Diplomacy and Commerce No. 20

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October 2017 | ISSUE No. 20 | Price 350 RSD

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STRONG MESSAGE TO EUROPEAN ADMINISTRATION

ANA FIRTEL

Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Council

MEDIA CREATE EMULATED, PARALLEL REALITY

08 MACEDONIAN SEP

INDEPENDENCE DAY

page 26

WE HAVE GOOD REASONS TO BE PROUD Prof. DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ PhD Minister of Finance

IN A COUNTRY OF PLEASANT CHALLENGES

SLOBODAN GEORGIEV

Investigative and sports journalist (BIRN, Vreme)

AMAZING ALMAZIAN

H.E. JAN LUNDIN

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden

The

KHACHATUR ALMAZIAN

Violinist, producer, actor and cofounder of the Almazian Symphony

SECRET FORMULA OF COMMUNICATION

S P EC I A L SUPPLEMENT

ED ITO RI AL

CO N T E N T S

Welcome to 1991 Dear readers, They say fashion is cyclical and the things usually become fashionable again some 20+ years later. Well, they are quite right – at least when it comes to nationalism and patriotism, referenda and independence. I remember the bipolar feeling when we saw so many flags on the streets at the beginning of the ’90s. Every nation had its own flag, its own independence agenda and perhaps a bit of territorial overlapping.

The “Carnival of Independences” was a kind of travelling circus... one usually accompanied by wars and blood. Now I have woken up in a world where there are many different flags in the Ukraine, in Syria and Libya, while the forest of flags of Catalonia and Kurdistan followed just last week, and some unofficial or formerly official German flags have again become quite popular with the rise of AfD. Some former nations in Africa want to be nations again, so I have seen the hoisting of the white-blue flag of “Ambazonia” (ex-British Cameroon) and the deeply African flag of Biafra. Whenever one deep division (Communism-Capitalism) is over, some other appears, like nationalism and independentism in 1991. Now, with the so-called Islamic States shrinking and religious differences being somewhat marginalised, new quarrels seem to be rising over the Shia-Sunni rift, Kurdish-Arabic or Catalan-Castilian, Veneto-Italian... We can never be left in peace, right?

Flags are nice - we love them; langugages are beautiful – we should all be proud of ours. But not to the point of spilling each other's blood to show that pride. And wisdom is what we all need now – otherwise the Dark Ages of the ’90s will only return. Grow up! Or welcome back to 1991! One of the two.

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One plodding, one striding, the French and German leaders will have to deal with each other

ANA FIRTEL

HOW MACRON AND MERKEL WILL SHAPE THE EUROPEAN UNION

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WE HAVE GOOD REASONS TO BE PROUD Prof. DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ PhD Minister of Finance

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REINVIGORATED COOPERATION

Recep Tayyip does not forget or forgive easily

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ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

REFERENDUM HORRORS

Editor-in-Chief

Catalonia, Kurdistan, Biafra

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IN A COUNTRY OF PLEASANT CHALLENGES www.diplomacyandcommerce.hr ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Editor in Chief

zikica.milosevic@color.rs

TANJA BANKOVIĆ

Editorial manager

tanja.bankovic@color.rs

VANJA KOVAČEV

PR&Event support Nord Communications vanja.communications @gmail.com

NATAŠA NEŠIĆ

ILIJA PETROVIĆ INDIGOCHILD

Advertising manager

ilija.petrovic@color.rs

DRAGANA RADOVIĆ

Art director

JOVANA MARKOVIĆ Advertising manager

jovana.markovic@color.rs

natasa.nesic@color.rs

Advertising manager dragana.radovic@color.rs

RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ Magazine director

ruza.ristanovic@color.rs

ROBERT ČOBAN Director

robert.coban@color.rs

Photos

GORAN ZLATKOVIĆ GETTY IMAGES Translation and lecturer

H.E. JAN LUNDIN

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden

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AFTER A BITE OF APPLE, MARGRETHE VESTAGER TARGETS ANOTHER TECH GIANT Luxembourg’s “comfort letter” to Amazon

STRONG MESSAGE TO EUROPEAN ADMINISTRATION Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Council

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MEDIA CREATE EMULATED, PARALLEL REALITY SLOBODAN GEORGIEV

Investigative and sports journalist (BIRN, Vreme)

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AMAZING ALMAZIAN KHACHATUR ALMAZIAN

Violinist, producer, actor and cofounder of the Almazian Symphony

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ELISA TOMELLINI CLOSES THE FIRST FRANZ LISZT FESTIVAL Music of Chopin and Liszt at Ečka Fortress

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GORENJE GASTRO PLANET Food and culture from around the world

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THE WINE CIRCLE OF THE ZVONKO BOGDAN WINERY Dine & Wine

MRP EDITORIAL Translation

SNEŽANA BJELOTOMIĆ

”Color Media Communications” LTD, 21132 Petrovaradin, Štrosmajerova 3 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.

ISSN 2466-3808 = Diplomacy & Commerce COBISS.SR-ID 303269895

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CH A RL E M A G N E

How Macron and Merkel Will Shape the European Union One plodding, one striding, the French and German leaders will have to deal with each other

What a study in contrasts. To the strains of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, the anthem of the European Union, Emmanuel Macron strides manfully across the courtyard of the Louvre to deliver his victory speech. France’s new president vows to defend the EU, “the common destiny the peoples of our continent have given ourselves”.

A few months later, after a bruising election result, Angela Merkel gives a plodding press conference in a functional room in Berlin, tentatively extending a hand to the parties her wounded Christian Democrats must woo into coalition. As for Europe, do not get your hopes up. “Today,” she says, “isn’t the day to say what will work and what won’t.”

The future of the EU lies somewhere in the gap between a bold young president whose ambitions extend far beyond France’s borders, and a cautious chancellor approaching her political end, running a country not yet ready to accept the mantle of leadership many would like to thrust upon it. Mr Macron campaigned on a promise to shake up France and to do his best to repeat the trick in the EU. But during Germany’s pedestrian election campaign Mrs Merkel neither sought nor obtained a mandate for a European overhaul. Many of her voters see no reason for it.

This week Mr Macron’s vision for Europe found its fullest expression yet, with a sweeping 100-minute address at the Sorbonne that took in everything from defence co-operation to agricultural subsidies—the third rail of French politics—and culminated in a plan for a fiveyear “transformation” of the EU between 2019 and 2024, the year in which, not coincidentally, Paris will host the Olympic Games. His riposte to those who found all this a little hasty was delivered in full Macronese: “Procrastination”, the president proclaimed, “is the cousin of languor.” It was stirring stuff, if a little dirigiste for many: Mr Macron’s calls for corporate-tax harmonisation, or for a single market based on “convergence rather than competition”, will jangle nerves in liberal-minded corners of Europe.

Still, Mr Macron’s proposals may now form the starting-point for discussion among the EU’s leaders, who were preparing to meet in Estonia as The Economist went to press. “Mr Macron”, says one EU official, “has stolen the show.”

It is impossible to imagine Mrs Merkel making this speech. The chancellor has dominated the EU not by pursuing anything so marvellous

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current EU budget is just 1.2%). Advancing these claims just as Germany’s parties were beginning to jostle for position in coalition talks would have backfired spectacularly; immediately after the election Christian Lindner, the FDP’s leader, ruled out signing up to a big euro-zone budget.

No doubt Mr Macron remains convinced that the currency area needs the overhaul he promised during his presidential campaign. But even Jupiter knows when to stay his hand.

THIS ONE WEIRD TRICK COULD FIX THE EURO ZONE

AS FOR EUROPE, DO NOT GET YOUR HOPES UP as a vision, but by placing herself, and the clout of the large country she runs, at the heart of each of the crises the EU has battled, while other leaders, including successive French presidents, have retired hurt. Do not expect this to change.

The notion that Germany’s election result makes Mr Macron’s life much harder is an overstatement—but that is because there was no conceivable coalition that would have bowed before his demands. Still, his room for operation is even less than it was. Having successfully carved out a mildly Eurosceptic niche, the pro-market Free Democrats (FDP), one of Mrs Merkel’s expected partners, will exact a price on EU policy during the coalition talks.

That does not mean Mr Macron is doomed to achieve nothing at all. He urged renewal of the Élysée Treaty, the compact that has governed Franco-German relations for over half a century, and had lots to say on migration and security, preoccupations in Berlin that might form the basis for an early Franco-German deal (though a stitch-up risks alienating other members).

Some details will rankle, but Mr Macron’s overarching vision, of a Europe that defangs populists by protecting its citizens from the rougher edges of globalisation, is not unpopular in Germany, and will face weaker opposition inside the EU once Britain leaves.

Sensibly, Mr Macron chose not to press his argument that the euro zone needs rebuilding from the ground up, including a vast budget that he has previously suggested should be worth several percentage points of euro-zone GDP (the

Mr Macron will still hope to obtain a foothold for prototypes of his lesser ideas: a small budget for investments; a (rather titular) “finance minister” for the euro zone; a tweak to its bailout fund. The European Commission, which has plans of its own, will test the waters with proposals in December; the euro-zone’s 19 leaders will chew them over at a summit soon afterwards.

But the real action may lie elsewhere. Five years ago the euro zone agreed to establish a banking union. The results were impressive, but governments have failed to agree on all the scheme’s elements, including a European fiscal backstop to rescue troubled banks and a common insurance scheme for deposits. Breaking this logjam, rather than any institutional jiggery-pokery, will be the first, and best, test of whether France and Germany can overcome their differences to put the single currency on a more stable footing. Along with plans to deepen Europe’s capital markets, spreading financial risk and breaking the “doom-loop” between governments and banks overburdened with sovereign debt may do much more for the euro’s resilience than a modest budget or a toothless finance minister.

Mr Macron did not mention the banking union this week: he was seeking to inspire his listeners, not put them to sleep. But he knows well that it will take more than fine words to overcome German suspicions that the French (and other budget-busters) simply want their fiscal recklessness subsidised by the more frugal. The scene is set: after a long winter of crisis, the political and economic winds for Europe are now fair. Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel will not get a better chance.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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I NTERVIEW

We Have Good Reasons to be Proud

I am very proud of the fiscal and the overall macroeconomic results achieved during the past three years of reforms, especially when viewed against the starting position Prof. DUŠAN VUJOVIĆ PhD Minister of Finance

After some slowdown this year, Serbia has good chances to return to more robust growth path. It is critical to complete structural reforms in public administration, the financial sector and state owned companies to secure these favourable results in the long run.

What made you proud the most during your mandate so far?

— I am very proud of the fiscal and the overall macroeconomic results achieved during the past three years of reforms, especially when viewed against the starting position.

When I took office in mid-2014

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the economy was in a freefall. Fiscal deficit was expected to reach staggering 8.8 percent of GDP, economic growth was negative (at -3.7 percent in the third quarter), current account deficit was in double digits, and the share of debt to GDP was increasing at the fastest rate in the recent history. Last IMF pro-

By contrast, at the end of 2016 fiscal deficit was only 1.3 percent and we are now running a fiscal surplus of more than 1.5 percent of GDP for the first nine months of 2017. GDP growth reached 2.8 percent in 2016 and is now estimated at 2.3 percent for this year. Debt to GDP peaked at 74 percent last year

THE LEVEL AND EFFICIENCY OF BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT NEEDS TO INCREASE FURTHER TO ENABLE HIGHER SUSTAINED GDP DYNAMICS gram went off track in late 2011 and the international financial markets have lost confidence in Serbia: interest rate spreads exceeded 500 basis points and fiscal liquidity was declining at an alarming rate.

Bloomberg calculated that we had 78 days to bankruptcy.

and is now down to less than 64 percent. Interest rate spreads have been reduced four times to 130 basis points. These are impressive achievements that substantially and consistently exceeded expectations of IFIs, economic analysts, and rating agencies.

I am equally proud of the two less visible aspects of the program.

Firstly, the political window of opportunity for the long needed fiscal consolidation and reforms that was created by then Prime Minister Vucic based on the election results of March 2014. Secondly, our ability to design and implement a balanced program that combined macroeconomic fiscal and monetary stability, financial (banking) sector reforms, and structural reforms in the real economy for medium-term sustainable growth, with politically and socially acceptable costs.

What role IMF had in these achievements?

— Absolutely critical. IMF support was essential not only in forging commitment to a specific set of detailed macro-stability and structural objectives, but also in specifying and observing (structur-

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al) benchmarks, and constraints (especially expenditure ceilings).

Over more than three years we have developed a very good professional and personal collaboration which helped us update the program in line with the actual results (performance), and properly reflect political and social preferences while fully observing the rules and commitments.

Sometimes these rules imposed additional strain on the already complex three-year three-prong precautionary program, but we moved quickly up the learning curve to better reflect country specific circumstances and true ownership of reforms. A greater empirically based flexibility in the IMF peer-review system would have been helpful in fine-tuning the program in the second and third year. This program also assumed substantive collaboration between the IMF and the World Bank on structural reforms supported by a range of Bank advisory services and lending instruments.

Are the abovementioned results sustainable?

— I am reasonably confident but must admit that sustainability issues often loom large in most transition economies. Serbia is no exception given its late start of reforms, and (both perceived and real) weak ownership of reforms.

It is therefore critical to complete structural reforms in public administration, the financial sector and state owned (mostly utility) companies.

continuous productivity increases are secured through programs to enhance human capital through innovation and better education.

What are the structural obstacles which are hampering robust growth and the FDI flows? Is the government ready to address them?

— In recent years foreign direct investment consistently exceeded the value of the current account deficit. The level and efficiency of

(especially related to protection of ownership and creditor rights, and in contract enforcement), resolve NPLs and advance financial sector reforms that would enable improved access to finance. We are also improving public sector capacity to plan and efficiently implement investment projects aligned with strategic development objectives and focused on crowding-in private investment.

Our efforts to improve all dimensions of investment climate will

IF WE CONTINUE TO OPEN NEW CHAPTERS IN LINE WITH OUR READINESS, AND THE POLITICAL SIGNALS FROM THE EU AND AT HOME REMAIN STABLE AND SUPPORTIVE, ALL CHAPTERS CAN BE CLOSED IN 4-5 YEARS both public and private investment needs to increase further to enable higher sustained GDP dynamics and convergence in incomes and standards of living with the EU and regional comparator countries. More money for investment will not be enough if we do not continue to remove barriers to economic growth.

We are already pursuing multiple initiatives to complete institutional reforms in the critical areas of public and private sector governance, strengthen the rule of law

continue, often going beyond the “doing business” indicators where we made significant improvements since the start of reforms. Our objective is to have a transparent and predictable tax system (including para-fiscal charges) based on compliance implemented by a thoroughly modernized tax administration.

Some experts point out that the progress related to restructuring of Serbia’s state-owned enterprises was too slow. What

WE ARE THINKING TO RE-ENTER THE EUROBOND

Is the slowdown of the economy something to be worried about or not?

— As mentioned, growth rate for this year has been revised down to 2.3 percent from the original 3.0 percent forecast. We agreed with the IMF team that this slowdown is due to a fall in electricity output, slower construction sector and severe drought conditions in agriculture, with no other signs of recession or structural growth problems.

Furthermore, all adverse factors are of cyclical nature and will likely be compensated with higher sectoral growth rates in 2018. Assuming no new shocks, this will result in stronger GDP growth of 3.5-4.0 percent next year. In the longer run, Serbian economy will be well positioned to achieve structural growth rates of above 4 percent provided the present investment effort in infrastructure yields the expected boost in competitiveness and

remains to be done?

— We made significant progress in resolving problem SOEs placed in the portfolio of the Privatization Agency. A handful of large companies (mostly in metals, basic chemicals, and pharmaceuticals) are now approaching final stages of privatization or restructuring. Most of them will likely find strategic buyers and restore competitiveness in the domestic and export markets through management and production restructuring. If needed, we have adequate budget resources to cover severance payments and retraining programs.

Does the idea of a Western Balkans Common Market make sense to you? Would it be good for Serbia and the region?

— Countries of the Western Balkans (essentially former Yugoslavia plus Albania) already trade a lot.

Next to trade with the EU, Western Balkans are our largest trading partner. Deepening this to a common market concept makes a lot of economic sense. This will expand trade flows to free movement of capital and people, foster technological and managerial synergies and enhance the competitiveness of the region in external markets. At the same time it will lower or eliminate protection barriers and, thus, better prepare Western Balkan countries for the eventual EU accession.

Political economy issues may stand in the way if not addressed properly. That’s why politicians must lead and spearhead this process, and representatives of strong interest groups that expect to lose from the common market must give their prior consent.

