V.I.P.

Daily News Report

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Issue No. 6545 Thursday, February 14, 2019

Kosovo Prime Minister Announces Possibility to

Abolish Duties on Serbian Goods

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj is ready to put on the Vucic said he feared more than this that violence against
agenda of a government’s meeting the issue of suspension of the Serbs in Kosovo could break up because the political situation over
duties on the goods from Serbia if one of the ministers proposes it, there was “heated”.
Pristina-based daily Koha Ditore published on Wednesday, only a day He said that a probability of something like this could
after the Kosovo government sent out a determined message they happen was growing because the talks between Belgrade and Pristina
would not abolish the duties unless Belgrade recognized the were suspended while the chances for a conflict were much slimmer
unilaterally declared independence. while they were negotiating.
Asked if Haradinaj would allow such a decision to be made Speaking of the West’s attitude towards the customs duties,
at a meeting of the government, in accordance with the democratic he said that at a verbal level he was satisfied how the Western
procedure, if someone of members of the government initiated this partners acted.
question, Haradinaj’s political advisor Donjeta Gashi said that he
Thaci: I Met Vucic Several Times
dealt with all issues on the agenda so far according to the applicable
at Meetings that Were Not Public
regulations and he would do the same in future.
President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci confirmed on Thursday that he
This statement came after the US send a sharp letter to the
met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic several times at
Pristina leaders with the request for abolition of duties to Serbia and
meetings that were not public.
B-H and warned that unless this was done, their relations would not
He said to the Radio-Television of Albania that he met
be restored to the previous level.
Vucic “without cameras” in Brussels, than in the Vatican as well as
This letter does not exclude the possibility of reconsidering
they were present together at different ceremonies around the world.
other, primarily the security forms of cooperation with Pristina.
Thaci said he met with Vucic in Paris, too, during the
All obstacles to be removed, the US Ambassador and Thaci agree:
anniversary of the end of First World War, as well as in Vienna and in
The US Ambassador in Pristina Philip Kosnett and Kosovo President
New York.
Hashim Thaci agreed on Thursday it was vital to remove all obstacles
He said they met at the meetings of different leaders where
to the resumption of the dialogue with Serbia.
they openly talked “without cameras” about the developments in the
Thaci also said that Pristina’s partnership and friendship
region and in the Western Balkans.
with the USA was vital for Kosovo and that the Albanian people
Kosovo President added that he told his Serbian counterpart
should tank the United States for the support in everything they
on these occasions that the agreement with Serbia made sense for
achieved so far.
Pristina only if it was concluded with mutual recognition and
Ambassador Kosnett forwarded a letter of the US
membership of Kosovo in the UN.
administration to the leaders of Pristina institutions in which abolition
of 100 percent increased duties for the products from Serbia and B-H
was requested once again, which could pave the way for resumption
Due to the Statehood Day holiday
of the dialogue and reaching a comprehensive agreement between the next issue of the
Belgrade and Pristina.
Vucic expects abolition of duties, but fears violence against Serbs: V.I.P. Daily News Report
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said he was not sure if the
customs duties on the goods from Serbia and B-H would be abolished will appear on Monday, February 18 th.
immediately, but he believed this would happen in the coming period.
He said he believed this would be done in the Kosovo SzS requests from Vucic to say what he discussed at secret
Assembly so that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who meetings with Thaci: After Thaci said that he secretly met Vucic
repeatedly said this would not happen, could “save the face”. several times, the opposition Alliance for Serbia (SzS) requested on

