W Daily e-newspaper
• N° 41 • Belgrade, June 22, 2016
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WESTERN BALKANS e-MEDIA GROUP
New Government to be Formed in Ten Days
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Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that difficult tasks are ahead of Serbia after the conclusion of talks with the IMF Mission
rime Minister Aleksandar Vucic announced that the new government will be formed in ten days, certainly before the international conference in Paris which will be held on 4 July. Vucic said in an interview with journalists during the handover of combat armored vehicles for special purposes made by Yugoimport SDPR at the "Makis" training centre, that everything must be completed by 3 July. He will travel to Paris then, where a summit will be held which will be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, President of France Francois Hollande and other European and international officials. Vucic said that difficult tasks are ahead of Serbia after the talks with the IMF Mission and that the most difficult will be those in connection with the rationalization and job systematization in the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS). Someone needs to explain people why serious measures are important in certain segments and how we are going to implement rationalization and different job systematization in EPS, he said. It will be difficult, but we have to deal with it. There are a lot of tough things,
Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister: We were deeply shaken by traffic accident near Aleksinac, in which five passengers were killed aboard a Slovak bus. To their families and friends, and to Government of Slovakia, I extend deep condolences
Vucic inspects armored vehicles
we need a reform of the pharmaceutical industry, to make savings on local self-governments because a lot of money has been thrown away and needlessly spent. We also have to deal with some local banks and make them more serve citizens and less corporate business, the
Kyle Scott, US Ambassador: Migration flows can complicate economic cohesion. There are currently over 60 million refugees or displaced persons worldwide. Taken all together, they would form the 24th largest country on earth
Prime Minister stressed. He stated that Serbia will continue to invest in the army and the police and expressed satisfaction with the work done by Yugoimport SDPR, because we now have vehicles that we produce ourselves and which in no way lag behind similar ones in the world.
Dusko Radakovic, LSV: Process of strengthening administrative capacity is one of the most important tasks in the process of EU integration. It has been recognized in the Serbian Strategy of Public Administration Reform
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Serbia Could Open New Chapters on June 30 Serbia could open new chapters in its EU accession talks on June 30, diplomatic sources in Brussels have told Tanjug
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ll technical procedures related to coordinating a draft of the common EU negotiating position for Chapters 23 and 24 could be completed by next Monday at the latest within the Working Party on Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA), the sources said. Without a debate, the green light for opening the chapters could be given at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union (COREPER), scheduled for Wednesday, June 30. An intergovernmental conference could be held in the afternoon of the same day to open the new chapters with Serbia, an unnamed diplomat told Tanjug in Brussels. Coordinating a common negotiating position for Chapter 23 in the accession talks with Serbia is on the agenda of the Council of the EU working group on the Western Balkans. Diplomatic sources in the EU told Tanjug that efforts have been under way over the past few days to coordinate an
existing draft with demands from Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria, which mostly relate to national minority rights. At the same time, the sources said that a declaration aimed at mending the relations between Serbia and Croatia, signed by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic on Monday, should provide an impetus for reaching the consensus required to open new negotiation chapters.
Trinity in Petric. The same reports said that "two police officers were injured and Serbs beaten" and that six Serbs were also taken into custody. The church, built in Donji Petric in 1993, was mined and destroyed in 1999. There used to be around 60 Serb households in the village where only one elderly Serb woman, Kata Grujic, remained - to become the target of "frequent robberies and assaults." The return process starting 11 years later when six houses were built in the village, according to the radio station, based in the Serb enclave of Gorazdevac.
Thaci Asks Pope for Recognition of Kosovo Kosovo President Hashim Thaci met with Pope Francis in Vatican, in a private audience. On that occasion, Thaci invited the head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Kosovo in the near future. Hashim Thaci urged the Pope to have Vatican soon recognize Kosovo, Pristina media reported. He thanked, according to the media, "for the support Vatican had always given to the people of Kosovo".
Markers
BY IVAN KURT
SERBIA DAILY CONTRIBUTOR
Unholy Alliances
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Serbs Arrested in Klina Six Serbs were taken into custody in the village of Petric, Klina municipality in Kosovo, after they took part in an Orthodox Christian holiday celebration. According to Radio Gorazdevac, the incident happened when local ethnic Albanians reported that a group of Serbs who gathered to celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity, was "provoking them with a Serbian flag." According to unconfirmed reports, a fight broke out as the Kosovo police were stopping the cars with the Serbs, who came to the village for the celebrations at the foundations of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy
Daily
Thaci expressed his satisfaction with the canonization of Mother Teresa, as the embodiment of universal values, according to Pristina press. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on September 2015, after he spoke in Vatican with Pope Francis, that Roman Catholic Church remains firm on the issue of non-recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo.
oon after the incident with death threats to popular TV show host, satirist Zoran Kesic, there are news about death threats, or better to say unsuccessful attempt to kill Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic. Unfortunately, before both sad news, one murder actually happened, and it was killing of a journalist Luka Popov in northern Serbia. Whatever the background stories to these threats and attacks, they nevertheless create a sort of atmosphere of public insecurity, if even a top state official like Stefanovic could be approached by a criminal, and actually arrested while he was trying to jump over his house fence. Belgrade was always pretty much safe city, in comparison to many European capitals where it is not uncommon to be robbed or attacked on the street, especially later in the night. That is why Belgrade was, and probably still is, so popular among young backpackers who flock to the city in summertime and enjoy its night life, rafts on Sava and Danube and numerous night clubs and concert venues. But Belgrade got a long history of political and state induced violence, where, unfortunately, some of the victims often were journalists. If the state had better control over criminal groups which are connected to certain political centers of power, public life in Serbia would be much safer. Unfortunately, many political parties and their officials, in their run for political seats, often had to make unholy alliances with criminal underworld, and at one point it backfires unexpectedly. A sad example of that was the killing of late Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. There remains hope that in the course of EU ascension current government will be more careful to fight crime and severe its (former) ties with underworld, and these recent cases may use as a good trigger to start that process.