How do you see the pace of the accession process?

Why Serbia has abandoned the eurobond markets lately? Are you planning comeback?

— Serbia has been absent from the Eurobond market for three-four years now. Initially, because Eurobonds were too expensive. Hence, we resorted to cheaper sources such as budget support loans from UAE. More recently we were absent because of reduced gross financing needs owed to good fiscal results. Last year our actual borrowing needs turned out to be almost 1.5 billion Euros lower than originally planned and we were able to raise sufficient financing in the domestic markets at lower rates.

Similarly, this year we recorded a fiscal surplus of more than 600 million euros at the end of September instead of a planned 500 million euros deficit.

This lowered our gross borrowing needs by more than a billion euros.

Nevertheless, our interest rate spreads have come down sufficiently since the start of the program to now justify refinancing of some bonds issued five or more years ago. So it would now make sense to issue a sovereign bond to lower the interest cost, as well as improve the maturity and currency structure of our debt. Depending on the market circumstances, the decision to re-enter the Eurobond may be reached before the end of this year or in early 2018.

— I see EU accession process as a test of our ability to get key institutions and policies right. Although every country should do (most of) these improvements for their own benefit, EU membership as the final step in this process is important as a credible signal, and a tangible target.

If we continue to open new chapters in line with our readiness, and the political signals from the EU and at home remain stable and supportive, all chapters can be closed in 4-5 years and the accession process can realistically be completed by 2022. This would be a straight engaging path to EU membership. In real life, burdened with politics and complex game-plans, it is not always obvious that honest and straight strategies prevail.

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PO LI TI C S Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Reinvigorated Cooperation There are many difficulties in today's world in terms of new realignments of power.

Russia is clearly positioning itself as a leader of the Eurasian Union, distancing itself from the EU, and Turkey is doing the same, creating its own sphere of influence. Serbia is trying to conduct multi-vector politics with equal partners: the EU, the USA, Russia, China, Turkey, India, everyone in fact, pretty much like the old Yugoslavia did.

Spheres of influence sometimes overlap, causing tension, but it’s usually easier to cooperate when you are all – simply outcasts.

OUTCASTS COMING CLOSER TOGETHER

When we say “outcasts”, we mean “outcast by the West”, or not deemed as adhering to Western standards. And have you noticed that Western standards of social life are slowly being rejected in our region? The most popular soap operas are now – the Turkish ones. This means that, after briefly identifying with other non-Western and non-Anglo-Saxon cultural models, the Balkan nations decided that Turkish society and our societies are the most similar, with traditional values.

This all eased the otherwise uneasy visit during which PM Vučić had to bolster the friendship with a country that fiercely promotes Kosovo’s independence. But all of this came before the Summer of 2016 and the failed coup d'état and Gülen. Turkey is now much more benevolent towards Serbia and Russia, while the harsh protest notes it sent to Sarajevo and Priština, urging them to remove Gülen’s men from prominent positions, have fallen on deaf ears, thus weakening ties with old friends in the region.

TRADE AND PEACE

Serbia, with its 20%-strong Muslim minority, is one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to the Muslim population, and is

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only surpassed in the Balkans by Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Albania. And, knowing how much attention Erdoğan pays to that, it is little wonder that he visited Novi Pazar for a second time. Moreover, considering that Turkey (along with Russia) has a standard of living at the level of 62% of the German standard, while Serbia’s is only at 45% (even Albania is at 46%), it is clear that the Turks are doing well and that their economy is vibrant.

It is no wonder that Erdoğan said during his visit that Serbia is a key country in the Balkans and that he expects trade between the two countries to rise to $1.2 billion annual, from last year’s total of $870 million. Vučić and Erdoğan signed a joint political declaration on the establishment of the High Council for Cooperation between Serbia and Turkey. This Council will meet once

Photo: Oliver Bunic/Blic

Recep Tayyip does not forget or forgive easily

RECEP DOES NOT FORGET EASILY – AND THAT IS OUR CHANCE

Another important factor is that during the “Coup Crisis” of 2016 Serbia (and Russia) firmly supported Erdoğan, and he does not forget easily.

So, the President of Serbia noted that

BY THE END OF THE YEAR OUR EXCHANGE COULD BE WORTH A BILLION DOLLARS, BUT THAT IS NOT ENOUGH; THE AIM IS TO RAISE THE EXCHANGE TO THREE OR FIVE BILLION DOLLARS IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE PERIOD a year, interchanging between Turkey and Serbia. Twelve agreements on economic and trade cooperation were also signed. Addressing members of the press, Vučić announced that a memorandum is to be signed with Turkish company Taip, which will invest in Kraljevo and employ 2,500 people locally.

Serbia was one of the first countries whose officials stood in defence of the constitutional and democratic order of Turkey on the same evening that the coup was attempted in the country – and act that, as he noted, is considered in some way the highest form of terrorism. Vučić recalled that the Serbian authorities stood beside

the legally and formally elected bodies of Turkey and President Erdoğan, not, he stressed because “we needed something, but because we consider that only citizens can decide on the future in elections, and not for someone else to do that, through violence or with the support of a foreign factor”. And since nobody can forget or forgive such treachery easily, it is likely that Erdoğan will try to establish reinvigorated connections with the “friends in need who are friends indeed”, and that is precisely where Serbia’s chance lies.

He brought many businessmen with him to Serbia, announcing ambitiously “I will give them support for investing in Serbia”.

As the Turkish president said, “by the end of the year our exchange could be worth a billion dollars, but that is not enough; the aim is to raise the exchange to three or five billion dollars in the shortest possible period”.

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE President Erdoğan underlined that Turkey has specifically been working in the infrastructure domain, with the construction of bridges, tunnels and high-speed railways, a metro… and that in 15 years it has managed to construct 19,000 kilometres of roads, leading to an increase in transport volumes. Turkey supports the Belgrade-Sarajevo and Niš-Durrёs highway projects and – regardless of what some nationalists might think of that – this support will certainly boost the towns and villages it connects, bringing more investments and industries along the highways. What you think about your neighbour is irrelevant – you still have to connect so that people can pass by or invest. And that is the goal. And we can rely on Turkey’s experience.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

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NATIONAL DAYS

ARRI VALS & D EPAR T UR E S DUŠKO KRSMANOVIĆ, Ph.D., LL.M.

Senior Business Development & External Affairs Manager, CMS

in October & November

Duško Krsmanović holds a doctorate degree in Economics of Regulation (University of Bologna) and a doctorate in Law and Economics from the Universities of Rotterdam and Hamburg.

He also holds a law degree from the University of Belgrade. In addition, he has been specializing Public Policy at the University of Georgetown in Washington D.C. Mr. Krsmanović has over 10 years of experience in general consulting with focus on regulatory impact assessment, corporate lobbying, government affairs and authorities representation, stakeholders engagement and management, international financial institutions engagement and economic diplomacy. He is the author of two books on lobbying

and the co-author of two other books, one on lobbying and one on advanced networking.

Prior to joining CMS he has worked for the World Bank, the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association of the US (Washington D.C.), Universities of Bologna, Hamburg and Rotterdam and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia and in Montenegro as a Senior Advisor for Economy and Trade. He successfully combines high-level academic qualifications and years of practical experience in lobbying with advanced communication skills in matters that require strategic corporate representation before local and international institutions.

OCTOBER

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HUNGARY

956 Revolution 1 memorial day

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UN day

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AUSTRIA

he Neutrality T Constitution of 1955

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CZECHIA

I ndependence from Austria-Hungary

OLIVER ŠAROV New Senior Economic Policy and Trade Adviser in the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, covering Serbia and Montenegro

His focus is on following economic policy developments in the framework of Serbia's and Montenegro's EU accession processes as well as working to strengthen and facilite bilateral trade relations.

Before joining the Netherlands Embassy, Oliver was engaged as Economic Adviser in the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain to Serbia, predominantly working on providing strategic policy and programme advise for the Embassy's economic governance support to the Serbian Government through the UK's Good Governance Fund.

Mr Šarov grew up in the Neth-

MILOŠ DJURKOVIĆ New General Manager of SAS Company for the Adriatic region

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erlands and first became actively engaged in the process of Serbia’s EU integration process during a traineeship in the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, having previously been in Brussels during a traineeship in the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU. Oliver has had a life-long interest in diplomacy, geopolitics and European integration and subsequently has a degree in European & International Politics from Maastricht University. Mr Sarov is fluent in Dutch, English and Serbian and is competent in German.

Miloš Djurković assumed the management of Adriatic region at SAS on September 1st. Change in SAS Company’s organization structure is part of the strategy for growth acceleration in the region, and with Djurkovic at the head of local SAS office, they are getting an experienced leader with clear visions and plans for expansion of business, in both private and public sector, according to SAS’ statement.

Miloš Djurković has more than 23 years of experience in ICT industry, which he gained by working in companies in Serbia and neighboring countries, where he successfully

TURKEY

Republic Day

NOVEMBER

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ALGERIA

tart of the War of S Independence

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ANGOLA

Independence Day

managed the local branches of some of the biggest global IT companies. He was the General Manager of Hewlett Packard Serbia, General Manager of IBM Serbia, as well as the head of CISCO Systems representative office, responsible for the markets of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

He graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. From 2011 to 2014, he was the president of American Chamber of Commerce in Serbia. He is an active member of the Serbian Corporate Managers Association and Serbian Association of Managers.

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POLAND

Independence Day

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BELGIUM King's Day

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PALESTINE

Independence Day

TONY DOUGLAS Appointed Chief Executive Officer Of Etihad Aviation Group

The Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, confirmed the appointment of Tony Douglas as Group Chief Executive Officer, who will join the company in January 2018.

Mr. Douglas joins Etihad from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, where he has served as CEO of the Defence Equipment and Support department, responsible for procuring and supporting all the equipment and services for the British Armed Forces.

In the UK, he held senior positions with airport

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operator BAA, and as Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke. His roles under airport operator BAA included Managing Director of the Heathrow Terminal 5 project, Group Supply Chain Director, Group Technical Director, and CEO of Heathrow Airport.

Previously, Mr. Douglas held senior positions in the UAE, most notably as CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Company and as CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Company where he was responsible for the successful delivery of Khalifa Port.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

PREDRAG MILINČIĆ New regional market director of Mars Company

Mars, the world leader in chocolate, chewing gum and pet food, recently appointed Predrag Milinčić as Mars Market Director for the region that includes Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. In addition to the work experience he has been building in Food and Beverages industry for 15 years, Milinčić in Mars brings strong leadership, customer focus, passion for execution and drive for results. Predrag Milinčić is an experienced senior leader with a broad knowledge of Balkan and Baltic markets and he is holding MBA degree, from Sheffield University in General management. To Mars, Mr. Milinčić is coming from Coca-Cola, where he started his career in 2002.

Since than, he has been holding numerous sales positions

for Balkan East countries including Field Sales Manager, Sales Manager roles for Fragmented Trade including Commercial, Beer and Premium Spirits business, followed with HoReCa and Customer development sales role. In his last position, he spent a year in Latvia as Sales Director for the Baltic countries, and upon his return to Serbia he joined Mars. Over the past years, Predrag has successfully contributed to the development and implementation of a large number of strong market strategies. Through a constant focus on people's development and motivation, which has always been his priority, Mr. Milinčić builds strong and dedicated sales teams while maintaining and developing strong partnerships with customers.

VIKTOR GILLHOFER

SRĐAN ZLATIČANIN

New director of HEINEKEN Serbia instead of Daniilidis (as of 1st February 2018)

Viktor Gillhofer was appointed as the executive director of HEINEKEN Serbia and will take that position on February 1, 2018. Gillhofer will lead a team in Serbia with the aim of strengthening the company's leadership position in the market and further developing the winning portfolio of brands. Gillhofer has until recently been in the position of director for Off-Premise and a member of the management team of Brau Union Österreich AG, as well as the director of Brau Union Export.

In this position, it achieved significant revenue growth with a steady increase in market share, resulting in a significant increase in profits. Gillhofer will succeed Alexandros Daniilidis, who has been the CEO of HEINEKEN Serbia

New CEO of Frikom

since 2012, and will take over the post of CEO of Athens Brewery (HEINEKEN Greece) from 1 February 2018. During Daniilidis's engagement in Serbia, the company reached the position among the leaders in the beer industry and ranks among the fastest growing large companies in the consumer goods sector (FMCG) over the last 6 years in the Serbian market.

Srđan Zlatičanin began his career in Frikom 17 years ago, where, after leading position in several regional centers of Serbia, he spent the last eight years heading the company in Macedonia.

Zlatičanin pointed out that he was taking over a stable and powerful company in Serbia and that, as his most important

task, he seeked the continuity of Frikom growth and the strengthening of the leadership position. The former director of Frikom, Gojko Đošić, has been in charge of the company for a full decade during which, they achieved excellent results of this market leader in the field of ice cream and frozen food, which from year to year, under his leadership, has continuously recorded production growth and product distribution. He will continue their careers within the economic sector. Frikom, which is part of Croatian Agrokor, has 960 employees and 500 seasonal workers in Serbia.

ALEKSANDRA RADIĆ AND TOMISLAV STENA New members of Executive Board

Erste Bank has reinforced its Executive Board by adding two new members, where Aleksandra Radic took over the position of Chief Risk Officer and Chief Financial Officer (CRO/CFO), while Tomislav Stena took over the role of EB member in charge of Operations (COO).

Aleksandra Radić was the Head of Risk Management Division at Erste Bank Serbia from 2007 to 2011, before becoming a member of Sparkasse Bank Executive Board in Macedonia, where she was the Chief Risk Officer (CRO). Before assuming her current position in Serbia, and since 2015, she was a member of Executive Board of Erste Bank Montenegro, where she was in charge of managing risks and

finances (CRO/CFO).

Tomislav Stena joined Erste Bank Serbia after 12 years of working in different management positions in Erste Group Bank AG – of this, he spent the last five years as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Group Central Functions (GCF), and then in Erste Group IT International, where he was the General Manager. At his new position in Erste Bank Serbia, he is responsible for all issues relating to banking operations, IT and project management.

Erste Bank’s Executive Board now includes Slavko Caric (CEO), Jasna Terzic (Retail /HR/Marketing and Communications/Assets), Aleksandra Radić (CRO/ CFO) and Tomislav Stena

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PO LI TI C S Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Referendum Horrors And independence appeal

It is difficult to achieve the right balance between two conflicting urges: to be stable (socalled stabilocracy) and to be, as an exciting new possibility, independent. There is, in fact, just one way to do it right: negotiate with the central government, like Scotland in 2014, Montenegro in 2006, Quebec in 1995. All unilateral moves either fail completely, turn bloody or simply end up as frozen conflicts.

CATALONIA

The trouble with Catalonia is not that they have no right to be independent, nor that haven’t suffered injustice since the Union of Aragon and Castille, the Bourbon Revolution, Austriacists or the Franco dictatorship, but rather merely that Carles Puigdemont did not do what Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon did: negotiate the rules and do the job. Milo Đukanović did his job well. It usually boils down to the voting lists, the time span for YES or NO campaigns, the percentage of qualified voters (usually between 50 and 66.67%), which in the case of Montenegro was 55%.

You can say whatever you want

about Đukanović, but he had fierce opponents in Belgrade – first in the form of strongman Milošević, then the much tougher democrats with legitimacy, like Đinđić, Koštunica and Tadić. But he still succeeded.

One cannot say that Puigdemont had a tougher job with Rajoy than anyone had with “Sloba”. Simply, Puigdemont knew that the 50% threshold could not be reached peacefully, so he provoked incidents to heat up the situation, as in the Belfast Easter Rising of 1916.

The majority of Irish people were

tourism is its greatest potential and nobody likes a warzone, the new international brigades will not help, and so the best option is to renegotiate the Catalan position.

Well, maybe that was the crucial objective: to make a hot fuss and negotiate from a tougher position.

Rajoy also proved not to be a wuss, so get back to the table and talk.

And the Estelada Blava, the Flag of Catalan Separatism, reflects aspirations to unite five regions of Països Catalans: Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra and Perpignan, and that won’t work at all. Puigdemont wanted to be caliph instead of the caliph, with his own money and presidency. Here in this region, we know about that all too well.

KURDISTAN AND ONE STEP BEYOND

The same applies to Kurdistan.