Wednesday evening from the Serbian president to “immediately
disclose what he talked about with Thaci at all meetings that the
two of them had”.
“Vuk Jeremic repeatedly warned that the two of them
were discussing the demarcation at these meetings, i.e. the
agreement according to which Serbia would willingly surrender
one part of its territory and Pristina would be given a seat in the
UN, which is contrary to the Constitution of Serbia, UN Security
Council’s Resolution 1244 and equals the act of treason”, the SzS
statement reads.
“Truth is Vucic’s greatest enemy and now collection of
the payments is now rapidly coming for all the lies that he used to
shower the Serbian public and collocutors in the international
community with for seven years.
“SzS underlines that they oppose Vucic’s and Thaci’s
secret agreement according to which Serbia would de facto
recognize Kosovo’s independence.
“An acceptable solution of the Kosovo problem could
be only within the framework of the Serbia Constitution and
Resolution 1244, which Jeremic and one of the founders of SzS
Dragan Djilas clearly said to the European officials during their
recent visit to Brussels”, it was concluded in the SzS statement.
POLITICS
Opposition Demands Resignation of
Parliament Speaker Gojkovic for Forging
Official Parliament Documents
MPs from the parties gathered in Alliance for Serbia (SzS)
demanded on Wednesday a resignation of Parliament Speaker
Maja Gojkovic because, as they claimed, the request for holding
an extraordinary Parliamentary session had signatures of several
MPs who recently resigned from their office.
Vice-president of People’s Party (NS) and MP Miroslav
Aleksic announced in the written statement that charges would be
pressed against Gojkovic, because he believed that she would
have to take both, political and legal responsibility, for it.
“This is another in series of evidence that MPs from NS
and SzS, as well as other opposition MPs, had right to boycott the
Parliament and we should absolutely not give legitimacy to the
destruction of the highest legal-enacting body”, Aleksic
emphasized.
Deputy head of caucus of Dveri Movement Dragan
Vasovic said that the current session of the Parliament was called
on the initiative of 154 MPs among which were those who were
deposed from the office such as Vesna Rakonjac, director of
Biomedicine Administration, as well as Zeljko Susec, who
resigned from the office of MP on June 6.
“How is it possible that former MPs are calling for a
session”, Vasovic asked and added that appearances of the
opposition at the press conferences every day while they
boycotted plenum sessions, stated that the opposition members
respected the institution of the Parliament, but not the way it
operated.
MP Aleksandra Jerkov was even more specific and she
wrote on her Twitter profile that five signatures were forged: “A
request for the session was signed on February 8 2019 by MPs
from Serbian Progressive Party (SNS): Blazic Branislav (his
mandate stopped on October 10 2017), Gavrilovic Marko (his
February 14, 2019
2
mandate stopped on October 11 2017), Djurovic Aleksandra (her