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With or Without Brexit, Balkans Will Pay the Price As EU managed to do so little in this region to get it closer to Brussels, it is very interesting what will happen after Brexit
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xpecting the results of Brexit referendum in Great Britain pretty much shows, it seems, that the EU destiny of Balkan countries like Serbia, and also Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro etc. is not so much in hands of those countries as the EU officials would like us to think. It is true that all those countries, as Bosnia or Serbia, are pushed forward to align their legislature, administration, economy, education etc. with current EU standards, but after all, having examples of countries which are outside EU but function very well according to those standards - like Switzerland or Norway and having examples of countries who lag quite behind those standards but are the EU members nevertheless - like Romania or Bulgaria - clearly demonstrate that EU is much more a political entity than anything else, and the policy of enlargement is exactly that - a policy. In other words, members become members according to political circumstances. The reason why BiH or Serbia were not included into that European club so far is primarily political, and relates, mostly, to unresolved political disputes with Serb representatives, in BiH when it comes to Dayton peace agreement from 1995, and in Serbia when it comes to recognition of Kosovo and perpetual flirting with Russia, EU's "log in the eye". Enthusiasm for EU dropped significantly among Serbian citizens, who feel that that there is something going on behind scenes with the, seemingly, endless string of demands from Brussels when it comes to EU membership, which almost always wind down to Kosovo and political themes, and also involve constant fear of cuts in salaries and pensions, as unavoidable side effect of fiscal and administrative reforms. After all, it was just recently that IMF warned that rises in salaries and pensions cannot be expected either this year or the next. After October 2000, removal of Slobodan Milosevic and rise of broad democratic front led, first, by late Zoran Djindjic, and later with Boris Tadic, populace in Serbia had hope that changes will move in direction of greater international integration, after years of isolation and rogue status of the country imposed by Milosevic's nationalistic politics. If EU acted wisely in that period, sentiment of the people would be without doubt turned toward Europe, even regardless of 1999 NATO bombing which still resonates harsh in the minds of
BY EMIR SALIHOVIC EDITOR-IIN-C CHIEF
many. However, continual political thug-of-war in relation to Kosovo made many people feel that Kosovo is more important to EU than Serbia, and feeling of defiance started to grow, feeding hard-line sentiments and movements that started to advocate stronger connections with Russia and China. It was also that lack of effective communication on the grassroots level, on part of EU, that made common citizens left out of picture and eventually led to dissolution of Serbian democratic front, which was replaced by reformed Radicals. It is true that those reformed Radicals, except for the President of the country, are strong EU proponents now, but at the same time do not always play as Brussels would like them to, and they do not intend to recognize Kosovo or to weaken their strong ties with Russia. The future of that double policy of striving toward EU and maintaining strong ties with Russia is quite uncertain. As EU managed to do so little in this region to get it closer to Brussels, it is very interesting what will happen after Brexit. If UK leaves European Union, it may backfire in Serbia with further strengthening of anti-EU bloc, which will get fresh arguments for approaching Russia even closer. On the other hand, if UK stays in EU, it is reasonable to expect that as part of its new deal with Brussels the whole enlargement project will be postponed indefinitely, what will, again, strengthen the anti-EU bloc in Serbia. And Serbia needs an ally, and support, and if it cannot find it in Brussels, it will seek it elsewhere. However, there remains a chance that if UK leaves, that Brussels would push even more for faster EU integration of former Yugoslav countries, in order to show that it is well and alive and that its agenda is not abandoned. It may be a new quick wave of enlargement which will, actually, just create new administrative problems within EU, as there is a huge gap in development between core EU countries and the new members. But again, Brussels may decide that it needs more internal consolidation before the next wave of enlargement, what will, again, leave Serbia and its neighbors outside of EU for an unknown period of time. Actually, in any case it seems that with Brexit EU is on a serious verge of the failure of its Balkans related policy. And if anybody is to be blamed for it, it should be EU officials themselves, regardless of how much the Balkan countries managed to progress on its Road Map or not. Too much politics and bureaucracy on part of EU ate its prospects in the Balkans, and opened free space for intrusion of other options and policies, which may leave EU and NATO quite unhappy in the end.