We all like the heroic battle of the Kurds against the notorious Is-

AND THE REFENDUM IS JUST A TRUMP CARD, NOTHING MORE. NOW VENETO IS PREPARING SOMETHING. RESPECT, BUT FIRST NEGOTIATE. OR YOU WILL HAVE TO NEGOTIATE LATER then opposed to independence, but their opinion was changed by the cruel reaction of British troops.

Thank God the same didn’t happen in Barcelona, though it came close. Rajoy could have done things much better. In other words, Catalonia cannot be independent, as the EU said that was illegal, 50% is unattainable in a referendum,

lamic State, their female fighters, their respect for minorities, and the secularity of their society. But they simply cannot expect Baghdad to say “Oh, okay, no problem, pack your bags and leave, don't forget the oil! Good luck, guys!”

Even Denmark or Finland could say something louder than that.

It is, once again, not about the

RIGHT, but rather about the procedures. Just like the situations in the Crimea, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Republika Srpska, the Preševo Valley, Serbian Krajina, Transnistria (you name it) could not and cannot be resolved without talks with the respective central governments, and until that they will all remain frozen. When Montenegro seceded, nobody in Serbia claimed that it should stay with Serbia. You can only call for “another referendum, since the circumstances are different”. Like in Scotland, or Quebec, or with Brexit. But you can organise as many referenda as you want, if you are, say, Transnistria, and you vote OUT, but Moldova says ‘no, you cannot leave even if you de facto depart’, then you have to negotiate.

And a referendum is just a trump card, nothing more. Now Veneto is preparing something. Respect, but first negotiate, or you will only have to negotiate later.

AFRICA

And the worst problems, of course, are awaiting Africa. Europe’s borders are somewhat natural, but in Africa they are arbitrary and colonial. The Republic of Ambazonia (formerly British Cameroon) decided to overturn its unification with French Cameroon, and Biafra wants to resurrect its attempt to leave Nigeria after 50 years. This is all about oil, money and language, but it is also all highly flammable. Many will follow.

And the central governments will not just sit idly by and watch.

SUI GENERIS And now the funny ending. EU representatives have claimed that the situations in Catalonia and Kosovo are incomparable, since Kosovo is a “sui generis” case. Supposedly, the International Court of Justice confirmed that proclaiming independence is not contrary to international law.

But in reality it did not. As Tibor Varadi said, the ICJ concluded elegantly that making declarations is not illegal. So, my declaration that I am the President of Russia is not illegal, it is just a nice try, right?

And we know that Kosovo is not sui generis. And they know that too. In fact, everyone knows! Sui generis is a term that’s used when you want to do something that contradicts all regulations and you desperately need justification. For example, all students have to attend college classes, but not me, since I am “sui generis”. Nobody is allowed to drive drunk except me, as I am “sui generis”, so it does not apply to me, right? Well, sui generis is rubbish and you know it. Just a lame excuse.

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I NTERVIEW

In a Country of Pleasant Challenges If the beginning of the second century of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Serbia is seen as a challenge, than it is, undoubtedly, a pleasant one because it is based on excellent political relations and good economic news

H.E. JAN LUNDIN Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden

Throughout the history of the cooperation between the two countries, the Serbian diaspora in Sweden has been giving and continues to give a positive contribution to our bilateral relations. We are talking to H.E. Jan Lundin, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, about what the new century in the relations between the two countries brings, about many people in both countries who are contributing to building what are exceptionally good political relations, and about the opportunities for expansion of the economic cooperation following IKEA opening its department store here. Also, we are talking about Sweden’s support to Serbia’s EU accession process, the values that Swedish companies bring to the Serbian market in the context of good corporate principles, and about the ways in which Swedes are discovering this part of the world as a tourist destination.

After a whole century of successful diplomatic relations between

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Sweden and Serbia, which were marked this year, how challenging is to begin the new century of the bilateral relations?

— If we look at it as a challenge, than, I must say, it is a rather pleasant one. Our relations have never been better and IKEA coming here in August is a big step forward in terms of economic cooperation too. I believe that trading and investments of our two countries will grow a lot quite soon which is a good validation of the Serbian economic reforms.

Both Sweden and Serbia are great countries in the regional context which is also something that brings certain responsibility.

We share military neutrality, as the basis of political security, and are trying to be a constructive factor in resolving regional problems in our respective parts of Europe.

in cooperation in the segments that are important for our bilateral relations like, for instance, police, migration and trade / investments.

The Swedish Embassy in Belgrade is one of the biggest Swedish embassies in the world.

How does this help you, in your position of the Ambassador, in terms of nurturing joint relations considering the things that you have here unlike your colleagues in their respective embassies?

— Serbian market and its industrial base are relatively small which explains the limited economic relations despite the political relations being excellent. I can only say that I firmly believe that our economic exchange will grow substantially in the following years.

IKEA is only the beginning.

— I have a plethora of good people at my disposal with many of them

SERBIAN MARKET AND ITS INDUSTRIAL BASE ARE RELATIVELY SMALL WHICH EXPLAINS THE LIMITED ECONOMIC RELATIONS. STILL, I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT OUR ECONOMIC EXCHANGE WILL GROW SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS. IKEA IS ONLY THE BEGINNING What are the main qualities that your predecessors and their Serbian collaborators have instilled in these successful diplomatic relations?

— I think that it is actually the Serbs, who have been living and working in Sweden for decades now, who are our main “diplomats” because they are disseminating positive information in their homeland about our country, having contributed to its general prosperity through their work.

being sons-in-law (like yours truly), or children of Serbian immigrants to Sweden. Many of us speak both Swedish and Serbian. The size of the embassy is partially due to a programme of support to the Serbian economic reforms in the light of the country’s EU accession process, which annual budget is around 11 million EUR. We have seven or eight people working here on the EU accession projects.

Other people report about Serbian reforms, while some are engaged

Why are economic relations lagging behind the good political relations between the two countries? What contribution to this could IKEA possibly make?

What kind of quality in terms of attitude towards work, partners and employees do Swedish companies in Serbia bring with them?

— Usually, Swedish companies take good care of their employees and provide good working conditions. Salaries are relatively good, and, of course, employers require an adequate quality of work in return. The Swedish government is very supportive of active engagement of Swedish companies in the segment of corporate social responsibility. Initiatives like “The Global Deal” are focusing on fair working conditions in the entire world, especially in Swedish companies.

Although Serbia has a very strong diaspora in several European countries, it still fails to involve it in its economic endeavours in terms of the transfer of the know-how and skills of

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its citizens living abroad. How can we build this special link between the Serbian diaspora in Sweden and Serbia?

— I would respectfully disagree with your statement. I can see a lot of Serbs from Sweden being active in our economic relations because these people have decided to return to the bilateral Swedish-Serbian framework. Of course, we can always do more, and we are going to strive to do more. I also don’t think that the state needs to provide special incentives for this, apart from enabling contacts to be made.

In Serbia, we often view the EU in the context of its geopolitical influence, but, in actuality, we are being introduced to the EU values through programmes like waste water management, energy efficiency and others which you also have been supporting.

— In essence, the EU is an attempt to avoid new wars from erupting in Europe through promoting peaceful cooperation and transfer of sovereignty from national to European context. Additionally, removing borders and obstacles to movement of goods, capital and people inside the Union means that

EVERY YEAR, WE INVEST AROUND 11 MILLION EUR IN SUPPORT PROGRAMMES FOR SERBIAN ECONOMIC REFORMS AND SERBIA’S EU ACCESSION PROCESS economic welfare can increase in all corners of Europe. Additionally, support is being provided to economically lesser developed regions in Europe so that they can reach the European average. Such support has a stabilizing effect and is good for cohesion in Europe.

In that light, we should also view the support for Serbia in the areas that you have mentioned. This, of course, can be described as “geopolitical influence”, but it seems to me that big economic powers like China, the US, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates helping Ser-

SWEDES GETTING TO KNOW SERBIA SLOWLY BUT SURELY As a Serbian son-in-law and a fan of the Serbian national cuisine, how should the Serbian tourism industry approach Swedish tourists?

— The Swedes are returning to the Balkans slowly but surely, following a long absence after the 1990s political upheaval. The Croatian and Montenegrin coastline remain the most attractive destinations for them, but young Swedes also see Belgrade as the Balkan Berlin in terms of good entertainment and fun. I think that the next step should be introducing other towns in Serbia too, and especially Serbian spas (ideal for older population), since many of the spas have been renovated and are now in excellent condition. There are restaurants in Sweden that serve Balkan barbecue, but, personally, I would like for Swedes to get to know other Serbian specialties which are healthier and as tasty. Djuvec is an excellent example, and there are many more dishes like it.

bia is also good for your country, providing it results in economic development. I am confident that the Serbian government is able to manage diplomatic challenges that sometimes stand in the way of this context. However, we should not exaggerate the importance of these challenges.

You have talked to various people in Serbia about the burning issues like gender equality.

Which Sweden’s experiences in women’s participation in politics and management can Serbia duplicate?

— I think that Serbia has been progressing really fast in this matter.

One third of Serbian MPs are women, while in some companies and in high-levels of the Serbian public administration, I can also see quite a few smart women. Maybe Sweden has progressed more in terms of division of work within family (for instance, fathers taking paternity leave), but I am confident that similar reforms will happen here too.

I think that Serbia is already above EU average in terms of position of women in professional segment.

You know, Sweden has never had a female prime minister.

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RA IN IN G O N A M A Z O N

After a Bite of Apple, Margrethe Vestager Targets Another Tech Giant Luxembourg’s “comfort letter” to Amazon was illegal, says the EU

Margrethe Vestager’s assault on technology firms she deems to have improperly massaged down their tax bills continued this week with a tilt at Amazon. The internet retailer faces a bill of €250m ($293m) for back taxes over what the European Union’s competition commissioner considers to have been an illegal sweetheart deal with Luxembourg.

The order requiring the Grand Duchy to recover the money follows a well-publicised three-year investigation. It is the latest in a series of tax-avoidance cases brought by the European Commission against multinationals, most of them American. Last year, Ireland was ordered to recover €13bn from Apple—smashing all past records for EU corporate-tax cases.

As with Apple, the commission concluded that Amazon received illegal state aid—in the retailer’s case between 2006 and 2014—through a tax-cutting arrangement that was unavailable to its rivals. This came in the form of a ruling from Luxembourg’s tax authority, known as a “comfort letter”.

Amazon accordingly moved intellectual property of various types into a Luxembourg partnership that served as an intermediary between Amazon’s European operations—whose headquarters was a separate Luxembourg entity—and its American parent. As a partnership, the go-between was not subject to tax under Luxembourg law (the statutory corporate rate is 29.22%). The European operating company was.

The operating company was required to pay to the partnership substantial royalties for, among other things, the right to use the Amazon name, thereby shifting lots of profit to the untaxed entity. The commission argues that the level of royalty payments was inflated and did not reflect economic reality. It says the arrangement allowed Amazon to avoid tax on three-quarters of all profits on its sales in the EU (which the company does not disclose).

Both Luxembourg and Amazon deny wrongdoing. Luxembourg’s authorities have said before that Amazon chose to put its main European operations in the tiny landlocked country for a variety of reasons, tax not being the main one.

They have also pointed out that its operations in Luxembourg are hardly empty shell companies: the company employs over 1,500 people there (though the IP-holding partnership, which no longer exists, had no employees or offices). Amazon says it did not receive special treatment and is considering an appeal.

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This week’s order could stoke transatlantic tensions. After the Apple ruling last year, American politicians queued up to echo the sentiments of Tim Cook, the firm’s boss, who derided Ms Vestager’s action as “total political crap”.

Many of them saw Brussels’s tax probes as being driven by tech-envy, not sound economics. Washington hinted at retaliation, though nothing specific has been tabled.

AFTER THE APPLE RULING LAST YEAR, AMERICAN POLITICIANS QUEUED UP TO ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF TIM COOK, THE FIRM’S BOSS, WHO DERIDED MS VESTAGER’S ACTION AS “TOTAL POLITICAL CRAP” The commission’s critics have a point. The details of the case are complex, and tax experts will disagree about the legality of the arrangements under the spotlight, just as they did with Apple. Few would deny that the frayed patchwork of international corporate-tax rules need reforming; one proposal, espoused by President Emmanuel Macron of France and supported by several other EU countries, would see multinationals taxed on revenues in particular territories instead of on profits. However, punishing a company for a 14-year-old ruling from a national government, happily accepted by both sides at the time, looks harsh. The uncertainty

it stokes may also dampen foreign investors’ interest in Europe.

Ms Vestager’s ruling will add to the discomfort felt by Jean-Claude Juncker, the commission’s president, who was prime minister of Luxembourg when the tax arrangement in question was hammered out. Mr Juncker has been widely pilloried for having run a government that sucked tax revenue from neighbouring countries through behind-closed-doors deals with big companies. He has been on the back foot since the “LuxLeaks” revelations in 2014, which exposed hundreds of cushy deals with multinationals. In the wake of that data breach, Luxembourg and other EU member states agreed to start systematically providing each other with detailed information about such arrangements.

American firms should brace for further scrutiny of past tax deals. The commission is also looking into the tax affairs of McDonald’s and FiatChrysler in Luxembourg, and those of Starbucks in the Netherlands. The only non-American firm known to be in its sights on tax is Engie, a French utility. The Apple case is likely to produce plenty more drama, too. The company and Ireland are both appealing. The commission, meanwhile, is taking Ireland to the European Court of Justice over its failure to collect the €13bn that it has been told it is owed but clearly does not want.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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I NTERVIEW

Strong Message to European Administration As representatives of foreign businesses in Serbia, we would like to send a strong message to the European administration that it is important that it supports Serbia in its reform endeavours

ANA FIRTEL Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Council

Following a number of regular visits to European institutions, the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) has recently organized meetings in Brussels for the fourth consecutive time. We are talking to the FIC's Executive Director, Ana Firtel about the FIC's effort in helping Serbia during the country's European integration process.

This is a fourth time that the Foreign Investors Council has set meetings in Brussels. What was your motive to get involved in this process?

— We are an association with 2/3 of its members coming from the EU, while the rest operate on the European markets. We recognize our unique role and responsibility for sharing the knowledge about how to do business in Serbia and in the EU, and in this way, help the European integration process to become simpler and more efficient. To that end, we are talking to both sides; first and foremost, to the Serbian authorities, and then to the representatives of the European Commission and other European institutions. On the back of that, we met with the chief negotiator from the Serbian side, Ms Tanja Miščević before we left for Brussels.

Just prior to the news that Serbia could open several new chapters, you visited Brussels and

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talked to the representatives of the European Commision about the issues related to Serbia's effort in the EU accession process. What were specifically the topics of your conversation?

In which segments of Serbia's efforts on harmonizing its business environment with the the European norms can the FIC contribute the most, and which issues should be highlighted at this moment?

— The main topic of our talks was how to help Serbia to respond to the economic criteria during its EU accession process, i.e. how to have a functional market economy and be able to cope with competitive pressure. As represenatives of foreign, but mostly European businesses in Serbia, with these

— Bearing in mind that we assemble over 130 companies from more than 30 sectors, we can help in all areas. At the same time, we think that there are areas that should be given priority. In order to fulfill the criteria for functional economy, there has to be regulation in place that would enable safe and fast construction

AS AN ORGANIZATION THAT ASSEMBLES OVER 130 COMPANIES FROM MORE THAN 30 SECTORS, WE CAN HELP IN ALL AREAS meetings we would like to send a strong message to the European administration that it is important that it supports Serbia in its reform endeavours through the accession process itself, and through various forms of assistance. We have also given our view of the current business climate in Serbia and our suggestions on how to improve it, especially through the mechanism of accession talks.

of new production facilities, good labour regulation, predictable tax rules, modern laws that enable digitalization and e-commerce without much red tape, and efficient bankruptcy legislation. In terms of the criteria for coping with competitive pressure, there are several important issues to tackle – inspection supervision, accepting European certificates, and modernizing the regulation on food safety and

POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS Considering that FIC has been active in Serbia for 15 years now, what is the Council's view on the quality of reforms in Serbia and building a functional market economy?

— Positive developments are evident in the period from 2002 to 2017.

Objectively speaking, Serbia has had a lot of challenges on its path, and had to deal with many issues parallel with economic challenges. However, what gave us the biggest satisfaction in these last 15 years is the fact that the EU accesion course was constant in Serbia in a sense of gradual implementation of the principles of the open market economy. During this period, the Serbian government was open to talking to foreign investors and there was progress made, although we would have liked it to have been more pronounced.

on foreign currency operations. We advocate at least gradual opening of the market because by postponing market liberalization, the ability of domicile companies / market to endure competition is being reduced which, short-term, can seem as a good solution, but mid- and longterm, will only yield negative effects.