mandate stopped on September 8 2017), Susec Zeljko (his
mandate stopped at June 4 2018).
SNS MP claims this has been a technical error: Head of SNS
caucus Aleksandar Martinovic said that “the old list of MPs” was
sent by his mistake during the scheduling of the Parliament
session, which also included several people who stopped being
MPs meanwhile.
However, he did not even attempt to explain how this
old list had signatures of people who stopped being MPs more
than two years ago.
Martinovic stated that ‘a real’ list with equal number of
MP signatures was sent later.
“This is a technical error. I apologize to all MPs and
Parliament Speaker Gojkovic”, Martinovic said.
Former MPs whose, probable forged, signatures
happened to be on the request for extraordinary session said for
Insajder web portal that they did not sign any Parliament
documents since they left their MP offices and they did not know
how it was possible for the documents with their signatures to
come before Gojkovic early in February 2019.
Opposition boycott in Vojvodina Assembly also: After the
opposition started the boycott of the state Parliament, the majority
of the opposition caucuses also boycotted the session of
Vojvodina Assembly on Wednesday.
The province assembly, besides the ruling coalition,
only included Serbian Radical Party (SRS) led by the sentenced
war criminal Vojislav Seselj, a political father of all party leaders
in SNS.
League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV),
caucus DS-DSHV and Party of Modern Serbia decided not to take
part in the work of the Assembly with a note that they would
reach separate decision on boycott for each next session.
The main reasons stated for boycott were usurpation of
the institutions, lack of freedom of media and hate speech, which
was largely present in society.
Alternative for Vojvodina caucus was the only one that
announced the boycott of the session and the assembly until the
end of their mandate, but they would, however, stay active in
asking MP questions.
“We were in passive resistance stage so far, and now we
would start the active stage. We want to develop all kinds of
direct communication with the people”, a member of Alternative
for Vojvodina and a member of People’s Party Borislav
Novakovic said.
Party of Modern Serbia announced that per diems they
should get by the end of their mandates for taking part in
assembly boards and sessions, would be paid on the accounts of
the independent media, in the beginning to the accounts of
investigative web portals KRIK and BIRN, because they would
like to support free and investigative journalism.
Leader of SzS suggests wider boycott in everyday life:
Professor of University in Novi Sad and one of the leaders of SzS
Janko Veselinovic suggested on Wednesday to the citizens that
the boycott of Vucic’s regime should become a part of everyday
life, in segments when this would be pretty easy.
“We can make the first step. Let us not drink coffee in
cafes without independent newspapers and where you can get
only pro-regime tabloids Informer, Kurir and similar”,
Veselinovic wrote on his Twitter profile.