Publisher: WESTERN BALKANS e-MEDIA GROUP z POENTA d.o.o. Sarajevo, Augusta Brauna 3 z Editor - in - Chief: Emir Salihovic z Editors: VLASTIMIR MIJOVIC, AMRA ZIMIC, RASID KRUPALIJA, DANIJELA MRKIC, SANJA LJUBICIC z Director: Amra Zimic z Office Assistant: VERICA GRAOVAC, MUSTAFA BAHTANOVIC, DTP: Bekir Tvrtkovic z Marketing: KAROLINA MIHAJLOVIC z GSM: 00 381 61 2768568, 00 381 11 4086 992, serbiadaily@sbb.rs
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Head of Belgrade Police Sacked
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According to unofficial claims, the reason is the illegal demolishing of the buildings in the downtown in April
ragan Kecman, the head of Belgrade city police is dismissed and according to unofficial claims, the reason is the illegal demolishing of the buildings in the downtown in April, Serbian media report. Kecman was appointed in early 2015 by Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic who said, at the time, that he would "contribute to speeding up investigations", RTV B92 recalled. Unnamed sources told B92 that there will be more dismissals. On April 24, overnight masked persons demolished several buildings in the center of Belgrade using bulldozers and detaining witnesses; the demolishing occurred at the place where "Belgrade waterfront" real estate project financed by United Arab Emirates should be built in years to come. Stefanovic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic initially claimed they didn't know who was responsible. But earlier this month Vucic blamed "top city officials", at the same time defending mayor Sinisa Mali. Media speculated that Mali would be dismissed. April incidents provoked protests, but Vucic has condemned "harangue" against both Mali and Stefanovic. The media close to Vucic has accused U.S.
Dragan Kecman
and EU for organizing the protests. Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic said that police did not react on the citizens' complaints during the demolition. Jankovic claimed that top police commanders were responsible. NIN weekly, in Wednesday' edition, marked Stefanovic as the main responsible. "The responsibility of the city heads is
undoubtable. But the problem is that this is not enough. Such an action could not be possible without the knowledge and assistance of the Interior Minister", NIN stated. Stefanovic announced that he would sue the weekly. "The NIN front page and article in it is nothing but another monstrous and scandalous claim and publishing of notorious lies about me", Stefanovic said.
Mihajlovic: Attack Attempted to Destabilize Country Zorana Mihajlovic, a member of the caretaker government, and an official of the ruling SNS party, condemned an attempt to attack Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and the death threat he received. She said that she expected investigative and justice authorities to "completely shed light on this attack in the shortest possible time, and inform the public." Mihajlovic added that "the attack on Stefanovic shows the panic and fear of
those who think they can be involved in crime once again with impunity," and that "the attack can only be an attempt of criminal groups to destabilize Serbia." Earlier, media in Belgrade reported, "citing the information they obtained," that 33-year-old Milos M. from Belgrade was arrested on suspicion of threatening to use an RPG to kill Stefanovic. The reports also said that a document about the incident, that happened between Saturday and Sunday, "is still
top secret," and that Milos M. in that night arrived to the gate of a house where Stefanovic lives with his family. The security prevented the suspect from jumping across the fence, the reports continued, adding that his possible ties with criminal groups are still being checked by the police, and that Milos M. "threatened that he had weapons ready," and that the minister "can choose whether to die from a pistol or a Zolya (RPG)."
Vucic Sends Condolences to Slovakia Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic sent a letter of condolences to his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico in the wake of a fatal traffic accident near Aleksinac. Five tourists were killed and 23 others injured aboard a Slovak bus that crashed near this southeastern Serbian town. "We were deeply shaken by the news of the traffic accident on the motorway near Aleksinac, in which five passengers were killed aboard a Slovak bus. To
their families and friends, and to you and the Government of Slovakia, I extend deep condolences on behalf of the Government of Serbia and my own behalf," Vucic wrote. The injured passengers have been hospitalized in Serbia, the letter read. "I want to give you assurances that they have the best heartfelt care and attention that we can provide to them in our conditions and with our capabilities. I
hope that they will recover soon," read the letter, as quoted in a statement released by the Serbian government press office. The bus, which was carrying tourists from the Greek island of Corfu back to Slovakia, veered off the highway slightly before 4 a.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Czech media have reported that two of those killed were citizens of the Czech Republic.
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Serbia Lacks in Helicopters
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Serbia and Montenegro inherited most of the helicopters which once belonged to Yugoslav Army and used those resources for years
uring the last quarter of the century, states which were established as an effect of exYugoslavia break up bought or were given 136 new or used helicopters for their armies, while Serbia during the same period bought only two transport helicopters for Serbian Army. Those vehicles still have not been delivered, contrary to the announcements that they will be in Serbia by the end of last year. Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and BiH Federation bought or received as donation from friendly countries 136 new or used helicopters. Most of them are in Croatia which bought 63, then BiH Federation - 31, Macedonia - 26 helicopters and Slovenia - 16. Most of them are used machines, procured from various civilian or army sources, from black market as well, and today 87 of those crafts are in use. Still, there were some serious acquisitions of new helicopters, so Croatia bought ten new Russian Mi-171, and the same number of American Bell-206. However, since 1991, when the last Gazela helicopter from the Mostar factory came to former Yugoslav Army (JNA) units, Serbia bought only two new Mi-17 which are still waiting in Russia. Two used Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters were purchased 1998, not for the army but for the Special Operations Unit of Homeland Security Department (JSO). After JSO unit was dismantled in 2006, those crafts were transferred to the army. Not before 2010, army repaired two transport Mi-17 crafts, and one of them crashed last year during the emergency transport of a baby in a serious medical condition from Novi Pazar. Two Mi-24s were shelved on Batajnica airport and are rotting there. Journalist of Tangosix aviation portal
Zivojin Bankovic told Beta Agency that Serbia and Montenegro inherited most of the helicopters which once belonged to JNA and used those resources for years, which resulted in nothing being done to renew or modernize the fleet. "This demonstrates neglect and lack of care from the state which slept on the cushion of illusion that it possesses force, and we came to this position that all of it melted during these 25 years. Proper question we have to ask is would we even order those two helicopters from Russia if that tragedy did not occur in March 2015, when seven people died", Bankovic said. According to him, even in 2007, Serbia's fleet fell down to merely one Mi-8 transport helicopter, and after that six crafts were repaired. At the moment only two Mi-8s and one Mi-17 are in use, and this is presently the whole of the transport aviation of Serbian Army. However, next year one Mi-17 will reach
its expiration date and go out of service, while the remaining two Mi-8 will be in use till 2018. So, purchasing those two new Mi-17 cannot be considered as final solution of the problem of transport helicopter's fleet in Serbian Army Air Force. If we stop on this acquisition, nothing will get better, and if nothing is done by 2018 to repair some and purchase more, Air Force will have only two Mi-17. "During last decade members of Serbian Air Force mentioned several times that our army needs a squadron of 10 to 12 such helicopters, and Mi-17 was chosen as the model with best ratio of price and quality", Bankovic said. He added that besides small number of transport helicopters, Mi-8 and 17, Serbian Army uses about 15 light Gazela helicopters. The number of operational machines varies, and there is a serious problem of the lack of spare parts and further logistics.