Which of these issues is the task force, that you've formed with government, dealing with?

— As with everything that we do, there is a full overlap which speaks volumes about our consistency. The aforementioned topics are the topics that the task force for implementation of recommendations from the White Book, which we have formed together with the government, is dealing with. Tax policy, or rather procedures and predictability of the tax system, is the topic that we consider exceptionally important. The second topic is labour legislation, i.e. primarily the further modernization of the Labour Law and regulating the work done by recruitment agencies. The third important topic, where Serbia has made serious progress, is real estate and construction, with the focus on good implementation. The fourth topic is inspection and food safety, and the fifth e-commerce and digitalization.

In the last few days, the Serbian Parliament has been debating about the Law on Electronic Document which should bring substantial progress in this segment.

Last but not least, there are the topics like bankruptcy and foreign currency operations. The bankruptcy regulation should enable a clean and functional market, while the regulation on foreign currency operations should be liberalized.

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I NTERVIEW Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Media Create Emulated, Parallel Reality My belief is that, in the media, we can see only the smallest part of what the real life in Serbia is like, which, in the last few years, adopted the manner of reporting reminiscent of the 1990s SLOBODAN GEORGIEV Investigative and sports journalist (BIRN, Vreme)

Slobodan Georgiev is one of those people who has never tried to find an easy way to make his way through the swamp of modern world, politics, economy, global and local economic interests.

By being on point with what is right and what is wrong, he earned the credibility and positioned himself as one of the most important critics of the society as a whole. We are talking to Slobodan about the burning issues in our society.

President Vučić is a common subject of your analyses and criticism. Do you think that he learnt his lesson and found “a middle of the road” approach thanks to which he would remain in power for a long time (West-East, nationalism-Europeanism, and similar dichotomies)?

— It is difficult to estimate today how long the rule of Aleksandar Vučić could last, because, in addition to the support he enjoys with voters, the so-called "foreign forces" have played an important role in the formation and the subsequent coming to power of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). This support has more influence on the length of time he spends in power, as well as on his ability to execute the orders

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they gave him. He is lucky enough that this part of Europe is a relatively peaceful place, and that the EU itself has a lot of its own problems.

However, the relations between Russia and the United States may, in the next few years, affect the government in Serbia much more than the pressure from the EU. In addition, we, as in citizens, we should be more interested in what the government does for us, than who is actually in power.

Could you compare Vučić's rule with that of Milošević, Đinđić, Koštunica and Tadić?

— The present Vučić fuses together the various elements of the above-mentioned leaders: Milošević's authoritarianism and vio-

the EU accession. The only thing that is important to them is how the common assets are going to be shared on this "path", and who is going to derive the biggest possible value from it.

What is worrying is the presence of general tabloidization and folklorization, i.e. The Informer daily is pro-government, while the Kurir favours the opposition.

Ceca is a "protector of traditional values," and Karleuša is pro-LGBT. It seems that many aspects of the society have been excluded and reduced to mere observers.

— That is true providing that we view the reality in Serbia through “the main media prism” which is

MY BELIEF IS THAT, IN THE MEDIA, WE CAN SEE ONLY THE SMALLEST PART OF WHAT THE REAL LIFE IN SERBIA IS LIKE lence, Đinđic's energy, Koštunica’s nationalism, and Tadić's tendency to manipulate the media. He is a kind of a political Frankenstein; the leader of a new concept that connects the already used ideas to create something we call "the SNS policy". I put this term in quotation marks, because we are not talking here about a traditional party, but rather a business concept that connects the poor with the “nouveaux riches”, and survives under the mask the so-called Serbia's accession to the EU. Nobody from this "movement" is really interested in

tantamount to tabloid reporting, in the worst sense of that term.

However, my belief is that, in the media, we can see only the smallest part of what the real life in Serbia is like, which, in the last few years, adopted the manner of reporting reminiscent of the 1990s, during Milošević’s rule. What this means is that they have a task now of creating a parallel reality. In this parallel reality, what you say really happens, but, essentially, it has nothing to do with life in Serbia. Most people are preoccupied with ‘surviving’ this government too, and, which

is a huge change, to ensure that their children leave this country. In fact, the entire Serbia today resembles the abandoned villages from Eastern Serbia from which people have been migrating for decades, and in which parents have long understood that “there is no life for their children there". Today’s Serbia does not resemble the one reported about or portrayed in the tabloid media. In that respect, the many people, who are vocal about the direction in which Serbia is heading, are not covered by the media because they have given up and are no searching for new options.

How much is the "fuss" surrounding the issue of Catalonia, Brexit, Veneto (as announced), Ukraine and terrorism going to solidify the EU's position that "in the current situation, it is absolutely vital that the Balkans do not create additional" i.e. that they (the EU) support the so-called stabilocracy instead of the real, reformed democracy?

— The EU, as defined by the Lisbon Treaty, no longer exists, and now we are in the transition phase, where NATO plays a more important role for the countries in South East Europe (I prefer this geographic indication rather than the Western Balkans). The current EU is obviously corrupt, static and unwilling to respond to the changes that are happening with in it, because they believed that it was possible to form “a rich club” that would maintain and protect itself. Considering that point of

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view, it could be better for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, and Macedonia to try to agree on some kind of common political and economic platform, to create a "community" by themselves, and not to wait for each country to enter some future form of the EU where they will be, figuratively speaking, in the fifth or sixth wagon of the train, that has no heating, windows, and a buffet, but only wooden benches. So, the problem here is that there are very few real leaders who can see the current ratings, and that's why they are suitable for blackmail and manipulation. They treat their citizens how “the world” treats them.

How can we, in our country, so easily forget about the political affairs like “the aunt from Canada”, while in Romania and Brazil, for instance, they are quick to prosecute for the same thing, and in Germany, anybody having a fake diploma would immediately lose their political standing?

— Compared to Serbia, Romania and Brazil are serious countries, and the question is what kind of country is Serbia judging by the current state of its institutions. Let me remind you that, several years ago, the Anti-Corruption Agency found that, for example, Bratislav Gašić and Nikola Selaković were in conflict of interest, and yet nobody was persecuted for that. Moreover, both of them were promoted - Gašić to BIA and Selaković as a potential successor to Vučić. Why would things be different in Vulin’s case, especially when Vulin was rated well as a Defence Minister, particularly by the "partners from around the world"?! If the whole

SUCCESS IN SPORT IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT FOR SOCIETY, RATHER WHAT SPORT GENERATES, I.E. DOES IT CONTRIBUTE TO A HEALTHY UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN, OR TO MORE VIOLENCE AND CRIME? world is ready to work and cooperate with him, it is understandable that "they" are shocked when someone says, “Hey, you should resign!”, and call it conspiracy.

On the other hand, Serbia has no proper prosecution. Rather, this is an institution that serves to conceal the corruption of the authorities, rather than reveal and prosecute which is what they should do. That is why we are going to be in the same situation as Romania and Macedonia, where somebody from abroad would appoint a state prosecutor at some point who would be authorized by the “world powers” to prosecute the people in the government who are involved in a crime of sorts. However, this is

not going to happen until the issue with Kosovo is resolved, so, in all actuality, we are going to wait for a long time to see “the hand of justice” in Serbia.

Football clubs Red Star and Partizan have finally made it to the European league championships. Do you think that his fact will only obscure the current flaws in the system? Do you think that the privatization, as seen in the neighbouring countries and the rest of Europe, would restore the success of Red Star and Partizan as before?

— No, I don’t think it will. These clubs are never going to be as important on the European football

stage as before, and if the privatization would be of any help to them, I am sure that some of the “sheiks” that Vučić brought here on the pretense that we could make the second Dubai out of Serbia, would have already done that.

The reality is that Serbia is being turned more into a desert (which was probably the sheiks’ real task).

On the other hand, these clubs are playing in Europe, which is a success on its own which should be supported and commended. The national team is probably going to the World Championship in Russia next year, so a segment of our population will have something to look forward to in their spare time.

Success in sport is not that important for society, rather what sport generates, i.e. does it contribute to a healthy upbringing of children, or to more violence and crime? In our country, the story about football is the story about crime and violence. Although, the current government hasn’t managed to entangle this mess as yet, the said successes in sport will additionally motivate parents to invest in their children who like football which, in turn, will generate good sales in the next ten or so year. Football is a world sport, and there are thousands of small clubs where kids are taught from a very young age how to be the next Ronaldo or Messi, i.e. athletes with a lot of money who play at big stadiums, own a lot of cars, and have a lot of women. All of this serves the purpose of choosing a couple of hundred young football players, among dozens of thousands of them, who will be, later on, “sold” for 200,000 or 10 million EUR. For now, this resource seems inexhaustible.

VIEWPOINT OF A JOURNALIST You have recently defended Ana Brnabić on Twitter when the tabloids investigated her private life. How would you rate the first 100 days of her government and her behaviour during that period?

— There is no such thing as Ana Brnabić's government. She was appointed as a person that presides over the government sessions that take place after consultations with Vučić as the most prominent political figure. She has had several changes during these 100 days; from the strike in Kragujevac and the support for Ramush Haradinaj’s government to protecting Aleksandar Vulin from being replaced.

She has demonstrated that she was determined to be the guardian of Vučić's „path“ because that is written in her job description that was not defined by the Law on Serbian Government, rather than by Vučić himself. In that context, as the „guardian of someone's position“, she did remarkably well and resisted many pressures. On the other hand, from the

viewpoint of public interest, she was almost invisible, and apart from constantly repeating the importance of digital agenda, nothing else was produced by her cabinet. The tabloids reporting about her personal life is yet another way of keeping her in check, so to speak, and of making it clear to her that she would either do what told, or her life would be turned into hell. My defending her was done from the viewpoint of a journalist who thinks that personal lives of state officials should not be reported about unless there is a credible confirmation of the reports, and there is enough material for prosecution. I am sure that Vučić would come to the forefront and defend Brnabić if this attack had not been carefully coordinated by top state fficials. In this way, she remains open to attacks, just like many of her predecessors, and she was told to be serious and not to do anything without consulting Aleksandar Vučić's cabinet first. All in all, this will bring nothing good to Serbia and its citizens. On the contrary, it is only going to spur people to leave the country.

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C O RPO RATE DELTA HOLDING

Five Stars in the Heart of Ljubljana Restaurant on the top floor with a panoramic view and a swimming pool below topmost floor are a special decoration of this luxury hotel

While Slovenian tourism records continuous growth, the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, could not offer top quality hotel accommodation to its guests until recently. It lacked a prestigious 5-star hotel.

Since August this year, this deficiency has been eliminated.

Serbian company Delta Real Estate has built and opened the first Inter-Continental Hotel in this city.

This rounded up Ljubljana’s tourist offer, and the most demanding guests got the accommodation they are accustomed to in the world’s capitals.

The hotel is located at the very centre of the capital of Slovenia, in the immediate vicinity of the business centre and Tivoli Park. It takes only a 10-minute walk to the old part of the city.

InterContinental Ljubljana has 165 rooms, 14 of which are suites.

One of them is a presidential suite.

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It occupies 160 square meters and is the most luxurious accommodation you can get in this city. So their guests could enjoy a presidential view, this suite is located below the topmost floor, the 19th floor, and it opens a view of the whole city and its landmarks.

- I speak with a lot of emotions, because we finished the hotel in

all the permits in accordance with the predicted deadlines – stated Živorad Vasić, VP of Delta Holding and Area General Manager of IHG, at the first press conference held at this hotel in Ljubljana.

Vasić believes that this investment will encourage further development of the hotel industry in the capital of Slovenia, and that it will encourage the existing hotels to start the renovation works.

Hotel InterContinental Ljubljana falls into the category of business hotels. The importance of congressional tourism is especially emphasized, and for this purpose, the minus second floor accommodates the Emona hall that has a capacity of 300 seats. It is equipped with the latest technology and appropriate for organization of the most important business and social events.

HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL LJUBLJANA IS EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND APPROPRIATE FOR ORGANIZATION OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS AND SOCIAL EVENTS 18 months. It wasn’t easy, at the beginning, many didn’t believe in this project, but as the construction progressed, the trust grew.

We saw that Ljubljana is a city that has many tourists and that it lacks a 5-star hotel. We received great support from the city of Ljubljana and Mayor Zoran Janković. We got

Two more halls are located on the 19th floor, with a view of the Alps and the Ljubljana Castle, while the same floor also accommodates a separate Club InterContinental, an isolated place for drinks and relaxation, or for business meetings.

Even though it is part of the large international InterContinen-

tal chain, Ljubljana’s hotel offers many local specificities. Specificity in the design of this hotel are the abstract lines of carpets that symbolize the Ljubljanica River, while all the rooms have works of art printed on glass mirrors, which symbolize Ljubljana’s landmarks On the last, 20th floor of the InterContinental Hotel is a restaurant with a fantastic view of the city. The restaurant is symbolically named the B Restaurant (it is pronounced “bee” –like the bee), because it keeps the tradition of Slovenia’s Kranj Bee. Restaurant below the clouds is considered to be a great asset to this hotel. Creative leader of the restaurant is the Italian chef Alfredo Russo, winner of the Michelin star. He will adapt the hotel’s menu to the season. Terrace of the restaurant offers a unique view of all four sides of the capital.

Delta Real Estate (member of Delta Holding) invested EUR 50 million in InterContinental Ljubljana. This investment, which the Mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković described as very bold, is not Delta’s only step on the international market. This company is currently building shopping centres in Banjaluka (BiH), Varna (Bulgaria), it will soon start with construction of a shopping mall in Niš (Serbia), and Company’s leading managers are announcing access to the markets of Croatia and Albania as well.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

PEO PLE & EVENT S

08 MACEDONIAN SEP

INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Belgrade organised a reception to mark the 26th anniversary of the country’s independence. The celebration was futher enriched with Olgica Gjorgieva (R. Macedonia) and Biliczki (R. Serbia) fashion show held on the Terrace of Vila Jelena. The reception was attended by numerous officials, including Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojković and many other guests, and Ambassador H.E. Vera Jovanovska-Tipko addressed them in her welcome speech.

H.E. Alona Fisher-Kamm and Nenad Popović, Minister without portfolio, in charge for innovations

H.E. Vera Jovanovska-Tipko

12 ISRAELI ROSH SEP

H.E. Sheikh Mubarak Fahad, J.M. Al-Thani, H.E.Tanju Bilgiç and H.E. Narinder Chahuan

HASHANA COCKTAIL

The Ambassador of Israel H.E. Alona Fisher-Kamm on the occasion of the Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, organised the 2nd Israeli business community networking cocktail. The cocktail is being organised for the second year in the row thus creating a tradition. During the cocktail the guests discussed the enhancement of business relations between the companies from our countries and beyond borders.

12 72nd ANNIVERSARY SEP

OF THE INDEPENDENCE

On 12 September 2017, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia held a diplomatic reception on the occasion of the 72nd Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia in Hyatt Regency Belgrade that was hosted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Harry Richard James Kandou and Mrs. Miabella Kandou. The diplomatic reception was attended by the Speaker of the National Paliament of the Republic of Serbia, Maja Gojković, Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church His Holiness Patriarch Irinej, representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, culture, sport, education, bussines partners, media, public life and friends of Indonesia.

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H.E. Marco Antonio GARCÍA BLANCO, Ambassador of Mexico with his wife, H.E. Harry Richard James Kandou and Mrs. Miabella Kandou

H.E. Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, H.E. Denis Keefe and H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych

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12 SUMMER SEP

RECEPTION AT “PRIVREDNIK"

Following the tradition of gathering the economic elite from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, in the garden of the Serbian Business Club "Privrednik" in Belgrade, a traditional summer reception was organised. This summer, a large number of representatives of government, state institutions, diplomatic missions, local and foreign companies, members of business clubs and officials from the world of social, cultural and economic life of Serbia were gathered.

Ana Brnabić, Serbian PM, Zoran Drakulić, Dobroslav Bojović and Dragijana Radonjić Petrović

12 SAM METROPOL SEP

AFTER HOLIDAY PARTY

The Serbian Association of Managers (SAM) continued its activities after a short summer break with its now traditional ’After Holiday Cocktail Party’. This occasion saw attendees welcomed by SAM President Stanka Pejanović, Executive Director Jelena Bulatović, and Dušan Basalo, a member of the SAM Management Board. “We announce our third cycle of the MenProSAM mentoring programme, of which we are particularly proud, because 27 young managers and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to gain a mentor” said Executive Director Bulatović.