“I made that step already. The second step is to cancel
cable network that has no TV N1 and TV Nasa. For beginning.
That is not a small step, you will see”, Veselinovic concluded.
In the response to this, the citizens added other similar
ideas to boycott products of all those who advertised in the pro-
regime media, as well as all trade companies known to be owned
by SNS officials.
Vucic: There is no Force to Make
Me Talk to Opposition Leaders
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic indirectly confirmed on
Thursday that he had certain contacts with the opposition leaders,
but he stated that the initiative for something like that did not
come from him because “it did not cross my mind to speak to
them”.
Several days after the leader of the opposition People’s
Party Vuk Jeremic said that he had reasons to believe that Vucic
was attempting to establish a contact with some opposition
leaders, Vucic said for TV Pink (in the morning interview that
lasted for more than 70 minutes) that “many wanted to talk to
him”, but he did not want to speak with the opposition leaders
Dragan Djilas, Bosko Obradovic and Jeremic and “there is no
force that can make me do it”.
“I am not interested in that. I will not meet with them. I
am always open for people and citizens. Not for these thieves.
And why they are not in prison is a legal question. Because they
have set the whole judicial system.
“Why should I talk to someone who claims that I am
destroying territorial integrity and Kosovo has proclaimed
independence during their rule, while Montenegro has left the
union with Serbia”, Vucic said.
Serbian President did not even attempt to explain how
he thought to deal with serious state and political work in the
future if he did not want to have contacts with the opposition
representatives.
“Zagreb, Sarajevo and Pristina support protests of the
opposition”: While speaking about the opposition protests, Vucic
said that the greatest support to these rallies in Belgrade was
coming from Zagreb, Sarajevo and Pristina and it was necessary
for people in Serbia to consider why this was the case.
“Why do you think Zagreb is rejoicing the ruin of
Aleksandar Vucic? Why am I a problem to them? Because it
bothers them to have a stronger Serbia. I have heard objections
from Sarajevo that Serbia is arming up. Do you want to forbid us
from doing so?”, Vucic said in his style while responding to an
unasked question.
Although he was trying to seem calm and like he was
keeping the situation under control,, Vucic seemed unconvincing,
pale and even physically unwell during this interview, like he was
ill.
Later on Wednesday Vucic met the Russian ambassador
in Belgrade Alexander Chepurin who informed him that Russian
President Vladimir Putin had also started a tour across his
country.
Jeremic: If He Had Power that Milosevic Had,
Vucic Would Have Been Much Worse Ruler
President Aleksandar Vucic is the complete dictator and such
dictatorship of one person did not exist in Serbia at least in the
last 100 years, the president of People’s Party Vuk Jeremic said.
February 14, 2019
3
In an interview to the Sarajevo’s Federal Television, he
compared Vucic with the former president of Serbia and
Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic, whom he called an “educated,
communist bureaucrat” and he stressed it was fortunate that Vucic
“did not have the kind of power that Milosevic once had”.
Asked by the journalist if he wanted to say that Vucic
was worse than the former president Milosevic, Jeremic replied:
“Much worse”.
“If you compare Milosevic with Vucic, he actually
worked with the minimum of style. Vucic does not have
boundaries whatsoever, he does not have a style. Unlike
Milosevic, who was an educated, communist bureaucrat, Vucic is
a hustler, a hustler without manners… By his control,
management of significant resources of power, Milosevic
essentially contributed to the historical tragedy in the Balkans.
This power is not available to Vucic, otherwise, I am quite sure, it
would have been much worse now than in Milosevic’s times”,
Jeremic said.
Jeremic said that Vucic suspended the debate in the
parliament, that democratic procedures were dead in Serbia and
that we could not speak of media freedom at all.
“So, we are not a free country anymore”, Jeremic said.
Vucic believes that Jeremic’s attacks are the consequence of
jealousy: Vucic said that Jeremic’s statements were “personal
hatred and regret because he cannot be in my place”.
He reminded that in the presidential election, in which
Vucic won, Jeremic won 11 times less votes, just over five
percent of the vote.
“It is not easy to bear it, such things produce hatred”,
Vucic believes.
”And one more thing, I’m stronger now then Milosevic
has ever been”, Vucic concluded.
ELECTION
SNS Official: Only Vucic Opposes Early
Election
Chairman of the executive board of Serbian Progressive Party
(SNS) Darko Glisic said that everyone among the party high
ranking officials were in favor of an early election and that only
the president of SNS and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic
“put the state interests above the party”.
Glisic probably failed to notice that he indirectly said in
this statement that all other SNS officials, including him, put the
party interests in the first place.
“Date of the election has not been agreed on and I
expect we will make the final decision in the coming days if we
would go to the polls earlier”, Glisic said to Vecernje Novosti.
Speaking of the election coalitions, he said that once the
decision on calling the election was made, the party would talk to
the partners to make sure that their “motive was the right policy
or mathematics in which everything will be adjusted following
the election”.
He claims that “protests of the opposition will not be a
reason for the election”, because “they cannot gather as many
citizens in their rallies as the number of them who came out on
Sunday in Vrsac to welcome Vucic”.
Glisic also said “there had never been larger number of
citizens who supported Vucic and SNS as it was now.”
 4