First Indictments by End of Year
Serbia Expects Croatia's Assistance
A Pristina-based daily writes that the first indictments of the special court for KLA ("Kosovo Liberation Army") war crimes are expected by the end of the year. According to the Albanian-language newspaper, since these indictments will concern former KLA commanders who are now high-ranking officials - they will "shake Kosovo." According to this, Special EU representative in Kosovo Samuel Zbogar has confirmed that the formation of the special court "can be finished by the end of the year." "We are now waiting for the Netherlands to ratify the agreement with Kosovo, because this is a fairly complicated process that must be finished by the end of the year," said Zbogar.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic expressed confidence that Serbia will have Croatia's assistance in the future, just like Croatia will have Serbia support. Addressing a press conference after meeting Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, Vucic said that recent events regarding Chapter 23 in Serbia's EU accession talks were not mentioned. "I did not even mention that because I think that, when we start solving our profound and serious problems, we will also be able to understand each other much better as far as foreign policy positions are concerned," Vucic said.
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Serbia And Croatia Sweep Real Issues Under Carpet
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Relations between Serbia and Croatia are at their lowest ebb in years, Belgrade is upset with Croatia for blocking its path to EU membership while Croatia would like Serbia to change its laws
here are other issues, too, reports RFE/RL. Serbia lodged an official protest with the EU over a recent exhibition at the European Parliament celebrating the life of Croatian Cardinal Alojz Stepinac, a hugely controversial figure. Stepinac was sentenced as a Nazi collaborator after World War II, yet he was in the process of being beatified by Pope John Paul II before he died. There are some indications that he may have opposed the racist and murderous policies of the wartime Nazi puppet regime in Croatia. His beatification is currently on hold. But all this was hastily swept under the carpet on June 20, when Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Both gave the impression of performing a mildly unpleasant but unavoidable duty, doing their best to project an image of harmony and friendship. Trying to act like responsible adults, they repeated platitudes about the importance of regional stability and peace.
Happy Vucic Yet for both parties, the summit was a welcome respite from growing troubles at home. Vucic was no doubt happy to be away from Belgrade, where he would have to face continued questions from journalists over the delay in forming a government. He could also temporarily ignore the pressure being put on him by Moscow to include ministers that would meet with Putin's approval. By comparison, it was much easier to spend time with GrabarKitarovic, exchanging views on minority rights, missing people, and fixing the border between the two neighboring states, than having to report to Putin or run the domestic media gauntlet. Meanwhile, the denouement of an unprecedented political crisis was unfolding in Zagreb. An overwhelming majority of parliamentary deputies voted for a motion of no confidence in the government on June 15, leading to the dissolution of the Croatian parliament and paving the way to fresh elections. Apart from Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, the biggest casualty of the crisis has been Tomislav Karamarko, the deposed leader of Grabar-Kitarovic's party, the opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which
Vucic at meeting with Grabar-Kitarovic
is now looking for a replacement. All of this puts Grabar-Kitarovic in a bind, as the shape of any new government is likely to be less to her liking. Yet as if the country's deepening political crisis was not enough, the president waded headlong into the fallout from the actions of Croatian fans at the ongoing Euro 2016 soccer championship. A group of Croatian fans threw flares during the match against the Czech Republic and fought with fellow supporters in Saint-Etienne on June 17. The troublemakers were promptly branded "sports terrorists" by the Croatian team's coach, and Grabar-Kitarovic poured oil on the fire by referring to them as "enemies of the state, and haters of their homeland," calling for an emergency meeting of the government to deal with the issue. (There were fears that the Croatian team might be ejected from the competition, but in the end the Croatian Football Federation escaped with a 100,000-euro [$113,395] fine and the threat of a ticket-sale ban.) After meeting with representatives of the Serbian minority in Croatia, Vucic and Grabar-Kitarovic took a short helicopter ride to the Serbian town Donji Tavankut. It is a village near Subotica, in northern Serbia, with a majority ethnic Croatian population. Welcomed with applause by the locals, they visited an art gallery and attended performances organized by local cultural associations. It was a rather unlikely choice of location for Grabar-Kitarovic's first visit to Serbia. Despite the cordial atmosphere, the most divisive issues between the two countries remain. Talking to Croatian TV before the meeting, Vucic claimed that he was ready to open any question. Yet some questions are clearly more diffi-
cult to broach. "I am aware that if we invoke certain emotional topics, we will not find common ground. If we were to talk about the Croatian 'Storm' [the military operation that led to Croatia's liberation in 1995] 99 percent of Croats would see it as a heroic event worthy of celebration. At the same time, 99 percent of Serbs would consider it as the darkest day of their life because Serbs were expelled from their homes."
