloist: Vienna Brahms Trio Program: Beethoven, Haydn Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra Production: Belgrade Philharmonic 2630 – 744 BFO Ticket Office

Conductor: Uroš Lajovic Soloist: Vienna Brahms Trio Program: Beethoven, Haydn Production: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra 2630-744 BFO Ticket office

Stanislav Binički Artist Ensemble Dejan Sinadinović, piano Programme: Weber, Wagner, Liszt

Sunday, 6th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Diplomacy&Commerce

Mirjana Marjanović, soprano Uroš Martinović, guitar Admission free

Production: Music Centre 300

Piano Duo Ferhan & Ferzan Önder Programme: Rachmaninoff, Koria, F. Say, Piazzolla Production: Music Centre 1.500, 1.800, 2.000

Tuesday, 8th at 18.00

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BUNT FESTIVAL

RTS FOLK ORCHESTRA

Belgrade Baroque Ensemble Production: Music Centre 300

2017. So far, there performed such names as The Brand New Heavies, James Jose and Cristina Branco and we can expect the performances of Hindi Zahra, Gregory Porter and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Music Gallery

Wednesday, 2nd at 20.00 Concert Hall

Thursday, 3rd at 20.00 Concert Hall

GUEST APPEARANCE IN BUDAPEST

As part of the concert series Musicology Barcaffé Sessions, Slobodan Trkulja & Balkanopolis will be presented to the audience as the only local artists. They will be an exclusive club show in an intimate, close and warm atmosphere of the club Bitefartcafe on the 5th December at 21h.

Our world-renowned artist who fascinates the audience with their performing skills, and extremely powerful voice, is the founder and frontman of Balkanopolis.

Music of Balkanopolis composed by Slobodan Trkulja is based on jazz, pop music and traditional Balkan melodies and rhythms. The audience will be “helped”

by Barcaffé's coffee, since Bafcaffé is the general sponsor and partner of the festival. Musicology Barcaffe Sessions this year runs from October 2016 to April

CONCERT PROGRAMME

Aleksandar Arsić, trumpet Maja Rajčić, piano Programme: Hindemith, Jevtić, Kennan Production: Music Centre Admission free Thursday, 24th at 20.00 Concert Hall

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC

ZVONKO BOGDAN, VOCAL 900, 1.200, 1.500

Monday, 28th at 20.00 Concert Hall

MUSIC & FASHION Jacopo Sipari di Pescasseroli

Tuesday, 29th at 18.00 Music Gallery

PUBLIC SHOW RECORDING ART FANTASY

Editor: Marina Stefanović Tuesday, 29th at 20.00 Concert Hall

CONCERT OF GROUP ODJILA – GIPSY MUSIC 900, 1.000, 1.200

Wednesday, 30th at 20.00 Concert Hall

RTS BIG BAND – JAZZ Production: RTS Music Production