Decision to be made in two to three weeks, SNS does not exist statements made fun of these requests, the mayor of Sabac
without Vucic: SNS will make the decision on calling an early Nebojsa Zelenovic said on Thursday.
parliamentary election in Serbia in the next two to three weeks at Zelenovic said they cited in the requests that they
the meetings of the main board and presidency of the party, the wanted the law on financing of local self-governments and the
vice-president of SNS Milos Vucevic said. law on budget system to be applied because it was a matter of
“Meetings of the main board and presidency of SNS importance for all the towns and municipalities in Serbia.
will be held in the next two-three weeks and the president of the He added they submitted a joint proposal for formation
party will schedule them in accordance with our statute. Among of a working group for the election regulations that would be
other things, possible early election will be discussed at the professional, its members selected according to the parity system
meetings”, Vucevic said. and headed by Vesna Rakic Vodinelic.
Vucevic himself did not give his opinion about the “We also sent a request to the ministry that clear and
possibility of early elections in a morning interview to TV Pink, objective criteria should be established regarding the number of
but he sent a message to the opposition that was protesting in 50 employees in the local self-governments. In the manner of his
towns in Serbia by saying that the election was the only way to boss, Aleksandar Vucic, Minister Ruzic made fun of these
change the government. requests”, Zelenovic said.
Asked by the interviewer to comment on the results of
PM Brnabic Says Vucic’s Campaign is Financed
the survey, according to which SNS with him would win 55
in Accordance with “Constitutional Authority”
percent votes in the election and without him only 4 percent,
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday that
Vucic said that SNS had many good quality personnel, but
Future of Serbia campaign, in which Serbian President
obviously it was necessary to ‘refresh’ the top of the party in
Aleksandar Vucic was traveling around Serbia and organizing
terms of personnel. He said this would be done at the next
mass rallies similar to pre-election ones, was financed in
congress of SNS.
accordance with Constitutional authority of the Government and
Considering the fact that in TV Pink and other pro-
President of the state.
regime media, Vucic is asked only the questions that he
When asked by the journalist from TV N1 how was
previously prepared for, it would be interesting to see in the
campaign financed and whether the budget assets were used and
coming days why he needed to warn in this way his party
what budget lines, she replied that “an issue where there is no
colleagues that they practically did not exist politically without
issue has been created” in regard to this.
him.
Brnabic tried to act a big surprise that someone could
Analyst claims that Vucic’s rating will dramatically drop as
even ask such question.
soon as he presents plan for Kosovo: The moment Vucic
“You ask me how we finance legitimately elected
presents his plan for Kosovo, the rating of SNS and his own will
Serbian President to travel around Serbia and meet citizens and
drop below 40 percent, says the political analyst and PR expert
businessmen”, Prime Minister said “shocked” by the
Cvijetin Milivojevic
stubbornness of the journalist.
“As early as in 2012, they promised they would annul
“It is President’s job, if he wants to work responsibly
everything related with Kosovo that was signed by the former
and seriously like Vucic, to go everywhere around the country
government. However, all the following elections showed that
and speaks to citizens. I did not see that a special and specific
SNS shuns answers when Kosovo is at stake, and citizens have
financing was necessary for something like that”, Brnabic said,
the right to receive an answer what SNS intends to do with 17
while her associates tried to prevent the journalist from N1 to ask
percent of the Serbian territory.
her more questions.
“The moment they answer this question, the SNS rating
“This is not an issue in any normal country except if
will drop below 40 percent. If Vucic is forced to disclose the plan
you wish to present something with maliciousness”, Prime
for Kosovo by the end of the year, then an election will happen
Minister concluded and avoided responding who was paying for
prior to this.
rental of the buses, forceful bringing of employees from public
“It is irrelevant what other members of the coalition
and state-owned companies and their absence from work, as well
think about it. The government will do everything so that one part
as renting of large podiums, sound system, security…
of the opposition falters and takes part in the election
Brnabic just said that she did not know what kind of
nevertheless. These are very sweet offers.
special financing was necessary for touring Serbia, but she did
“However, the government is ready for the election, the
admit that this was financed by the budget and not by the ruling
opposition in the campaign of actively boycotting it. The
Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), as SNS MP and Vucic’s close
opposition’s goal is to fight for more equal election conditions
friend – Vladimir Djukanovic a.k.a. Bizon claimed the previous
and only then will they think if they will take part in such an
day (see V.I.P. News No. 6544).
election”, Milivojevic said.
Zelenovic: Minister Ruzic Does Not Want
to Provide Conditions for Fair Elections
PRESS
Mayors of the opposition municipalities Sabac, Paracin and I am Constitution, I am State
Cajetina requested from the Ministry of State Administration and “Campaign of the ruling party ‘Future of Serbia’, a performance
Local Self-Government to provide conditions for fair and free of simulation of the political legitimacy with forcibly bringing the
elections because “these conditions did not exist since the year audience, sends one single message to citizens, the one of King
2012”, but competent Minister Branko Ruzic in his public Louis XIV – I am the state”, Ognjen Radonjic, Professor of the