Vuk Jeremić and H.E.Kyle Scott

Jelena Bulatović, Executive Director SAM

13 US GARDEN SEP

PARTY

H. E. Kyle Scott, the US Ambassador and his wife Mrs Nevena Scott organised an Informal Garden Party to Bid Farewell to Summer on Wednesday, at the American Embassy Residence, which was a great opportunity for diplomats, politicians and businessmen to exchange views in a less formal and more pleasant atmosphere of the Garden of the Residence.

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PEO PLE & EVENT S

14 NALED SEP

SEPTEMBER MEETING

The traditional September meeting of NALED gathered leaders in economy and both local and state authorities, the members of international community, and was held at the Royal Court in Belgrade. NALED tried to share the common vision of economically developed nd responsible society, presenting at the same time the exhibition of hand-made items in order to promote Serbian cultural heritage and incentive of employment of 1000 women.

Zorana Mihajlović, Firts Deputy PM and H.E. Axel Dittmann, German Ambassador with NALED members

14 RAJIĆEVA SHOPPING SEP

CENTER IS OPEN

The first shopping center in the most famous Belgrade street – Knez Mihailova, opened its doors and some Brands that can be found in Rajiceva from now on – are for the first time the Serbian market! Ana Brnabić, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Siniša Mali, Mayor of Belgrade, together with representatives of the Ashtrom Group, officially opened Rajiceva Shopping Center. “With the opening of the Rajić Shopping Center, the city of Belgrade gets an exceptional place that meets the needs of all tourists who come to our country, as well as visitors from all over Serbia and the citizens of Belgrade“ said Ana Brnabić.

Gili Dekel, partner of the project, Siniša Mali, Mayor of the Sity of Belgrade, Avi Barzilai, CEO of Afi Europe, Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, Adir El Al, CEO of the Skyline Belgrade project and Ariel Goldstein, Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer, and Executive Director

Siniša Mali, Belgrade Mayor, Ana Brnabić, Serbian PM inspectiing the Shopping Centre

14 SKYLINE BELGRADE - THE NEW SEP

Ceremonial opening and cutting the ribbon

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SYMBOL OF BELGRADE

A ceremony in honour of the start of the construction of the residential and business complex Skyline Belgrade was held in the Airport City Belgrade business park, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, the Mayor of Belgrade, Siniša Mali, and the Ambassador of Israel H. E. Alona Fisher-Kamm. During the evening, the audience was addressed by Mr. Adir El Al, CEO of the Skyline Belgrade project, HE. E. Alona Fisher-Kamm and Siniša Mali.

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CORPORATE Text: RUŽA RISTANOVIĆ

People Helping People Generali will restore the heart of Venice and at the same time, they announced the launch of the global community initiative, The Human Safety Net The Procuratie Vecchie, Generali’s historic home in Venice, will open its doors following restoration by world-renowned architect David Chipperfield to become the hub of The Human Safety Net. A global movement connecting communities around the world to create a net of „people helping people“.

On October 4th Generali Group announced the global launch of The Human Safety Net, a new flagship initiative to help some of the most vulnerable communities around the world. The launch was organized in the beautiful Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) were Generali Group gathered more than 150 guests from all over the world.

It was my pleasure to attend this great event in which on every corner it took our breath.

At the press conference we were addressed by Gabriele Galateridi Genola, Chairman, Philippe Donnet, Group CEO, and Luigi Brugnaro, Mayor of Venice. Philippe Donnet, CEO of Generali Group: said “The beauty of Venice is a source of inspiration for the world, and Generali is very proud to enrich the city’s heritage by restoring the area of Piazza San Marco. By opening the Procuratie Vecchie to the public for the first time in nearly five centuries, we are creating new and vibrant spaces where people can meet to discuss some of today’s most pressing social and global issues.”

LAUNCH OF THE HUMAN SAFETY NET

For the first time Procuratie Vecchie was open to the public after more than 500 years, and I was delighted to had opportunity to see this rooms. Gala dinner was organised at Museo Correr, in the grand hall and we were able to see the

rooms opened for the first tme after 900 years in the museum. I was impressed by the initiative „The Human Safety Ne“, powered by Generali, which is open to alliances

and partnerships with like-minded people and organisations, based on the idea that communities of ‘people helping people’ can bring about sustainable change, creating

GENERALI AIMS TO ENGAGE ITS ENTIRE ORGANISATION IN THE INITIATIVE, AS WELL AS INSPIRING CUSTOMERS, LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS AND NGOS TO COLLABORATE

a positive ripple effect.

Its programmes target key social issues affecting communities where we live and work, including: creating equal life opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds; supporting refugee start-ups; and saving newborns from the debilitating and potentially fatal consequences of asphyxia.

All programmes share a common purpose: to unlock the potential of disadvantaged people so they can transform their lives, that of their families and of their communities THREE PROGRAMMES

GRAND RESTORATION PROJECT TO RECONNECT AND REVITALISE PIAZZA SAN MARCO — Generali will create a home for The Human Safety Net in one of its most prized real estate assets: the Procuratie Vecchie in the iconic Piazza San Marco in Venice. Generali will undertake a unique restoration of the Procuratie Vecchie that will bring together other parts of the square and the Royal Gardens. The Procuratie Vecchie will provide an open door for people to seek inspiration from programmes, exchange ideas, and volunteer to take collective action. The hub will host regular public exhibitions, events and discussions on pressing social and demographic challenges from poverty to migration.

The Human Safety Net for Families promotes equal life chances for children who grow up in poverty and will provide support to 30,000 parents during the first six years of their children’s life. The Human Safety Net for Refugee Start-Ups takes a different approach to the refugee crisis in Europe by empowering refugees to realise their entrepreneurial potential and build livelihoods in their new ‘home’ countries. This programme aims to help refugees to set up 500 new businesses, creating jobs and opportunities for work.

The Human Safety Net for Newborns works with the medical community and parents to improve prevention and treatment for a devastating birth condition called asphyxia. This programme aims to train professionals and equip them with innovative technologies, to help save 1000 lives from this potentially fatal condition.

Generali employees from across the Group submitted over 300 ideas for community projects to The Human Safety Net. The three programmes selected share the common purpose of unlocking the potential of disadvantaged people.

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PEO PLE & EVENT S

14 STAPAR RUGS EXHIBITION SEP

FOR DIPLOMATS

Representatives of the finest Stapar rugs welcomed the ambassadors of Australia and Norway, diplomats from the US embassy, Israel, Great Britain and the United Nations Programme, who visited the third weavers colony in Stapar near Sombor. “By cooperating with Ethno Network and NALED, we support the preservation of cultural heritage and contribute to the economic and social affirmation of women and young people in the countryside” - Australian Ambassador H. E. Julia Fenney said.

H.E. Mohammed K. M. Nabhan, H.E. Mr. Mohammed Amine Belhaj, H.E. Mrs. Isabela Cristina de Azevedo Heyvaert, H.E. Ricardo Fernando Fernández, Mohamed Sajid, Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft and Social Economy of Morocco H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub and H.E. Juma Rashed Saif Zayed Aldhaheri

15 MOROCCAN HANDMADE WEEK SEP

IN BELGRADE

Moroccan Handmade Week in Belgrade is held on the surface of 400-600m2, where about 10 people from different regions of Morocco exhibit their works and everyone is represented through their skills and specialties. The aim of this event is the promotion of Morocco through the diversity and richness of handmade and craftsmanship from all areas of Morocco. This manifestation is organized with the help of the diplomatic representation of Morocco and the Belgrade City Assembly.

H. E. Julia Fenney ,Robert Čoban, Ivan Tasovac, Mia and Aja Jung

16 “NEW SEP

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SYMBOLS OF TOLERANCE” AUSTRALIAN AFTER PARTY

After the lectura given by famous designer Mirko Ilić, at 5.30PM, the exhibition of new symbols of tolerance was ceremoniously opened in the Cinoteque and the winners were officially pronounced, after which there was a cocktail after party in the premises of the Australian Residence, hosted by H. E. Julia Fenney.

www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

20 NEW FRENCH SEP

ORDERS

Ivan Medenica, the art director of BITEF, Milan Savić, director of the Belgrade SaXperience Festival and Jovanka Višekruna Janković, the founder of ArtLink got the medals belonging to the French Order of Knight of Art and Literature. The order is given to the people who enriched French and world art and culture, and the medals were granted at the ceremony in the French Residence in Belgrade, by the new Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of France, Mr. Nicolas Faye.

Tatjana Matić, H.E. Narinder Chauhan and Nemanja Stevanović

Milan Savić, Jovanka Višekruna Janković, Ivan Medenica and Nicolas Faye, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of France

22 CELEBRATION SEP

H.E. Arne Sannes Bjørnstad, Norwegian Ambassador, Jovanka Višekruna Janković and H.E. Johannes Eigner, Ambassador of Austria

25 SERBIA IN THE SEP

RHYTHM OF EUROPE

OF ITEC DAY

Ambassador of India, H.E. Narinder Chauhan along with Nemanja Stevanović, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tatjana Matić, State Secretary, Ministry of Trade, Tourism & Telecommunications, ITEC alumni, prominent Indian and Serbian business persons, marked the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation "ITEC Day" . In her address, Ambassador gave an overview of the ITEC programme, stressing that it was an important pillar of bilateral cooperation with Serbia and underlineds the India’s desire to share its experience and expertise in areas critical to economic growth and development with fellow developing countries.

Turkish Ambassador H. E. Tancu Bilgiç and the programme “Serbia in the rhythm of Europe” in the Belgrade hotel Hyatt hosted a reception on the occasion of the victory of the children of Niš at the manifestation “Serbia in the rhythm of Europe”. In this

way, the ambassador wanted to reward friends and children who represented Turkey in Sombor on June 25 at the competition. Welcoming the guests, he stressed that he was very pleased that Niš and the children of Nis won this prestigious competition representing Turkey.

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PEO PLE & EVENT S

27 INTERCONTINENTAL SEP

LJUBLJANA HOTEL OPENED

The ceremonial handover of the keys officially opened the InterContinental Hotel Ljubljana. Marija Desivojević Cvetković, senior vice president of Delta Holding, handed over the keys to the hotel to Angela Brav, CEO of the InterContinental Hotel Group for Europe, and handed them over to Živorad Vasić,

Regional Director General of IHG, who handed them over to Miloš Cerović, General Manager of InterContinental Ljubljana. Hotel InterContinental Ljubljana represents the investment of the Serbian company Delta Holding and will operate under the standards of IHG Group.

Marija Desivojević Cvetković

27 THE BELGIAN-SERBIAN SEP

BUSINESS ASSOCIATION HELD ITS MEMBERS’ EVENING

To thank its members and friends for their continued support and dedication, the Board of Directors organized, now already traditional, Members’ Evening, at the IN Hotel, Lounge Bar INcognito. Ewoud Roes, First Secretary at the Belgian Embassy in Belgrade, greeted the guests and announced the BSBA’s assistance and support in connection with the arrival of a new Belgian investor, Copahome, in Zrenjanin. The Members’ Evening ended with a lottery draw sponsored by the guests.

Duško Krsmanović, H.E. Hendrik Van Den Dool, Dutrch Ambassador and Bojan Leković

Ewoud Roes

28 10 YEARS OF THE BIGGEST SEP

ADVERTISING PORTAL IN SERBIA

The portal portal KupujemProdajem marks the first decade of existence, in which it grew into the largest on-line market and one of the largest portals in the region. "We owe our gratitude to our customers!

We provided them with a tool, a platform for trade, and with their numerous activities and mutual interactions we helped build the largest online market in Serbia" said Bojan Leković, founder and director of the portal.

The celebration cocktail was held in the Residence of the Dutch Embassy.

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www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

01 70 YEARS OCT

OF UNICEF

The First Deputy Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dačić and Michel Saint-Lot, director of UNICEF in Serbia organised the exhibition under the name “70 Years of UNICEF” celebrating a great jubilee of this humanitarian organisation. The exhibition was held in the Museum of Diplomacy in the Foreign Affairs Building in Belgrade.

H.E. Mohammed Amine Belhaj, Ambassador of Morocco

Michel Saint-Lot and Ivica Dačić, Serbian FM

02 MOROCCO-SERBIA: SIXTY YEARS OCT

OF RENEWED FRIENDSHIP

As part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Rabat and Belgrade, the Embassy of Morocco organised a photo exhibition at the Military Museum in Belgrade, under the theme "Morocco-Serbia: Sixty years of renewed friendship". This exhibition is a reminder of the excellent relations which unite the Kingdom of Morocco and Serbia, heiress of former Yugoslavia, and highlights the role played by Morocco as a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mihajlo Vučić, Coordinator of Ambassador’s Forum and H.E. Abdelhamin Chebchoub (right) giving lecture

04 ALGERIAN REGIONAL OCT

DIPLOMACY LECTURE

Within the scope of the “Ambassadors' Forum”, H E Abdelhamin Chebchoub, the Ambassador of People's Republic of Algeria in Serbia, gave a lecture named "Peace, Stability

and Development: Goals of the Algerian regional Diplomacy". The lecture was given in French with translation into English, and was followed by a discussion with the guests.

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PEO PLE & EVENT S

04 GERMAN OCT

UNIFICATION DAY

In the residence of the German ambassador in Belgrade the Unification Day (the anniversary of 26 years since the unification of Germany) was marked. Ambassador of Germany to Serbia H E Axel Dittmann welcomed guests and reminded that the 3rd October 1990 saw the reunification of two Germanies when GDR joined the Federal Republic of Germany. "I am glad that you all came here to celebrate the day of German unity together, but also to celebrate the German-Serbian partnership, especially when our common strategic goal is the accession of Serbia to the European Union," he said.

Ambassadors of Germany and Russia with their wives and Thomas Becker, Military Attache of the German Embassy with his wife

H.E. Philippe Gérald GUEX, Swiss Ambassador and H.E. Leo Vincent M. D'AES, Belgian Ambassador

Maja Gojković, Serbian Assembly Speaker (left), Ana Brnabić, Serbian PM (middle) and Ann Pešić, Honorary Consul of Ireland in Belgrade

H.E. Axel Dittmann with his wife, accompanied

by Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia

Ronald Seeliger, Hemofarm, H.E. Axel Dittmann with his wife, Sanda Savić, Hemofarm and Thomas Becker, German Military Attache with his wife

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www.diplomacyandcommerce.rs

35

B USINESS NEWS SAM

Banca Intesa

MENTOR PROGRAMME – MENPROSAM2017

EXHIBITION OF GASPAR VAN WITTEL PAINTINGS OPENS IN BELGRADE An exhibition of paintings by Gaspar van Wittel from the art collection of Intesa Sanpaolo, the parent group of Banca Intesa, was officially opened at the Historical Museum of Serbia in Belgrade last evening. This exclusive cultural event was organized at the initiative of Intesa Sanpaolo Board of Directors Chairman Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, who is on a visit to Belgrade. “I am extremely proud to bring these two artworks, which are part of the Intesa Sanpaolo’s art collections, to the Historical Museum of Serbia from Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in Naples. Intesa Sanpaolo

operates in countries rich of culture and heritage and believes that cultural activities are a way to foster friendship across communities; investing in culture encourages social progress and supports economic growth”, said Intesa Sanpaolo Board of Directors Chairman Gian Maria Gros-Pietro.

Sberbank

SUPER CASH LOAN

Keeping track of the different needs of citizens, Sberbank Srbija prepared a new, attractive offer of Super Cash Loans for this autumn, offering the citizens an opportunity to receive additional money for their planned or unplanned expenses at an attractive interest rate or to refinance their existing liabilities. The maximum loan amount is up to RSD 3 million, with a nominal interest rate of 8.6%, i.e., with an effective interest rate of 9.84%. A special benefit

for all clients applying for a Super Loan is the ability to approve the allowed overdraft before the payment of the first earnings to the Sberbank current account.

“After the holiday season, we all need more funding. For this reason, already at the very beginning of September we have prepared for all Serbian citizens our best offer so far through our Super Cash Loans. We want to facilitate new beginnings, so by creating this offer, we had in focus those in need of money for the new school or a university year, to get married, buy a computer, technical appliances, a new car, or perhaps refurbish their apartment. “Super cash loans can be a solution for all planned and unplanned situations this autumn,” Mirjana Djordjević, director of the Sberbank Srbija Product Development Department, says.