Conflicting Truths Neither Vucic nor Grabar-Kitarovic are ready to deal with the issue of Operation Storm. Serbia is still not ready to accept its responsibility for starting the war, while Croatia is not prepared to start a serious discussion about the crimes committed during its liberation. Their solution is to respectfully agree to disagree. It seems that both Vucic and GrabarKitarovic imagine relations between the two countries in which Serbs recognize the Croats' right to celebrate Operation Storm, while Croats respect the Serbs' laments over its outcome. Conflicting truths about the most painful period in recent shared history are somehow meant to coexist, without affecting mutual relations. Repressing collective emotions and refusing to face the facts -- by both sides -- is surely not the basis for any meaningful progress and regional cooperation. Perhaps in spite of the sound bites about meaningful talks, the leaders' summit will not achieve anything apart from its symbolic importance -- but in relations between Serbia and Croatia, neighbors and erstwhile foes, symbols count for something.
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Transparent Cooperation for Pharmaceutical Companies
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Innovative pharmaceutical companies will, in the following days, publish the data on cooperation with healthcare professionals and health institutions in Serbia
his will show the level of investing in healthcare, which, in turn, will contribute to the development of new medications, estimated the Association of the manufacturers of innovative drugs INOVIA. The development of new drugs will be possible through the sharing of clinical practices, exchange of information on the influence of new drugs on the changing of therapy protocols and shaping future clinical research, it was said at the press conference on the occasion of the presentation of the Code of Practice on the Promotion of prescription-only medicines to, and interactions with healthcare professionals. "Regular interaction of the industry with healthcare professionals, institutions and organizations is crucial to acquiring knowledge based on which innovative pharmaceutical companies make efforts to the end of improving therapy and treating patients", said the director of INOVIA Bojan Trkulja. He said that the first reports on invest-
ments in the development of medications, assets given to healthcare institutions for the purpose of education and the expenses of traveling to and staying at experts seminars in the country and abroad will contain last year's data. "The Code says that it is forbidden to give gifts to healthcare professionals, that the promotional material mustn't
cost over EUR 30 and the education seminars must be organized at adequate non-luxury locations", said Trkulja. According to him, this kind of presentation is a pan-European decision implemented in 33 countries in order to avoid the negative comments on the relations between healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies.
IMF Warns Against Payroll Increases The International Monetary Fund thinks that public sector pensions and salaries should remain at their current levels in Serbia, despite recent government promises to raise both. "Currently, we are not projecting the raise of pensions and salaries in the public sector in Serbia," said IMF mission for Serbia head James Roaf at a press conference in Belgrade. He added that it is vital for Serbia to achieve higher economic growth first
to increase revenue before rushing into salary and pension hikes. Roaf said the matter would be part of the 2017 Serbian budget talks at the end of a year between Serbia and the IMF. This is a continuance of the technical talks that ended in February after Serbian elections were scheduled for April 24. Serbian Minister of Finance Dusan Vujovic said that any increase in pensions and salaries should be harmo-
nized with the new criteria set by the IMF to gradually eliminate the differences between the two. Roaf also said that the two sides talked extensively about the energy sector and the urgent need for the restructuring of the public company Electro-distribution of Serbia. Serbia should deal with electricity price increases during talks with the World Bank, said Roaf, adding that annual price hikes are a standard practice.
Turkish iF Elektronik Interested in Serbian Market The Turkish company iF Elektronik Ltd from Istanbul, whose areas of operation are business development and IT consulting, is interested in expanding its operations to the Serbian market and establishing the cooperation with local companies, banks, faculties and institutes, it was pointed out at the meeting at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS). Mihailo Vesovic, the president of the Innovations Center of the CCIS, said that there were plenty of opportunities for the successful cooperation with the business and academic communities of
Serbia and that the Chamber would provide all the necessary logistics support. He pointed out a number of Serbia's advantages as a good business and investment destination, which, as he said, stands out in particular thanks to its young, educated IT human resources. Mehmet Kemal Bozay, the Ambassador of Turkey to Belgrade, explained that the Istanbul company's intention was to present the products of Turkish IT companies in Serbia and to recognize those Serbian companies whose products might be placed in the countries of the
region in which iF Elektronik Ltd is already operating, reports the website of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia. Orhan Karadogan, the president of iF Elektronik Ltd, presented its company, which is currently operating in Saudi Arabia, states of the Persian Gulf, Morocco, Senegal, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon and Romania. As he said, they are very interested in doing business in the Serbian market and cooperating with the representatives of the banking sector, IT, telecommunications, technoparks, faculties and universities.
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'Good Lawyers and Bad Judges' Team Up to Free Defendants
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'Good lawyers and bad judges' have freed the protagonists of a major cigarette trafficking affair, in a judicial case illustrating the myriad failings of Serbian law enforcement, EurActiv Serbia reports
he multiyear trial for cigarette smuggling carried out in Serbia during the 1990s finally got its epilogue this month. The primary defendant, businessman Stanko, aka Cane Subotic, is definitely a free man. Stanko was let go, even though a special court in 2011 considered him guilty as organiser of the smuggling. By a decision of the Appellate Court in December 2015, Subotic was acquitted of the charges, partly due to a lack of evidence, and partly due to the statute of limitations. Nonetheless, Serbia's Supreme Court of Cassation said on 7 June that the verdict had been reached in spite of the law being violated. However, it also stated that the verdict would remain in force, and could not be changed to the detriment of the defendant. His trial cannot be repeated, as the law does not allow it.