February 14, 2019


Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, writes in the text published on
the portal Pescanik.net.
“Irrespective of our will, this campaign is financed by
us [citizens of Serbia]. The campaign, contrary to the
Constitution, the article 111 and warnings that arrived from
lecturers and associates of the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, is
dedicated to promotion of the ruling party and is implemented by
its leader from the position of the president of the state.
“Instead of being the president of all citizens in this
country, he is not even trying to conceal that this is a party
campaign since he said without any hesitation that ‘his ticket of
Serbia’s Future will win the landslide victory’. Who can
constitute this ticket unless it is the ruling party?
“On the stage, behind speakers, one cannot see party
symbols, but his name, the emblem and flag of Serbia. The state
has been identified with him and his comrade in arms, while all
the others, inside and outside, have the task of destroying the
reputation of Serbia in the world, which is otherwise at a rather
high level. At least this is what the president says.
“The goal of this campaign, as it was put, is that the
president should come down among the people so as to find out
what he needs to do so that the country could become even richer
and more respectable. As if there is no Constitution, article 2,
paragraph 1, which reads that the sovereignty ‘is vested in
citizens who exercise it through referendums, people’s initiative
and freely elected representatives’.
“The purpose of this provision of the Constitution,
among other things, is that the problems daily faced by the
citizens of this country should be discussed in the parliament
where their freely elected representatives are. It is a duty of the
parliament to bring legal solutions, in a constructive atmosphere,
in the interest of all citizens, and not only in the interest of those
that are close to the authorities.
“The article 2, paragraph 2 of the Constitution has also
been violated, and it reads that ‘no state body, political
organization, group or individual may usurp the sovereignty from
the citizens, nor establish government against freely expressed
will of the citizens’ and therefore the article 5 paragraph 1, which
guarantees and recognizes “the role of political parties in
democratic shaping of the political will of the citizens’ and
paragraph 4, which reads that ‘political parties may not exercise
power directly or submit it to their control’. In a word, there is no
trace of the Constitution.
“Vocabulary of the president when he speaks to the
unlike minded remains unchanged in this campaign. It is
expected that if someone chooses, despite numerous warnings
coming from the academic community, to continue to violate the
Constitution – that he will also retain his rhetoric.
“Sentences that are easily understandable are repeated
endlessly and they boil down to insulting and belittling the
opponents. This rhetoric is not accidental.
“In his book The Language of the Third Reich, Victor
Klemperer, a Jewish scholar who miraculously survived the
Second World War in Germany, analyzed the Nazi discourse in
the process of subjugation of the masses and he concluded that
the language was not reduced only to writing and thinking, but it
largely controlled and directed our emotions and guided our
spirit, to which we unquestionably and unconsciously surrendered
to a large extent.
February 14, 2019
5
“It is the duty of citizens to defend the rule of law and
in doing so, not to use rhetoric of those who have been
undermining it on a daily basis”, professor Radonjic said in the
text published on the portal Pescanik.net
LIVING IN SERBIA
Pensioners Claim the Courts Sentence
Against Them by the Order of the Minister
High Court in Novi Sad changed the first-degree sentence that
obliged the state Fund for Pension and Invalidity Insurance (PIO)
to compensate the pensioner J. M. from Backa Palanka for the
decreased pension and Association of Trade Unions of Pensioners
of Serbia criticized this decision on Thursday and emphasized
that it was reached at the order of the authorities.
In October last year, the Basic Court in Backa Palanka
reached a sentence that PIO Fund was obliged to pay the
pensioner a difference between what he was supposed to get and
what he got on monthly basis for a period between December 9
2015 and December 31 2017 with accompanying interest rate.
This referred to the pensions that were decreased by the
Government decree reached as a part of efforts to consolidate the
state treasury financially.
In the explanation of the sentence, the court stated that
“the indicted (the Fund) was obliged to reach a decision, by
official duty, on decrease of pensions with a note on legal advice
to all users, including the complainant”, and that such decrease of
pensions was directly opposed to Law on Pension and Invalid
Insurance and Law on General Administrative Procedure.
Novi Sad-based High Court, however, stated that there
was no illegal and irregular actions by PIO Fund and that the
decrease of pensions occurred based on the law.
Pensioners suspect the pressure on the court: Chairman of
Association of Trade Unions of Pensioners of Serbia Mihailo
Radovic said for Danas daily that in the case of this sentence it
was a torture not only over pensioners but also Serbian Judiciary
System, due to which the pensioners would continue the legal
fight through an appeal to the court’s sentence.
“We will not step back in this legal battle and, if
necessary, we will go to the highest court instances. We received
information that the courts in Serbia were discarding the charges
for decreased pensions at the order of Serbian Government i.e.
certain Ministers. If this practice should continue, we will
publicly show names of the judges involved in this and names of
the Ministers who asked them to reach such decisions”, Radovic
said.
An attorney Zorica Trsic also emphasized that there
were indications that the authorities in Serbia were giving
recommendations to the courts to discard charges for decreased
pensions.
“Explanations of discarded charges are very similar and
a founded conclusion can be made that these are reached by the
certain recommended pattern”, Trsic said.
It is interesting that recently even Serbian President
Aleksandar Vucic has commented the first-degree sentence from
Backa Palanka and has said with ironic smirk that “we should
wait and see the second-degree decision”.
NEWS IN BRIEF
 6

