SERBIA: A Victim Commemoration & more – 19th Nov 2024

Dobar dan from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Serbia Update from the 19th of November twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Serbia.

s. The commemoration began at: 11:52

Friday’s gathering came after a series of protests in Novi Sad, all seeking answers for the collapse despite the railway station’s recent renovation. Citizens from all over Serbia demand accountability from officials, calling for the resignations of current Novi Sad’s Mayor Djuric and Prime Minister Vucevic, who was mayor of the city when the railway station was opened after its renovation in July this year. The authorities are conducting an investigation to find the people responsible, but have made no arrests so far.

Speaking of arrests, on Wednesday the 13th, Kosovo’s border police detained a principal from Serbia who worked in a school in Kosovo that operates within Serbia’s system. He was released soon after questioning.

He was arrested because he had stamps from the school on him, which had Serbian symbols. The stamps were problematic because after declaring its independence from Serbia, Kosovo wanted all its institutions to be under Kosovo's system, not under Serbia's and the Serbian symbolism indicated that the school was operating within Serbia’s system.

Petar Petkovic, the director of the Office for Kosovo, accused Kosovo’s government of trying to shut down Serbian schools there. He also called for the EU to condemn Kosovo’s behavior.

Two days later, on Friday the 15th, Peter Stano, the EU spokesperson, commented on the principal’s arrest, and said that the normalization dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina needs to address basic public and social services. Stano noted that the arrest could pose negative effects on the community by restricting access to education.

On Monday the 18th, Belgrade opened its third annual Belgrade Security Conference led by the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, or BCSP, under the slogan In the Defence of Humanity. The opening ceremony featured discussions about the Transatlantic partnership, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, and the enlargement of the EU, among others. Speakers at the conference opening brought up issues like the lack of democracy in Eastern Europe, as well as the socio-political environment in the Western Balkans, and the consequences it has on citizens.

Srdjan Cvijic, the president of the international advisory committee of the BCSP, said that the ongoing wars, tragedies and the rise of autocracy are affecting the youth, highlighting the importance of fighting for democracy. The conference will feature speakers from Serbia, but also from the EU, France, Germany, and Montenegro.

On that note about foreign countries and bilateral relations, president Vucic and his Kazakh counterpart Tokayev met on Tuesday the 19th in The Palace of Serbia, in the capital, Belgrade. During their plenary meeting, the two signed ten agreements and memoranda on various topics, including the readmission of persons, defense cooperation, education, and tourism. Both presidents highlighted that the signed documents aim to improve cooperation across sectors, improving the relations between the two countries.

In some news about education, teachers are still on strike, which began in mid-September, demanding higher salaries. On Wednesday the 13th, the Union of Education Workers’ Unions of Vojvodina said that they had proposed a meeting to the government in order to reach an agreement on the issue.

The government’s latest offer for education workers was a pay rise of around eleven percent, which would increase their current average salary of 86,000 dinars, which is around 780 dollars, to about 96,000 dinars, 860 dollars. The unions rejected the offer, explaining that even with the salary increase they would earn less than the country’s average monthly income which is around 97,000 dinars, which is around 870 dollars.

Education workers demand that the starting salary of teachers be equal to the average salary at the national level.

More about the economy as the State Statistical Office reported on Wednesday the 13th that the year-on-year inflation amounted to around five percent in October, which is around four percent higher than in October last year. Compared to September, the inflation rose by around one percent. Consumer prices have increased the most in the education, clothing, and healthcare sectors.

Another number that has increased since last year is the export of products and services in the information and communications technology sector, or ICT sector. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications reported on Thursday the 14th that in the first nine months of twenty twenty-four, the ICT sector exports amounted to around 350 billion dinars, which is around three billion dollars. Compared to twenty twenty-three, the exports increased by twenty percent, marking a new record for the ICT sector, which the ministry said is the fastest-growing industry in Serbia.

On Friday the 15th, Djedovic Handanovic, the energy minister, announced that the government is planning to lift the moratorium on nuclear energy by the end of the month through amendments to the Law on Energy. She said that the state’s goal is to build gas power plants in order to secure enough energy for the growing needs of citizens and the economy. Additionally, the government is interested in building small modular nuclear power plants to diversify its energy supplies.

The strive for diversification of energy comes amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, due to Serbia’s dependence on Russia’s cheap gas. However, the use of nuclear energy is currently prohibited in Serbia and has been since the eighties, after the Chernobyl disaster.

Aside from nuclear power, Serbia is looking into collaborating with other countries in order to secure more energy. Such is the case with Hungary, whose prime minister Orban announced on Wednesday the 15th that the two countries have planned several joint infrastructure projects with the aim to deepen their cooperation and relations while also securing enough energy. These initiatives include electricity infrastructure, oil and gas transport, as well as gas storage and trading. Orban also announced a joint electricity exchange operation between Serbia and Hungary set to begin in twenty twenty-five.

In some news about the environment, the Ministry of Environmental Protection ordered the closure of one of Serbia’s regional landfills due to irregularities the republic's environmental protection inspectors found during an extraordinary inspection. The irregularities found are related to the recent blockades of the landfill near the town of Uzice, which the To (not) Breathe Deeply environmental association carried out due to the several fires the landfill produced. The association’s activists blocked the entrance to the landfill, preventing the import of waste, and further fires.

In the aftermath of the ongoing blockades, the mayor of Uzice announced that it would close the town’s landfill and store waste at a different one in the town of Lapovo. However, garbage containers in Uzice have not been emptied for days, as the mayor’s initiative has not yet started. As a result, several new illegal landfills opened up in order to remove waste until further notice.

Let’s close this decision on a more positive note. On Saturday, the 23rd, Novi Sad’s Student Cultural Center will host Partybreakers, one of the most famous Yugoslav rock bands. Attendees will get a chance to hear some of the most notable songs from the Yugoslav rock scenes, such as Move towards me, Prayer, Born Bad, and many others! Ticket prices range from 1,800 dinars, which is around sixteen dollars, to 2,500 dinars, about twenty dollars, and are available for purchase online and at Gigstix outlets.

For more information, check out the link in the show notes!

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Do daljnjeg, zbogom!