Fast Cash Subotic had been charged with heading an organised crime group that smuggled cigarettes from Macedonia to Serbia in 1995 and 1996 and sold them to legal entities and individuals. The group earned millions, causing the state budget an estimate â‚Ź30 million in damage. Subotic is one of the symbols of fast cash in the murky and complicated waters of transitional economies, which were the hallmark of the past two decades in Serbia and Montenegro, in which the 57-year-old ran business operations. His name is mentioned in the company of nearly all influential politicians who have filed through the scene of the region over the past two decades, many of whom have pointed to Subotic as a criminal, although many had business ties to him as well. The proceedings began on 19 May 2008, and according to the initial ruling of the Special Court in 2011, Subotic was sentenced to six years in prison as the organizer of the smuggling. The Appellate Court overturned that verdict in 2013 and ordered a retrial. Two years later, Subotic was acquitted, with observers' objections that the two years of retrial had been accompanied by
Stanko Subotic
numerous illogical issues in the proceedings, ending with the statute of limitations expiring for many pieces of evidence. The Appellate Court concluded that the acts committed in 1995 had exceeded the statute of limitations, and that there was no evidence of cigarette smuggling in 1996. In 2015, the proceedings were delayed as many as four times, even though the possibility of the statute of limitations running out had been mentioned several months prior, the Belgrade press reports. Alongside Subotic, his aides have also been acquitted of all charges, including former head of the Federal Customs Administration Mihalj Kertes. "Stanko aka Cane Subotic had a golden combination: good lawyers and bad judges," Belgrade's Blic said in December 2015, following Subotic's acquittal. All the while his attorneys, not to mention Subotic, claimed that the process was staged and that it was an act of revenge by Serbian politicians. Stanko's attorneys (a total of 20 represented 15 indictees), periodically held press conferences and fed the media substantial material, designed to present their client as a victim of conspiracy. The Supreme Court of Cassation found that the Appellate Court had violated the law because it had not accepted key evidence against Subotic and his associates, while on the other hand the stalling of the proceedings resulted in the statute of limitations running out. The key evidence presented by the Public Prosecutor's Office in the case against Subotic were photocopies of the documents dismissed by the Appellate Court as invalid, even though
the law does not state that only a certified photocopy of a document may serve as evidence, reads the ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassation posted on its website. Upon the announcement of the decision, the non-profit Crime and Corruption Reporting Network - KRIK said on 13 June that the question should be raised of accountability of the members of the Appellate Court chamber, who acquitted Subotic of cigarette smuggling charges.
Excluded Evidence KRIK reported that the judges had excluded evidence from the proceedings, thereby enabling Subotic to evade responsibility. However, on 14 June, Politika reported that none of the judges would answer in any way. "A judge cannot be held accountable for their legal opinion. In that sense they are protected by the Law on Judges, the Constitution‌ If a judge, in this specific case, were to be held accountable, that would mean their impartiality was being threatened and, ultimately, their independence," disciplinary prosecutor Mirjana IliÌ told the newspaper. Serbia is hoping that the EU will open Chapter 23 in its accession negotiations, on judicial and fundamental rights, in late June or at the beginning of July. As part of preparations for EU membership, Serbia needs to set its judiciary on healthy foundations, as it needs to have an independent judiciary that will solve cases without political interference and corruption.
S e r b i a D a i l y, J u n e 2 2 , 2 0 1 6
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INTERVIEW
Close Despite Geographical Distance India is today a major economic, military, technological and space power, an open market for Serbia in modern technologies, while the entrance ticket is education and language skills
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hen it comes to cooperation between India and Serbia, the committee for economic cooperation between the two countries provides a major contribution to strengthening bilateral links. H.E. Narinder Chauhan, Ambassador of India to Serbia, is certainly among the welcome guests of all important gatherings of the diplomatic corps in Serbia. Always adorned in the colorful costumes of her country, Ambassador Chauhan works tirelessly to unite the people of the two countries which, despite the geographical distance, have cultivated friendly relations for decades, reads CorD magazine. From your perspective, how would you define the field of diplomacy generally, and the challenges you face on a daily basis? Diplomacy is all about making friends and influencing people. Therefore, what you see me do is but one aspect of diplomacy, which goes by the rubric of 'public diplomacy' and that connects me with civil society, schools, universities, cultural institutions, libraries etc. Indian culture is popular in Serbia and I have exerted efforts to build bridges through cultural manifestations, whether performance arts, exhibitions, tourism, books, photography etc. What do you think is the most important aspect in terms of Serbia and India cooperating more closely in the future? Our past history provides a very good foundation on which to build the present day relationship. There are no outstanding issues. There is no historical baggage. In fact the baggage is only positive. Serbia is in transition and India is an emerging economy that is recording the highest rate of growth spurred by domestic demand. Serbia has a very important role to play in new economic projects in India, including Digital India, the Smart City project, Make in India etc. The Embassy Group, which operates in India's Silicon Valley, Bangalore, has invested about 15 million euros to create a state-of-the-art IT Park in Inรฐija, near Belgrade. Happily, Yoga, Ayurveda and Homeopathy are recognised in Serbian law, and we will soon open an Ayurveda Information Centre at the Embassy, in order to guide prac-