Her mother Nada Bodrozic lost her life in a traffic

Former Minister Ilic Accuses the
Owner of TV Pink of Two Murders
Velimir Ilic, the leader of New Serbia, former coalition partner of
Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and former Minister for
Emergency Situations, accused Zeljko Mitrovic, the owner of
pro-regime TV Pink, for committing and attempting to hide the
murders of two women.
Mitrovic, also a close friend of Serbian President
Aleksandar Vucic, suddenly, just a few days ago, engaged and
reopened his Twitter profile on which he was publishing only
insults against the opposition and persons criticizing Vucic.
Although Mitrovic was completely ignored by everyone
involved, Ilic could not help himself and replied to the insults. He
wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday: “and you chased me
back then when you needed me for your former girlfriend and
mother-in-law you took care of”.
Mitrovic’s mistress Iva Bodrozic was found dead in the
room in Hyatt Hotel in Belgrade in December 2014, at the time
when Mitrovic and his wife were in the ceremonial hall of the
same hotel. The investigation showed that she died of
medicaments overdose.
accident under weird circumstances in March 2017, after she
attempted to interest the media in re-investigating her daughter’s
death.
Serbian Waterpolo Players will not Play in
Croatian City of Split until the End of the Season
Serbian waterpolo clubs would not wish to play games in Split
until the end of the season, as well as venues that were less than
200 kilometers away from the city in which Red Star players
were attacked last weekend, it was announced after the meeting
between representatives of Serbian clubs currently competing in
the regional league (Red Star, Partizan, Sabac, Radnicki,
Vojvodina, Nais and Valjevo) and representatives of Serbian
Waterpolo Association.
Red Star waterpolo players were attacked and injured
on Saturday in a café at the pier in Split and the hooligans
recognized the players from Belgrade-based club by their club
insignia.
The players were injured with bats and knives and one
of them saved himself by jumping into the sea.
The three attackers were in detention while the police
arrested the fourth suspect on Wednesday.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF
Key Monthly Monetary & Economic Indicators
March 2018
Average gross wage: RSD 68,251
Average wage without taxes and contributions: RSD 49,400
April 2018
Public debt: 23,601 mln EUR
Public debt/GDP: 58.6%
Money supply M1 in EUR: 5,505 bln
Money supply M2 in EUR: 7,288 bln
Current foreign currency reserves in the NBS and in commercial bank accounts: 11,613 mln EUR
Exports (Jan - April 2018): 5,126 mln EUR; Imports: 6,824 mln EUR
Trade balance (Jan - April 2018): -1,698 mln EUR
Industrial output: 3.1% (April 2018 / April 2017); 5.2% (Jan - Apr 2018 / Jan - Apr 2017)
Monthly inflation rate: 0.4%
Inflation rate YoY: 1.1% (April 2018 / April 2017)