The Serbian Association of Managers this year, for the third time in a row, organises the MenProSAM mentoring programme that will last 10 months from September 2017 to June 2018. It is a programme that connects members of the Serbian Association of Managers - young managers and entrepreneurs with experienced business leaders, managers and managers of successful companies in Serbia. Executive Director of SAM, Jelena Bulatović, said: "Having a mentor is of extreme importance for a young professional because you know that you have someone to contact for advice and who will help you keep your focus on your development and careers regardless of the daily events.". Mihailo Janković, CEO of Nectar Group said: "When I look back on my career, perhaps the most important measure of success alongside the results that are very precise is the number of people we helped." From 2015, in two generations of participants, a total of 96 managers were part of this mentoring programme. The organising partner of MenProSAM is Atria Group which provides expert support in the education of participants and support to the mentoring process so that the participants of the programme are as successful as possible in their work. ManProSAM Sponsor this year is ManpowerGroup Serbia.

SKGO NETWORK FOR BETTER HRM

Serbian Association of Breweries

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF RESPONSIBLE BEER CONSUMPTION

Association of breweries of Serbia with its members - the best brewers in Serbia, on the occasion of September 16th - the International Day of Responsible Beer Consumption, for the first time drew public attention to the responsible consumption of beer within the campaign "Cautiously and carefully, choose responsibly". Thus, the largest breweries in Serbia (Apatinska, BIP, Valjevska, Carlsberg Serbia, HEINEKEN Serbia, Maltinex) have joined forces in the realisation of socially responsible campaigns. During the day, a survey of citizens was conducted about the habits of our people in drinking beer and alcohol in general. In the evening, in the Cetinjska district, in pubs and cafes supporting the campaign: Mintich, Elektropionir,

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Dvorištanci, Zaokret, LAF, the activation targeting beer enthusiasts wes organised.

With a quiz of knowledge about responsible consumption, split split and signing campaign support. The campaign was supported by the student organisation AIESEC, as well as by numerous celebrities such as Galeb Nikačević, Una Senić, Bane Trifunović, Inspector Blaža and Marko Šelić Marčelo, who broadcast the campaign messages through the video and invited the young to moderate and responsible enjoyment of beer.

The Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SKGO) organised the second meeting of the SKGO Network for Human Resources Management (HRM). The main topic of the meeting was exchange of experience and knowledge from practice, between experts from the business world and public administration, who are engaged in human resource management. The idea is to provide experts in public administration with experience on modern human resources management in the business sector and to present them opportunities and potentials for further development of this activity in the public, especially local government. The participants were addressed by Branko Ružić, Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government, Sem Fabrici, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, Snežana Samardžić Marković, Director General of the Council of Europe's Directorate General for Democracy and Ðorđe Staničić, Secretary General of the SKGO.

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Coca-Cola Serbia

PRESENTED THE SERIES ON UNFORGETTABLE TASTE OF SERBIA The Coca-Cola system in Serbia revealed on Zlatibor the first hand-made billboard on the occasion of the announcement of the start of the series "Coca-Cola Travel - Unforgettable Taste of Serbia". Some of the most authentic dishes from all over Serbia will be presented and moderniSed through 12 exciting episodes that will be broadcast in the coming period on the official Coca-Cola Facebook page. Coca-Cola went into a big gastronomic adventure through Vranje, Bojnik, Leskovac, Pirot, Aleksinac, Potpeće, Ljig, Rogljevo, Vršac, Zrenjanin, Sumrakovac near Boljevac and Debeljač. Authentic dishes such as samsa with trljanica, vurda, belmuž and many others will be rediscovered in the video series and will receive the spirit of modernity with the help of the culinary enthusiast Ivan Marković who is accompanied by famous radio manager Filip Ugrenović on this trip. The billboard production that lasted for several months at Zlatibor was entrusted with valuable and skillful knitwears from Zlatibor.

It is completely hand-knit with motifs from this region. Soon another billboard will be installed in another part of Serbia, which will also be handmade, but with a technique that is characteristic for the location itself.

Rancco

CELEBRATED 30 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS IN SERBIA RANCCO brand of luxury men's clothing, celebrated 30 years of successful fashion business in Serbia at the Shopping Center Rajićeva, and started a new chapter by opening a luxuriously designed space of 300m2, in the heart of Belgrade. With the music of the string band Duo Incognito, friends of cultural and public life of Serbia, longtime associates and media, the team of fashion brand RANCCO, led by the founder and fashion virtuoso Ranko Madov, enjoyed a great atmosphere and presented the new RANCCO collection for the autumn of 2017. "The biggest problem for me now is that I do not have competition in Serbia" explained Ranko Madov. "The competition is what provokes great ventures, for everyone who is seriously concerned with their work, it is an incurable inspiration. This is a game that we still do not have in Serbia yet. I hope that we will come to that." The fashion brand RANCCO has been cooperating with the elite fabric manufacturers for years, among which are the Italian Vitale Barberis Canonico, Cerruti, Monti, English brand Dormeuil, and the prestigious brand Scabal. As before, collections of suits and jackets are made of the most refined cloth, which consist of cashmere, mohair and silk.

UniCredit Bank Serbia

THE BEST BANK FOR CASH MANAGEMENT According to the research of the renowned financial magazine Euromoney, UniCredit Bank Serbia was named the best bank for cash management in our country in 2017. In addition, UniCredit has won this title in 10 other countries: in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey. This year's response of 25,000 companies and 2,500 financial institutions rank this survey among the most authoritative and most valuable when it comes to cash management. Alexey Yaniev, Director of Global Transactional Banking of UniCredit Bank Serbia, stated on this occasion: "The fact

that our clients have just rewarded us is an additional incentive to continue in the same direction - to offer products and services that are in line with the needs of our clients." This year success for UniCredit is a very significant jump compared to the previous year - last year it took the first place in 5 European countries, and this year in as much as 11.

Embassy of India

MEETING OF THE INDIA-SERBIA JOINT COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India to Serbia participated in the 2nd Session of India-Serbia Joint Committee on Science & Technology that was held in Belgrade on 2-3 October 2017.

The Joint Committee was co-chaired by Dr. Jagdish Chander, Scientist-G/Adviser, International Cooperation, Department of Science & Technology of India and Prof.

Dr. Viktor Nedović, Assistant Minister,

Ministry of Education, S&T Development of the Republic of Serbia. The two sides expressed the desire that the new Programme of Cooperation (POC), which was signed during the meeting with increased fields of cooperation and based on a larger understanding of each other’s scientific and technological capabilities, would give a significant boost in initiating and further nurturing bilateral cooperation. The two sides agreed to hold two workshops – in the scientific domains of (a) biotechnology & human health and (b) ICT to be held in India and Serbia, respectively.

Divac Foundation

SOLIDARITY IN TIMES OF CRISIS At the Divac Foundation conference named "Solidarity in times of crisis", the results of the project "Celebrate solidarity", implemented by the Foundation in cooperation with organisations from five countries - Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia - were presented with the support of the EU Programme "Europe for Citizens". Nataša Kovačević, basketball player and participant in the introductory panel showed on her case how she one can present solidarity even after the accident she experienced. Representatives from all six countries presented project results through photos, numbers and examples of solidarity. On the second panel, the visitors had the opportunity to hear about the importance of the media to promote solidarity, and in the end, the attendees had the opportunity to hear the successful

stories of people who launched solidarity actions themselves - Milan Juroković – the famous Mile The Carpenter, who was famous in Serbia for his stool-making campaign for feeding. All participants in this panel pointed out once again the very important role of the media since without media their actions would be less successful, and the awareness and sensitivity of the citizens would be at a lower level. The participants stated that potential tax incentives would be of great importance for humanitarian work.

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B USINESS NEWS Weekend Media Festival

THE REGION IS A STEP INTO BIG MARKETS

The companies in the Adriatic region should treat their business here as a first step in expanding the business of the region, and for the most successful and bravest there is a secured place in the world market, it was concluded at the panel with the participation of the general directors of the largest regional companies. The participants of the discussion at the Weekend Media Festival in Rovinj, were the director of Nectar Group Mihailo Janković, Director of Direct Media Jovan Stojanović, Podravka's Management Board Chairman Marin Pucar and the President of the Board of Directors Adria Ram Adanki, who all said that branding is important for entering new markets. "The success of the Nectar Group, a leader in the region, relies on four pillars of business, and these are people, innovation, operational efficiency and constant improvement and growth" said Mihailo Janković, CEO of Nectar Group. "Regional companies should keep local brands. "Says Jankovic. Director of Direct Media Serbia, Jovan Stojanović, said that the success of Direct Media system operations in eight countries of Southeast Europe happened due to the employee expertise and that the countries of the region have huge human potential that can outstrip the world standard.

Societe Generale and Mastercard

90% OF CITIZENS LIKE CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS

CBS International

NO.1 REAL ESTATE CONSULTANCY IN SERBIA CBS International, the leading real estate consultancy in Serbia, has been named No. 1 real estate advisor in all 4 categories of 2017 Euromoney Real Estate Awards: Top Real Estate Advisor Overall , Top Valuation Consultant,Top Agency/Letting, Top Research Consultant.

Euromoney, a leading international finance publication, annually surveys the opinions of real estate advisors, developers, investment managers, corporate end-users and banks worldwide to determine the best providers of real estate services. Industry professionals from more than 75 countries participated in this year’s survey. “I’ am especially proud that CBS International has won

such prestigious awards, as the recognition of our clients, associates and peers.

These awards reflect continued trust and appreciation, but also absolute commitment of our whole team to deliver the top quality service, which at the end of the day makes a difference between the well-done job and satisfied client.

BIOGEST OPENS ITS PREMISES IN NOVI SAD

The Austrian company Biogest, after England, Scotland, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechia, Italy and France, opened its Serbian branch in Telep in Novi Sad. The company is in the field of renewable energy, and Serbia has started to harmonise its legislation related to renewable energy sources (RES), which is being exploited with the aim of producing

electric, thermal, mechanical energy, which is a basic characteristic of harmlessness to the environment, with the standards of the European Union, through pre-accession Chapter 15. World and European experts, in co-operation with our people in these areas, have assessed that Serbia has an abundant Sun, Water, Wind, Geothermal and Biomass energy.

One of the owners, Martin Schlerka, emphasised the future in this field, the Provincial Secretary for Energy, Builing and Transport Nenad Grbić emphasised the support of Vojvodina for such projects.

The event was attended by many businessmen and politicians as well as public persons from Novi Sad and region.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTING AND ATTRACTING FOREIGN INVESTORS TO SERBIA Societe Generale and Mastercard presented trends in the use of payment cards, new contactless cards within the framework of the advanced service packages of Societe Generale Bank and the advantages of credit card postponed payments. The results of MasterIndex Serbia 2017 research show that Serbia is a debit market because 84% of respondents use debit cards - 47% say they only use them, while 37% of respondents combine debit cards with credit cars. Debit cards are commonly used for food purchases (65%), petrol (28%) and clothing (26%), while credit cards are most often used for larger purchases of furniture and home appliances, as stated by 45% of respondents. Societe Generale Bank has presented new contactless payment cards that enables clients to pay for goods and services at home and abroad but also on the Internet quickly, easily and with numerous benefits. For amounts up to 1,500 dinars it is not necessary to enter the PIN code, which makes this type of payment ideal for transactions at points of sale such as supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations and the like.

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The second Belgrade Wealth Forum was held at Falkensteiner Hotel in Belgrade. The forum gathered more than 150 participants from 20 countries, the world's largest consulting companies and the "family office" in the field of capital and wealth management, resident and passport programmes, investment consulting, immigration issues, tax optimisation for companies and individuals, company structuring and company formation in various jurisdictions. The programmes for obtaining residence and passports for 20 countries of the world have been presented at the Belgrade Wealth Forum. For the first time, the programme of the Serbian residence was presented on the basis of the existing

legislation of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the exclusive programme of Andorra dedicated to a limited number of rich individuals with impeccable biographies.

At the Belgrade Forum, the world's largest immigration companies were involved: "Henley & Partners" (Switzerland), "Arton Capital" (Canada) and CS Global Partners (UK), Union Capital Group (Switzerland), "Home invest "(USA) and others.

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FIRST KAIZEN CONGRESS HELD IN SERBIA

HBA Serbia

THE MANAGEMENT BOARD OF THE HBA SERBIA WITH PRESIDENT OF GREECE The Management Board of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia met with President of Greece, Mr.Prokopis Pavlopoulos during his official visit to Belgrade. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Mr. Ioannis Amanatidis, Ambassador of Greece to Serbia, Mr. Ilias Iliadis, Minister Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Embassy of Greece to Serbia, Mr. Charalambos Kounalakis, as well as by representatives of the Greek – Serbian

Chamber of commerce from Thessaloniki. The subject of the meeting referred to the activities of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, to the economic cooperation of Serbia and Greece, as well as to the business activities of Greek companies in Serbia.

The first Kaizen Congress was held in Belgrade on September 28th and 29th, dedicated to a unique Japanese business philosophy. Kaizen is the word that means “change for the better”, and it represents the business philosophy of continuous improvements, which was created in Toyota 50 years ago, and in the meantime spread to the whole world. At the first Kaizen congress in our country, the basics of this business philosophy were presented, but also concrete examples of companies that in Serbia already apply this business method. “Our goal is for Serbian managers to get acquainted with the basics of Kaizen, and the long-term desire to apply Japanese business principles to the Serbian industry is at least a bit closer to one of the most efficient economies in the world,” says Bojan Šćepanović, director of the Kaizen Institute of Serbia and the organiser of this congress. At the first Kaizen event in Serbia, more than 200 people participated.

The speakers were exclusively in practice, and the keynote lecture was delivered by Kimo Järvinen, Director of the Kaizen Institute of Finland.

THE COMPANY "CZECHOSLOVAK GROUP" BOUGHT IMK "14.

0KTOBAR"

Kruševac-based IMK "14. Oktobar", a former economic giant who has been bankrupt since January 2016, has received a new owner, the company" SCMG 14. Oktobar d.o.o. Beograd".

Agreement on the takeover of IMK "14.

October" was signed by Zoran Milosavljević on behalf of the Agency for licensing bankruptcy administrators and Vojislav Sparavalo, director of SCMG, daughter company of the Czech corporation Czechoslovak group, which owns large

companies such as "Tatra trucks","Tatra military vehicles" and "Avia". "We will symbolically take over the facilities on October 14th, on the Kruševac Liberation Day in World War II, after which the factory took its name, and then we will present the long-term plans for the development of the company to the public," Sparavalo announced. By taking over the enterprises that produced heavy machinery, excavators and tractors, as well as tanks, SCMG became the owner of IMK "14. Oktobar", and the production will be launched immediately after obtaining a work permit. On the factory's payroll there are currently 130 workers, and the new owner is planning to employ another 150 workers by the end of the year.

NLB bank

HUMANITARIAN EXHIBITION OF BOB ŽIVKOVIĆ The exhibition of Dobroslav Bob Živković's illustration was opened in the hall of NLB Bank Belgrade. The exhibition has a humanitarian character, and the proceeds from the sold illustrations are intended to support the project "Shelter for Street Children". The exhibition will be opened at the NLB Gallery in Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 165v in New Belgrade by the end of November. "It is my great pleasure that drawing, as the oldest artistic discipline, continues to attract attention, especially in this digital age. I believe that the drawing is the basis for all other artistic disciplines. The drawings helped me a lot, they are not only my profession, they were the best and the

SPK WORKING MEETING WITH FM DAČIĆ A working meeting was held, organized by the Slovenian Business Club, at the IN Hotel on the topic "Political and Economic Cooperation of Serbia and Slovenia and the situation in the region." The main guest of the working meeting was the first Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dačić. Ambassador of lovenia to Serbia, H.E. Vladimir Gasparič greeted the guest and present and said: "We never did better. The Serbs have begun to invest in our country, that's good. You invest in banks, hotels, even airports and marinas. These are good tendencies."

He also mentioned that most numerous tourists in Slovenian thermal baths are from Serbia. Mr. Dačić pointed out that it is crucial for Serbia to preserve regional stability and intensify cooperation in all areas, saying that only such a region enables the sustainable development of Serbia itself. "Relations between Serbia and Slovenia have reached a level that can serve as an example of successful good neighborly cooperation, which is not a common case in a region where some relics continue to revive the past" he said.

most beautiful way to express myself, to have fun and to get away, I'm looking forward, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to process and draw on my drawings" said Bob Živković at the opening of the exhibition. The president of the Executive Board of NLB Banka Beograd, Branko Greganović, pointed out that this exhibition is a blend of art and humanity.