titioners in the right direction. These alternative therapies can bring immense health benefits to our Serbian friends. Himalaya Herbal is well represented in Serbia as are other Indian drug companies. How would you assess current bilateral relations between Serbia and India, and what do you think should be the next step? Despite the breakup of Yugoslavia, our political relations continue to be exceptional, marked by a long tradition of mutual support on issues of core interest. This is amply demonstrated on the floor of many international organisations. It is a matter of immense satisfaction that Serbia also supports India's international role. India sees Serbia as a reliable partner. We are aiming at exchange of political level visits. What should Serbia do in order to increase its export to India or attract Indian investors, and in which areas could that be done? I think we need to do a joint economic survey on how we can boost bilateral trade. Obviously Serbia needs to export more to India and to identify which agricultural products and industrial goods would meet the requirements of the Indian market, apart from the defence sector and vice versa. Biomedicine is another area where there is a history of excellent cooperation through Torlak Laboratories, which helped India eradicate polio. The sectors for enhancement of bilateral trade include retail
medicaments, metals, petroleum products, agro and agro-chemical products, mobile phones, petrochemicals, personal care products, ayurveda amd herbal products etc. Has diplomacy changed and enriched your personality, or has it perhaps taken more away from you? Every day is different. I meet different people and deal with different issues. Every day I respond to new developments. One is always reinventing oneself and in a constant process of rediscovering different aspects of one's own personality. What is eclectic about my work is the diversity and range it offers, and there is never a dull day. How would you explain the popularity of India television serials in Serbia and around the world? It is incredible that Indian TV serials have a large fan base in Serbia. India is entering the living rooms of Serbia every day, which is such a boon. Bar the dramatic storylines, these TV serials are a mirror of Indian society, family relationships, costumes (saris), jewellery, beliefs, cuisine etc. One important element in the India story is the triumph of good over evil. This is the everlasting theme around which Indian folklore and mythology is built. Another important element is the diverse nature of Indian society, which makes it a very interesting place to be. Over and above this is the unity in diversity around which the social fabric of the Indian nation is woven. What would you recommend Indian tourists see in Serbia and how can we increase tourist activities in both directions? This year's theme of the India Pavilion at the Belgrade Tourism Fair was Ayurveda tourism, which can be planned for the monsoon months (June to August) in the Southern part of India and the Himalayan region. India is otherwise a year-round tourism destination, including medical tourism and destination weddings. There is something for everyone in India, including adventure tourism, desert tourism, beach tourism, Himalayan tourism, spiritual tourism, touring forts and palaces etc. We are seeing annual growth of 17 per cent in the numbers of Serbians visiting India and each one is a potential tourist.
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'Serbia's Detroit' Faces Return to Hunger Years The city of Kragujevac, known for its auto industry, is facing a nightmare after major employer Fiat said around a third of workers in its factory would lose their jobs after August
D
uring the communist era, the Serbian city of Kragujevac was known as Serbia's Detroit because of the size of the automobile industry in the city. All that changed in the Nineties, when, because of sanctions and war, industry stopped working and Kragujevac become known as "the valley of hunger". That changed in 2008, when Fiat came back to the town, opening the partner FCA factory with the government of Serbia. Jobs in the factory were heavily subsidized but workers saw light at the end of the tunnel and hoped good times were coming back to Kragujevac. Now the management of Fiat has said that sales of the model Fiat 500 l are poor and that many jobs will be cut. Locals in Kragujevac are fearful once again.
Severance Pay "It was shock when we found out that a third of the workforce will be laid off. That is more than 1,500 people, about 900 in the Fiat factory and the rest from the partner factories that supply Fiat," said president of the Union in FAC Zoran Markovic. He said the company would offer the jobless workers a plan, and they will also receive severance pay, but they have not specified how much. During the last year, unions held negotiations with the management in which they agreed that there would be no layoffs but also no salary raises, so the layoffs came as a surprise. "We have written to the Prime Minister but have not received an answer. We will organize a protest in Kragujevac and ask the government to get involved," said Markovic adding that Fiat was obliged by contract to start making a new model of car in 2014 but that had never happened. According to Markovic, the state has lost interest in this company, although it holds 33 per cent of shares in the company. "At the meeting with the company management, it was said to us that they had already talked with Prime Minister Vucic and the Finance Minister, who told them [Fiat] to make arrangements with us, the union," said Markovic. Markovic stated that there had been concerns about the future because the
Fiat model 500L in Kragujevac (Photo: Beta)
contract between Serbia and Fiat expires in September 2017, and workers were wondering what would happen with the factory and the jobs after that. The contract between state of Serbia and Fiat, which defines each party's responsibilities in the partner FCA company, is still a state secret. There is no public information about the subsidies and or about how much money Fiat received from Serbia to open the factory in Kragujevac. When production of the model 500L started in 2012, in the first year it produced 117,000 units, but there was no further information from Fiat or the state about how many units were produced a year later. Workers willing to talk to BIRN asked to stay anonymous since the list of layoffs is not yet out, and they do not want to find themselves on it. One worker in FAC, who works on quality control, said that the opening of the factory had been like a dream, since a multinational company had opened much-needed jobs in the auto industry. "Most of us workers took out loans to solve life's issues, since we thought that we had stable jobs. But, ever since 2014, when production dropped, we started to worry, knowing it would not end well." He added that all the workers who got jobs in FAC enjoyed better conditions than they had experienced in previous jobs. Another worker, who is not working in FAC but in a cooperative company that provides services and parts for FAC,
said they had been expecting layoffs for more than a year. "We were working in three shifts only thanks to state subsidies, and the scale of production was not enough for the three shifts that are currently operate," he said.