- NBS: GDP growth of 3.5% includes resolution of problem of taxes. The projection of National Bank of Serbia (NBS) about the
economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2019 would include resolving the problem of Kosovo taxes of 100 percent for commodities from
Serbia, deputy general director of NBS Milan Trajkovic said on Wednesday.
- Boysen plans a factory in Subotica. The German producer of exhaust systems for car industry Boysen planned to invest 65 million
EUR in construction of a factory in Subotica that would employ more than five hundred workers in five years, Radio and Television of
Vojvodina (RTV) reported on Wednesday. At the parcel of ten hectares, which would be given to the investor without any compensation, a
construction of the production facility of 35 thousand square meters was planned.
- Worldwide investment funds in Belgrade next week. Impact 2019 conference would be organized in Belgrade on February 19 and
February 20, the largest conference in central and southeast Europe about investments for social enterprises and startups, the organizers
announced on Wednesday. The experts from the region and the world would present their funds, accelerators, innovations and
development in the area of social entrepreneurship and startup industry.
- Vinci: Our goal is 15 million passengers per year. The goal of Vinci would be to reach a number of 15 million passengers per year at
Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, general director of Vinci Concession and chairman of Vinci Airports company Nicolas Notebaert said,

February 14, 2019

 7

Tanjug news agency reported. Vinci took over Nikola Tesla Airport for a period of 25 years, after they paid a one-time concession fee of
501 million EUR. Starting from Thursday, the company would officially become an operator of Nikola Tesla Airport for a period of 25
years, Serbian Government announced.
- Web portal of non-tax fees in Serbia. A register of non-tax fees in Serbia was created and tested with the aid of USAID support project
to regulation of parafiscal fees, which were divided into 668 taxes, 108 fees and 242 other means of payment. The web portal was now
prepared for implementation in Finance Ministry as a regulation instrument, tracking of all non-tax fees and a valuable source of
information for tax payers, business entities and citizens, it was announced on Wednesday from USAID.
- Construction of the facility for desulphurization of gases starts. A construction of a facility for desulphurization of gases from
Obrenovac-based Nikola Tesla A (TENT) power plant started on Wednesday with an investment of 167 million EUR and it would
decrease release of Sulphur-dioxide for nine times. The ceremony of laying a foundation stone in Obrenovac was also attended by
Japanese Ambassador to Serbia Junichi Maruyama and director of Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA) for Europe and
Middle East Takema Sakamoto.
- Erste and EIB: 70 million EUR of loan with low interest rate for innovators. Erste Bank would launch up to 70 million EUR of
loans in the next two years under favorable conditions to innovative companies in Serbia, based on the contract on InnovFin guarantee
signed with European Investment Fund (EIF), it was stated in the bank.
- AIK Bank gives offer for the remaining shares of Gorenjska Bank. AIK Bank, owned by the Serbian businessman Miodrag Kostic,
announced an offer to take over the remaining 22.3 percent of shares of Gorenjska Bank, it was stated at the bank on Wednesday. As
Radio and Television of Slovenia (RTVSL) reported AIK Bank offered 298 EUR per share and the offer, published in Delo daily would be
valid by March 13.

Weather Forecast
Cloudy, dry, windy. Morning temperatures between -4 to 1°C, daily high from 4 to 9°C.
Little bit warmer in Belgrade, after cold morning. Morning temperature 0°C, daily high 7°C.

NBS Exchange Rates

1 EUR - 118.17 RSD
1 USD - 104.21 RSD
1 GBP - 134.57 RSD
CIP - Katalogizacija u publikaciji / Narodna biblioteka Srbije, Beograd
32+659(497.11)”52” V.I.P. Daily News Report / Editor-in-Chief Vladan Marjanovic
1993, no. 1 -. Belgrade: V.I.P. News Services, 1993 -. 30 cm. Dnevno
ISSN 1451-7329 = V.I.P. Daily News Report COBISS.SR-ID 111076876

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February 14, 2019