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A L E A G U E O F T H E IR O WN

The English Are Bad at Playing Football—But Brilliant at Selling it English clubs are being trounced by their European rivals, yet revenues are soaring.

Why are such a mediocre bunch so popular?

MOPEDS emblazoned with Manchester United’s crest drone through the streets of Bangkok. Fans in Okene, Nigeria, dance in red and white kits on the town’s annual Arsenal Day. Official supporters’ groups exist in Macedonia, Mongolia and Mexico, some of the 180-plus countries to which matches are broadcast. In the 25 years since it was first contested, the English Premier League, which kicked off a new season last month, has become the most lucrative product in the world’s most popular sport. Its clubs earned £4.5bn ($5.8bn) in the 2015-16 season, almost twice as much as any other football league, according to Deloitte, a consultancy.

The puzzle is that the game’s most renowned domestic competition is not very good. ClubElo. com, which rates teams according to the opponents they beat, calculates that eight years ago four of the world’s five top sides were English.

Today none is. An English club last reached the final of the Champions League, Europe’s most prestigious knockout competition, in 2012. A Premier League star last made the top five in the Ballon d’Or, an award for the world’s best player,

ENGLAND’S LOWER-RANKED TEAMS ARE WORSE THAN THEIR EQUIVALENTS IN SPAIN AND GERMANY, TOO. YET AS THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH FOOTBALL HAS DIVED, IT HAS ONLY BECOME RICHER in 2011. Spain, Germany, Italy and France, the other members of Europe’s “big five”, now dominate. England’s lower-ranked teams are worse than their equivalents in Spain and Germany, too. Yet as the standard of English football has dived, it has only become richer (see chart).

Why are such a mediocre bunch so popular?

MOPEDS emblazoned with Manchester United’s crest drone through the streets of Bangkok.

Fans in Okene, Nigeria, dance in red and white kits on the town’s annual Arsenal Day. Official supporters’ groups exist in Macedonia, Mongolia and Mexico, some of the 180-plus countries to which matches are broadcast. In the 25 years since it was first contested, the English Premier League, which kicked off a new season last

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AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY

Number of English teams at each stage in the European Champions League

Winner

Economist.com

month, has become the most lucrative product in the world’s most popular sport. Its clubs earned £4.5bn ($5.8bn) in the 2015-16 season, almost twice as much as any other football league, according to Deloitte, a consultancy.

The puzzle is that the game’s most renowned domestic competition is not very good. ClubElo. com, which rates teams according to the opponents they beat, calculates that eight years ago four of the world’s five top sides were English.

Today none is. An English club last reached the final of the Champions League, Europe’s most prestigious knockout competition, in 2012. A Premier League star last made the top five in the Ballon d’Or, an award for the world’s best player, in 2011. Spain, Germany, Italy and France, the other members of Europe’s “big five”, now dominate. England’s lower-ranked teams are worse than their equivalents in Spain and Germany, too. Yet as the standard of English football has dived, it has only become richer (see chart). Why are such a mediocre bunch so popular?.

From The Economist, published under licence.

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

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C O RPO RATE DOBROTA PALAZZI

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caliber, high-end residence. They represent the definition of the 21st century Mediterranean, carefully crafted to fuse the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle with the modern living.

Everything in Dobrota Palazzi directly communicates with nature and is deeply intertwined with it.

Location allows for synergy of luxury lifestyle, enjoyment in nature wonders and consumer experienc-

es. Dobrota Palazzi villas, settled within five start resort are perfect example of collaboration of man and nature, successful result of the combining natural elements, local tradition and elegant appointments.

The complex has reached its true shape; construction of the beach zone is about to start and the whole resort will be open for the first guests in the summer 2018. www.dobrotapalazzi.com.

DOBROTA PALAZZI VILLAS FACTSHEET: • Semi-detached seafront villas • Three bedrooms • 2,5 bathrooms • Internal net area 194 sqm / 2090 sqft • Garden area approx.

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C ULTURE Text: ŽIKICA MILOŠEVIĆ

Amazing Almazian A self-made man

edge, while today I realise that that was my first investment in self.

You created the Almazian Symphony as an all-female international orchestra. How did you get the idea for that?

— At some point in my life I

Khachatur Almazian is a violinist, producer, actor and co-founder (together with Serbian cellist Tamara Savić) of the Almazian Symphony – an all-female international orchestra.

The Almazian Symphony released its first album with Sony Music Entertainment, in partnership with French National TV, has performed twice at the EXIT Festival, played at the opening of the 1st Kustendorf Film & Music Festival, recorded soundtracks for Emir Kusturica's latest film “On the Milky Road", in which Khachatur Almazian also featured in scenes alongside Monica Bellucci, made its Russian debut in Moscow's most exclusive Barvikha Concert Hall, was invited by UNESCO to perform in Paris, and has recorded many other achievements. The versatile Khachatur Almazian was also president of the jury for the Miss Serbia 2017 Beauty Contest. Here we speak to him about his amazing career.

You have proved very successful in your career since your immigration. How difficult was your route to success?

— I think the tools are my back-

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ground and my character itself. I was born into a very artistic family and went to a fantastic school in Armenia, where I had great teachers - Petros Haykazian and later, at the conservatory, Villy Mokatsian.

They inspired me to choose music

realised that I wanted to create something very new; something out-of-the-ordinary that didn’t already exist. My goal was to combine unconventional musical arrangements with highly skilled performance and the visual aspect of having 25-30 gorgeous women on stage at one time. I chose renowned classical masterpieces, such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with the idea of converting them to a completely new sound, with pop and rock style. That’s why, alongside classical instruments, I also have drums, electric and base guitars, backing vocals, a keyboard and recently even a DJ. I knew it wouldn't be possible to retain the attention of the audience

MY GOAL WAS TO COMBINE UNCONVENTIONAL MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS WITH HIGHLY SKILLED PERFORMANCE AND THE VISUAL ASPECT OF HAVING 25-30 GORGEOUS WOMEN ON STAGE AT ONE TIME

with the beauty of the girls alone, so I sought out very talented and devoted professionals and can now state with pride that I have a wonderful team. All my musicians received classical training at different conservatories around the world and many of them are winners of international competitions. They hail mostly from Serbia, but also from the U.S., Montenegro, Russia, Canada, Hungary and elsewhere.

What are your plans for the Almazian Symphony — I am only working on major

projects and don’t look to maximise the quantity of performances.

At the moment I am preparing a very special new multimedia show, which will involve other artistic elements besides music.

You will hear more about that in the near future. In the meantime, I am busy as the head of Almazian Productions. One exciting upcoming project is my new role as the general producer of the operatic production “Carmen” at the Serbian National Theatre.

You collaborated with Serbian film director Emir Kusturica, one of the world’s best-known and awarded directors. What did you work on together?

— Precisely 10 years ago, imme-

as my vocation. When I moved to Europe, I had the good fortune and opportunity to study with one of the greatest violinists, Igor Oistrakh, at the Brussels Royal Conservatory. The turning point of my studies in Belgium came when I won the Belgian Radio & TV Competition, which opened many doors for me, leading to performances in Europe, North America and Asia.

My character has always led me to seek improvement in everything I did. I continued my studies in Paris under Eduard Wulfson and in NewYork with Misha Keylin. Back then I took this chapter of my life only as an opportunity to gain knowl-

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diately after our premiere performance, we approached Kusturica to introduce the project to him. His impression was so positive and strong that he invited my orchestra to devise and perform the opening of his now-already-historic First Kustendorf Film & Music Festival.

After that I invited Emir and his group, The No Smoking Orchestra, to perform in Armenia in 2010 and 2015. These visits had national importance for Armenia, literally, as we had meetings with my country’s president, prime minister etc. I also invited Emir to appear as a special guest during our debut performance in Moscow. For me personally, but also for all my artists, it was a great honour to be selected by Kusturica to record the soundtracks for his last film, On the Milky Road, which stars Monica Bellucci, Sloboda Mićalović and Miki Manojlović. These recordings were an absolute priority for me for four consecutive years.

SERBIA WAS A LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE, OF COURSE. FOR ME, EVERY COUNTRY IS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE shooting at seven am means seven o'clock sharp! Her attitude towards the people she works with is also an example. Even when she was shooting her solo scenes, there were about 200 people around – not only the professional crew, but also drivers, cooks, security staff etc., and she knew everybody by name. She appreciates everything and everybody's job, and “thank you” is something that Monica seems to be saying constantly.

I received a call from Boban

Dedejić, Kusturica's casting director, who said that I had been selected for a small acting role as Monica's tailor. I thought he was joking, as is often the case between us, but the call was real. Indeed, all my life I have thought that I could be a good actor, as I am accustomed to appearing on stage, in front of TV cameras etc. During shooting I came to understand that the acting profession is extremely difficult.

It requires huge talent, but also a lot of very hard work. Already after

THE JURY

An interesting juncture in your diverse career came with your acting role alongside ultimate world diva actress Monica Bellucci. What were your impressions of her as a person; and was it hard for you to switch from being a musician to performing in a completely different field like acting?

— Monica is unique in her be-

haviour. I've met many world-renowned celebrities in my life, but I've never met anyone who is quite so simple, modest and natural. She also happens to have brilliant intelligence and a great sense of humour, as well as unbelievable charisma that blows your mind. She is a great professional. Apart from being among the most beautiful women in the world, she is also the most organised and disciplined person I've ever met. For Monica,

You have twice been invited to preside over the jury of the Miss Serbia Beauty Contest. What is the difference between the Miss Serbia event and other similar contests elsewhere in the world?

— For me, first of all, the personality of the head of the MissYu company – Vesna de Vinča - is very interesting and impressive. A renowned journalist, writer and producer, she is a very well-educated and intellectual woman who grants individual scholarships to all finalists in the contest, such that over the course of these years almost 350 scholarships have already been granted. These young ladies can choose their universities and future occupations, and that’s a very unique fact compared to other beauty pageant contests. The Miss Serbia winner also represents the country at Miss World and Miss Universe contests, which makes all winners ambassadors of their country in a way.

an hour of shooting I realised that acting is not my natural habitat and that I am galaxies away from my dream of being good at it. But I am very thankful to Monica for her support and patience while we were shooting the scenes. This period is certainly one of the brightest in my life.

You often say that you love Serbia so much. How did you develop this love for Serbia?

— Serbia was a case of love at first

sight for me, due to the people, of course. For me, every country is all about the people. Serbia became my second home. Serbs are very brave, extremely talented and successful in sport, the arts, music, science and even fashion. Actually, Armenians and Serbs share the kind of similarly tragic history that builds very strong national pride and identity. Just like Armenians, Serbs stick strongly to their traditions, are dedicated to their families, understand real friendships, are exaggerated in their love and self-sacrifice for children etc.

I am also amazed by the nature and beauty of Serbia. It is phenomenal and breath-taking for me to consider that Belgrade has been the scene of 114 battles and has been razed to the ground 44 times, but has each time been resurrected like a Phoenix, time and again becoming one of the most important centres of human culture and life in Southern Europe. I spent a long time living between Belgium and Serbia, trying to spend as much time as possible in Serbia. It is there that I find my motivation, inspiration and creative ideas, all supported by true friendships and the love I receive there. The nightlife in Belgrade and Novi Sad is also unique, probably unlike anywhere else in Europe. And I find Serbian women to be the most beautiful.

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C ULTURE Text: DANIJELA KLIČKOVIĆ

Elisa Tomellini Closes the First Franz Liszt Festival

Music of Chopin and Liszt at Ečka Fortress On Friday, 6th October, Ečka Fortress was bursting with the music from the first young talent in classical music festival – The Franz Liszt Festival, organized

by Color Press Group in collaboration with the Businesswomen Association ‘Sofia’, the Tonković Winery, the Generali Insurance Company and the PianoLand Company, under the auspices of the Town of Zrenjanin and the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The festival’s selector – Jovanka Višekruna Janković, who is also the director of ArtLink and the chairwoman of the Managing Board of the Serbian Festivals’ Association (SEFA) – was the chair of the Programme Council which also comprised of the director of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Ivan Tasovac, the director of the Serbian National Theatre’s Opera, Aleksandar Stankov, pianist Maja Alvanović (Piano City, Novi Sad), and the director of Collegium Hungaricum from Belgrade, Janos Dezso.

The festival was divided into four thematic blocks, more or less related to the famous Hungarian pianist and composer, and completely dedicated to promoting young talent in classical music.

The first block, with its diverse content, was all about the performances from various soloists and the Josif Marinković Mixed Choir from Zrenjanin. The second block was thematically dedicated to the work done by Jeunesses Musicales Belgrade which presented the students of music schools from Belgrade and the students from the Belgrade Faculty of Music Art with whom the organization regularly cooperates thus accomplishing its first and foremost task of promoting young talent and supporting their concert activities. The third

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thematic block, as chosen by the festival’s selector, was entirely dedicated to the selected piano compositions of Franz Liszt as interpreted by the young virtuosos from different backgrounds who have been cooperating with the ArtLink Festival for quite some time now.

The final programme of the first ever Franz Liszt Festival, which, at the insistence of its organizers, has had an international character since the very beginning, was dedicated to the special guest – the Italian pianist, Elisa Tomellini.

The renowned British daily, The Guardian described Elisa Tomellini as one of the brightest young piano

altitude. Her subtle pianistic technique, with fine-tuned notes, balanced in all registers, an exquisite atmosphere of the selected repertoire performed in the inspiring ambience of Ečka Fortress, made this concert a special experience for audiences and organizers alike.

At the time when the pianist and composer Franz Liszt was adored in the European aristocratic parlours because of his majestic bravura that only he was known for, with his long fingers as his only tools, the enticing energy, his wild hair on the head in which thousands and thousands of musical thoughts were born waiting to be written and

THE GUARDIAN DESCRIBED ELISA TOMELLINI AS ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST YOUNG PIANO TALENTS OF HER GENERATION

talents of her generation. Elisa was born in Genoa where she started playing piano at the age of five. She graduated from the prestigious Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. She worked hard under the guidance of eminent piano teachers, and has been furthering her career by performing not only at the typical classical music venues, but also at very extravagant locations like playing at 4,000 metres

played, there was another, equally famous pianist who was not only a friend of Franz Liszt but also a tough competitor. Although of similar age to Liszt, the sensibility of the other pianist was worlds away from Liszt’s. His name was Frederick Chopin who, just as Liszt, worked hard towards forming a new foundation for pianism. So, the two, inadvertently competing without wanting to win, created

both a special climate and a dilemma in the public – which one of them was the better pianist? It was back then that the famous sentence was formed – “Chopin is the best, but Liszt is unique”. The best compositions by ‘The Best’ and ‘The Unique’ were the first choice of pianist Elisa Tomellini for performing at the festival. Tomellini gave a fine interpretation of Chopin’s music Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66, the famous Berceuse and Op. 57. It was very poetic and sensual, just like the Polish composer and the piano poet would want it to be interpreted. On the other hand, Tomellini’s interpretation of Liszt’s music was interesting, not overly energetic, but more Chopinesque, as if it was some kind of guiding idea for similar interpretative technical moves in order to connect the pianism of the two greatest pianists of all times, thus giving them a shared component – the softness with perfectly dosed power of expression as equalizer, which was skilfully toned to suit the atmosphere of the piece. It is quite possible to deduce that it was the instrument itself – the Feurich piano, especially brought to the Fortress – that contributed to this. A half-concert piano, new and very little used, is not always the best choice but we salute the effort invested by the organizers and the PianoLand Company in providing a good instrument for the pianists.

All five of Liszt’s famous Concert Etudes and his first versions of the Paganini-themed Transcendental Etudes, which he composed in 1838 and later re-wrote into a simpler version for the piano, along with the aforementioned Chopin’s compositions, were performed

by Tomellini whose performance lasted almost an hour. For encore, she chose a piece from another brilliant pianist and composer – the Musical Moment in E-Minor by Sergei Rachmaninov.

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CO RPO RATE THE HELLENIC SUGAR INDUSTRY

MK RESORT

A Sugar Cube for a Smile The asylum seekers like sweets, too!

The First Sheraton Hotel In The Area

The Hellenic Sugar Industry, with the support of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran, and Social Affairs and the media support of the Globe Magazine, has initiated a humanitarian action “A sugar cube for a smile” in the Asylum Protection Center in Pirot and Divljane. The youngest migrants were distributed sweet packets by the Minister Zoran Đorđević.