Surprised by News He confirmed that at least 900 people will lose their jobs in Fiat FAC and more than 600 will also lose them in the partner companies. In city council there is fear and concern about how the layoffs will impact on locals whose memories of the "hungry" years are still painful. "We were surprised by the news of the layoffs, but we knew that exports were falling since 2013, so it was logical," a member of the city council, Radomir Eric, said, adding that in talks with locals, "fear is starting to prevail". He said the city council was not officially informed by FIAT of the massive layoffs; the union had informed them. "This will drastically reflect on the city budget. According to the first rough assessment, 40 million dinars will be lost just from personal income tax," Eric told BIRN. "People will spend less, so there will be fall in economic activity in Kragujevac. We formed the city administration just four days ago but are already thinking how to soften this blow," added Eric, expressing also a hope that Fiat will contact the city council.
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Motherhood on Ice: Late Pregnancy in Serbia Women in the West are being encouraged to freeze their eggs to have a better chance of conceiving later in life. Will the procedure catch on in Serbia? "I never thought I'd turn 35 without having a family. I've always done everything by the book - school, college, job... But motherhood is the only item on my to-do list for life that I'm afraid I'm going to fail," says Ivana, a lawyer from Belgrade. Her parents have stopped asking her the tiresome question: "What are you waiting for?" She believes they have given up on grandchildren. Ivana asked that her surname not be used in this article, because she feels she has disappointed her parents. At her age, her mother already had two children Ivana, who was seven years old, and her brother, who was five. "I'm still single, with no children and I don't see my status changing significantly in the near future," Ivana says over coffee in a city centre cafĂŠ. She recalls an article she read in the Politika newspaper last December. It reported that almost half of women over 30 in Belgrade do not have children.
Parenthood Passed By "I wasn't sure whether to feel better now I know there are so many of us or to start seriously worrying," she tells me. "But I'm starting to worry." Ivana says many of her friends and colleagues are in a similar situation, fearing that - as they get older and their fertility declines - parenthood will pass them by. Two married friends had children with the help of in vitro fertilization, IVF. "You're just simply unaware of how quickly the years go by. Suddenly you realise that you're nearing a dead end and you'd give anything to turn back time or to slow it down," Ivana says. But is there any way to trick nature and slow down the biological clock? Towards the end of last year, two major American companies appeared to give their workers the chance to do exactly that. Technology giants Apple and Facebook made headlines around the world by offering to cover the cost of freezing employees' egg cells, potentially allowing them to focus on their careers without fearing that they would be deprived of motherhood later on. The news led to a frenzy of media coverage and comment about "social eggfreezing" - freezing cells not for medical reasons, for example because a woman may become infertile due to
chemotherapy, but to give women more control over when they have a child. The medical director of one of the biggest fertility clinics in Europe said egg-freezing represented a second wave of women's emancipation after the contraceptive pill and could be an ideal 30th birthday present. But critics have accused clinics of exploiting women's fears of missing out on motherhood to get them to spend a lot of money on a procedure whose success rate is far from clear. So let's get back to Balkan reality. How realistic, or wise, is it for women in Serbia and Croatia to freeze their eggs? In theory, anything that helps women conceive when they are older could have considerable appeal. As in many other countries, women in both Serbia and Croatia are waiting longer before having a child, according to official statistics. In 2013, the average age of mothers in Serbia at the birth of their first child was 26.4 years. Twenty years ago the figure was 24.3 years. In Croatia, the average age of first-time mothers in 2013 was 28 years - three years older than in 1995. "I thought it would give me a greater chance of having a baby if I met a partner in the next few years" The reasons why women are having children later are many and varied. Some women want to establish a career. Others fear losing their jobs if they get pregnant. Some hesitate because they doubt whether they can provide a solid financial future for their children. Others may not have found a partner. But particularly in the Balkans, women also feel strong social pressure to become mothers - and those who do not have children can be judged harshly. In the Politika article about women
over 30 without children, the journalist described the reasons for not having a family as "hedonistic", prompting outrage from some readers. "Women are not baby machines. I can do whatever I want with my body," said one reader who commented on the story. "So I have to quit studying and grab the first guy in the street so we can breed like rabbits? Great, thanks for telling me the truth - I obviously have no value unless I keep my mouth shut and have babies," wrote another. Smiljka Tomanovic, a professor of sociology at the University of Belgrade, says there is a traditional belief in Serbia that a woman is fulfilled only once she becomes a mother.
Social Pressure "You'll never hear anyone saying that a man is fulfilled by his role as a father, will you?" Tomanovic notes pointedly. However, the pressure women face is not only social. There is also the ticking of the biological clock. Experts warn that woman's fertility starts falling slowly between the ages of 25 and 35 and then the decline gets steeper, making it difficult for most women to conceive after reaching 40. This goes hand in hand with the fact that, when a woman is older, the risk of an unsuccessful pregnancy or miscarriage is higher. In Serbia, the options for women who want to freeze their eggs are extremely limited. Serbian law does not explicitly forbid social egg-freezing, but it is very rare in local clinics. It is on offer at one private clinic, the Jevremova Special Gynaecology Hospital in Belgrade. The cost of freezing the egg cells is about EUR 500, although this price does not include other costs such as preparatory procedures, medical tests and medication.
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