The oldest sugar factory in Crvenka celebrates the anniversary of 105 years of work and 15 years of Hellenic Sugar in Serbia. As it is said by the PR manager of the Company dr Hristos Alexopoulos, the humanitarian action “A sugar cube for a smile” contributes to the anniversiries.

the initiated humanitarian action and for the day dedicated to children. He has pointed out, as well, that the goal was achieved when he saw the little migrants smile.

“The children’s joy when they received the sweet packets, speaks for itself. It was just the right thing they needed. There is someone who cares. Serbia has the same relationship towards all migrants and wants to provide the best conditions by the time they leave the territory of Serbia”, says the minister Đorđević.

PR manager of Hellenic Sugar in Serbia, dr Hristos Alexopoulos, has expressed his gratitude to the Minister Đorđević for his support with the “A sugar cube for a smile” action. He has emphasized that the action was for those who are

THE CHILDREN’S JOY WHEN THEY RECEIVED THE SWEET PACKETS, SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. IT WAS JUST THE RIGHT THING THEY NEEDED. THERE IS SOMEONE WHO CARES “The Greek company Hellenic Sugar Serbia, which operates in two sugar factories in Crvenka and Žabalj, with great responsibility, tends to show its humanity before the 21st of September, the International Day of Migrants.

Judging by the smiles of the youngest migrants it was successfully achieved. The action will continue”, says Alexopoulos.

After paying a visit to the Asylum Protection Centers in Pirot and Divljane, which is close to Bela Crkva, the minister Đorđević did not hide his satisfaction for

far away from their homes, and who have found shelter and protection in Serbia.

“The humanitarian action “A sugar cube for a smile”, aims to reach all children migrants who live in the Asylum Protection Centers in Serbia until the end of this year.

The sweet packets, as a small token of concern, has made them smile”, says dr Hristos Alexopoulos, and emphasizes that the sweet packets will have been delivered to the youngest migrants in the Asylum in Dimitrovgrad by the beginning of the following week.

New hotel to be opened in Novi Sad by the year-end

As a result of MK Group establishing cooperation with one of the most renowned hotel companies in the world, Novi Sad will be the location of the new Sheraton Hotel, the first of its kind in the area, that will provide the highest quality standards, and that has a huge potential in terms of developing conference tourism.

Located in the very centre of Novi Sad, the Sheraton Hotel will span 11,000 square metres, and, apart from having luxury rooms and unique interior, it will also have special conference venues.

With a total of 7 conference venues that can take up to 800 people and a possibility of organizing several events simultaneously, the Sheration Hotel will be able to host the biggest gatherings in the area. The investment of this size has the power to change the trends in conference tourism in our country and in the region, and, in that way, contribute to faster development of Novi Sad as a conference destination. The latest technical equipment, location and capacity of conference venues are perfect for holding conferences, seminars, team building sessions

and any event that will bring business community to one of the most luxurious hotels in the country. Some of the biggest gatherings planned for next year will happen in this hotel because of the ideal conditions it provides both for participants and organizers. „The cooperation with the brand Sheraton Hotels will additionally fortify our market position and is an important step toward accomplishing our goals towards having a strong regional hotel company. This will also provide an additional impetus for us and create more opportunities for young, quality staff who are motivated to become a part of the team of the leading global hotel group“, said Nikola Avramov, Director of Hotel Group that operates under MK System.

Apart from enjoying in luxury accommodation in 150 rooms and suites, the guests will also be able to enjoy in a rooftop spa and a wellness centre, equipped in line with the latest trends in the spa industry. The hotel will also have club suites with special benefits for the members of Sheraton's Loyalty Club. These guests will have a special concierge programme at their disposal.

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EVENT

Gorenje Gastro Planet Food and culture from around the world

H.E. Marco Antonio García Blanco, Ambassador of Mexico

H.E. Vera Jovanovska Tipko,Macedonian Ambassador

H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub, Ambassador of Algeria and H.E. Isabela Cristina de Azevedo Heyvaert, Ambassador of Brazil

Matthias Claivaz,First Secretary - Head of Economic and Commercial Unit Embassy of Italy

H.E. Dagmar Repčeková, Ambassador of Slovakia

H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych, Ambassador of Ukraine

The promotion of the magazine Hello Travel Novi Sad

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The promotion of book “Lost in the Plains”

Diplomacy & Commerce magazine, The Bač in the Heart of Bačka Association, and Petrovaradin Media, in cooperation with the Novi Sad Fair, organized a three-day event Gorenje Gastro Planet at the 50th International Tourism Fair in Novi Sad, which took place in the Novi Sad Fair’s Master Centre, on 5th, 6th and 7th October, 2017.

The event visitors were given an opportunity to taste the traditional specialties from around the world, in the presence of the officials from the embassies of Italy, Slovakia, Ukraine, Algeria, Brazil, Macedonia and Mexico.

Mr. Matthias Claivaz, the First Secretary and head of the economic and commercial department of the Embassy of Italy in Belgrade, Carmina Tarallo, President of the Italian Cultural Centre

the three-day event. On the second day, a book published by Color Media Communications and written by Žikica Milošević, Editor-in-Chief of Diplomacy & Commerce magazine, called "Lost in the Plains” was presented by the event’s panelists Robert Čoban, President of the Color Press Group, Vladmira Dorča-Valtner, Editor-in-Chief of Hlas L’udu, Nenad Pagonis, kickboxer and Vladimir Manjko, the representative of the Ruthenian national minority.

A luxurious edition of the bilingual magazine ‘Hello! Travel: Novi Sad’ was presented on the last day. The magazine is published by Color Media Communications, in cooperation with the Novi Sad Tourist Board, and it was presented by the following panelists: Branislav Knežević, Director of the

VISITORS WERE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO TASTE THE TRADITIONAL SPECIALTIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, WHILE THE BOOK “LOST IN THE PLAINS” AND HELLO! TRAVEL: NOVI SAD MAGAZINE WERE PRESENTED BY PANELISTS and the honorary Vice-Consul of Italy for Vojvodina, and Slovak Ambassador, H.E. Dagmar Repčekova talked about the traditional specialties, culture and tourist offer of their countries. Also present were the President of the Municipality of Bački Petrovac, Srđan Simić, the Ukrainian Ambassador, H.E. Oleksandr Aleksandrovych, the Algerian Ambassador, H.E. Abdelhamid Chebchoub, the Brazilian Ambassador, H.E. Isabel Christine de Azevedo Heyvaert, the FYROM Ambassador, H.E. Vera Jovanovska Tipko, and the Mexican Ambassador, H.E. Marco Antonio García Blanco with his wife.

Two promotions were held during

Novi Sad Tourist Board, Robert Čoban, President of the Color Press Group, Žikica Milošević, editor of the magazine, Borivoj Mirosavljević, photographer, Sava Damjanov, Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, and Jovan Matić, the singer of the band Gift.

The Novi Sad Oktoberfest 2017 and Novi Sad Winter Fest were both promoted in the official booth of Gorenje Gastro Planet. Also, there was a casting for waiters and waitresses for the Novi Sad Oktoberfest 2017, while the visitors were entertained by the cooking of the two celebrities from Novi Sad - Nataša Ilić, a TV host and Voja Malešev, the singer of the Drum 'N' Zez band.

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C O RPO RATE

Martinovanje – Slovenian Spirit in Belgrade The traditional event called Martinovanje, which is the biggest Slovenian holiday dedicated to wine, will take place in Belgrade, at the Velika Skadarlija restaurant, on 17th November. The Slovenian Business Club is the event’s organizer under the auspices of the Slovenian Tourist Board - STO The preparations for the biggest annual event of the Slovenian Business Club (SBC) called Martinovanje are underway.

Just like every year, this is an invitation-only type of an event, organized for the SBC’s members, business partners, and friends.

In Slovenia, Martinovanje is the biggest holiday dedicated to wine, i.e. to that time of the year when the aging of mošt (young wine) is

food for the long winter ahead.

This period also marked the end of the season of hard work, and the beginning of time for farmers to relax and have fun.

We would like to invite you to join us at this year's Martinovanje that will take place on 17th November, 2017, at the Velika Skadarlija restaurant. Here, the guests will be able to experience the spirit and the charm of this unique Slovenian holiday, as well as enjoy in the

THE GUESTS WILL BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE SPIRIT AND THE CHARM OF THIS UNIQUE SLOVENIAN HOLIDAY, AS WELL AS ENJOY IN THE TRADITIONAL AMBIANCE AND TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF SLOVENIA celebrated. In Slovenia, the event starts on 11.11., at the exact time of 11:11:11 am.

Back in the old times, this was not just an ordinary, fun event, but it marked the end of the grape harvest, a successfully completed agricultural season, and fully stocked cellars and granaries. During this period, farmers used to settle their accounts and prepare and stock

traditional ambiance and tourist attractions of Slovenia.

We are going to have an entertaining programme, and serve the fantastic Slovenian gastronomic specialities prepared by the top notch chef. The Slovenian and Serbian music will accompany all of this. We are looking forward to celebrating together yet another Martinovanje in Belgrade.

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D I NE&WINE

The Wine Circle of the Zvonko Bogdan Winery The winery has vineyards that span 59 hectares of land, spread across three landplotsLudaš, Radić and Palić, all in a thousandmetre-radius The Zvonko Bogdan Winery started its journey seven years ago, fusing the tradition of the Palić vine-growing region with the latest French technology, and determined to reach the peak of quality. Anchored firmly in the ‘sea’ of its vineyards, situated on the east shore of Palić Lake, in the northernmost part of Serbia, the Winery’s building stands out with its internationally recognized aesthetics, built in the Secession style that is typical of the traditional architecture found in the nearby town of Subotica.

The winery has vineyards that span 59 hectares of land, and spread across three landplotsLudaš, Radić and Palić. Each of these vineyards is carefully paired with the selected white (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay) and black (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Frankovka) grape varieties in order for them to reach their full potential coupled with the optimal land and favourable climate conditions. This is where tradition steps back to make room for development and new achievements. The Winery has the latest wine production technology, vinificators made of inox steel, and

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oak barrels. Every wine tank is connected via computers so it can be operated and controlled remotely.

The cellar of the Zvonko Bogdan Winery has over 300 barriques made from the top quality French

true to the area it comes from, and which embodies an uncompromising aspiration to be of the top quality that is validated every year at the biggest competitions in the country and the world.

THE CELLAR OF THE ZVONKO BOGDAN WINERY HAS OVER 300 BARRIQUES MADE FROM THE TOP QUALITY FRENCH AND AMERICAN WHITE OAK and American white oak.

The formula is very clear – an authentic and validated terroir is coupled with the selected grape varieties which, along with the experience of the top experts and implementation of the latest technology, results in wine that is

The wine tones of the Zvonko Bogdan Winery range from the lightweight Pinot Blanc, the aromatic Sauvignon Blanc, the fresh Chardonnay, through the sophisticated and elegant Rose and the award-winning ’Život Teče’ (’Life Flows’) and Cuvee No.1.

There is also the wine called ’8 Tamburaša’ (’8 Tamburitza Players’) suitable for every occasion, and two new wines from the Icon nine - Icon Campana Albus and Icon Campana Rubimus – for those special times.

We are rounding off the story about the Zvonko Bogdan Winery with its tourist offer which is an amalagation of the tradition of Vojvodinian granges, local specialties, tambouritza music, and the songs of the legendary singer Zvonko Bogdan, on one side, and fulfilling the needs of the modern conference and wine tourism. All of this is done with the help of the wines from the Zvonko Bogdan Winery which are born and best tasted here.

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KOLARAC

CA L E N DA R & N E WS

Concert hall

CONCERT PROGRAMME October 2017

Monday, 16th at 20.00 Concert Hall

49TH BEMUS

Alexander Sinchuk, piano Programme: Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky Production: CEBEF Tuesday, 17th at 20.00 Concert Hall

RTS FOLK ORCHESTRA & SOLOISTS

Thursday, 19th at 20.00 Concert Hall

49TH BEMUS

Nuria Rial, soprano Edin Karamazov, guitar Programme: L. Palomo, E. Granados,I. Albéniz, , M.de Falla In co-operation with PICE – Acción Cultural Española Programme: CEBEF Friday, 20th at 20.00 Concert Hall

49TH BEMUS

RTS Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Yury Revich, violin Programme: Damjan Jovičin, N. Paganini,S. Prokofiev Production: CEBEF Sunday, 22nd at 11.00 Concert Hall

CYCLE: KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

Conductor:Gabriel Feltz Philipp Kopachevsky, piano Programme: R. Strauss, P. Konjović, A. Scriabin

Duo Guitars Adnan Ahmedić & Fabio Barbagallo Programme: N. Paganini, E. Moricone, M. Teodorakis Production: Music Centre

Saturday, 28th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Sunday, 22nd at 20.00 Concert Hall

How to Listen to a Concert Host: Miloš Milovanović Production: Music Centre

INTERNATIONAL PRODIGY ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR

Conductor: Jean Y. Foo

Tuesday, 24th at 20.00 Concert Hall

NATAŠA VELJKOVIĆ

piano Programme: Mozart, Chopin Production: Music Centre Wednesday, 25th at 18.00 Concert Hall

ALEKSANDRA RADENKOVIĆ

Programme: Schuman, Beethoven Production: Music Centre Admission free Monday, 26th at 20.30 Concert Hall

OTHER SIDE OF NORMALITY

Admission free

Friday, 27th October at 20.00 Concert Hall

FIRE

Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra

BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

AIR 1

SMALL SCHOOL OF BONTON

Saturday, 28th at 19.00 Concert Hall

TRADITIONAL MUSIC – GUSLE Production: Gusle Society Vuk Karadžić

Daniel Raiskin

Sensartika Trio Production: Music Centre Admission free

October 10-20

Belgrade Philharmonic Hall Aleksandar Kojić

Conductor: Aleksandar Kojić Narrator: Milena Moravčević

FIRE 1

Production: Adventist Church Tuesday, 31st at 20.00 Concert Hall

CYCLE: EDITOR AUTHOR VISITING

Progarmme: Stravinsky, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Piazzolla Production: Music Centre

Conductor: Daniel Raiskin Soloist: Antje Weithaas, violin F. Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, overture J. Brahms: Violin Concerto A. Webern: Im Sommerwind P. I. Tchaikovsky: The Tempest

THE TRAVELS OF MIJA THE MOUSE

CYCLE: KOLARAC PODIUM OF CHAMBER MUSIC

REFORMATION 500TH ANNIVERSARY

Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

CHILDREN’S CONCERTS:

Sunday, 29th at 11.00 Concert Hall

Sunday, 29th at 19.00 Concert Hall

October 06, 20:00

Philipp Kopachevsky

October 27, 19:00 Grand Hall of the Kolarac Foundation

Conductor: Gabriel Feltz Soloist: Philipp Kopachevsky, piano R. Strauss: Macbeth P. Konjović: Symphonic Tryptichon A. Scriabin: Prometheus, the Poem of Fire

‘BOOK TALK’ LITERARY CONFERENCE

The third regional literary conference ‘Book Talk’ took place in two venues – Matica Srpska’s Gallery and the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection – with over 70 writers, publishers, critics, and journalists from the entire region participating.

The welcome address was given by the President of Color Press Group, Robert Čoban, the Trustee of Matica Srpska's Gallery, Tijana Palkovljević-Bugarski, the Trustee of the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, Jasna Jovanov, and Tan-

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ja Banjanin, on behalf of the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities.

Writer Žikica Milošević presented his book – „Lost in the Plains“ – at Matica Srpska's Gallery. The book talks about the lesser known stories from the history of national communities in Vojvodina. Following the book presentation, there were panel discussions about the Declaration on Common Language, the position of the text about contemporary performance arts, Novi

Sad's preparations for the 2021 European Capital of Culture programme, the Yugoslav literary heritage, and the contemporary revolutionary ideas.

At the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, the conference started with a panel discussion about travel literature, and continued with the talks about creative writing courses, literary criticism, domestic perception of Scandinavian crime novels, contemporary erotic literature, fantasy and vampires in Serbian literature.

Among the participants were Ljiljana Habjanović Đurović, Aleksandar Gatalica, Ivan Ivanji, Jelena Trivan, Mišo Nejašmić, Vladimir Pištalo, Marina Krleža, Dževad Karahasan, Tijana Palkovljević, Radovan Jokić, Zvonko Maković, Manjo Vukotić, Dejan Papić, Zoran Hamović, Mitja Čander, Branko Rosić, Minja Bogavac, Biljana Srbljanović, Dragoslav Dedović, Predrag Marković, Jelena Baćić Alimpić, and Vesna Dedić and many others also participated in the conference.

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