Discrimination ofRoma populationand social violence over minorities identified as a serious problem

INTERVIEW US DEPARTMENTOF STATEdr Suzana Paunović

Republic of Serbia isabove an average European standardin regard to the minority rights

If something is goodfor the Hungarians –it is not bad for theSerbs either

INTERVIEW

Minority News

April 8 – the World Roma Day

Free monthly newsletter on the life of minority communities in Serbia

Nr 1 | APRIL/MAY 2013

PRO ET CONTRANevena Petrušić: People are discriminated in oursociety

RESEARCH“Vojvodina Declaration”has pointed out to anabsence of a culture ofa dialogue

Jewish Community

Yom HaShoahHolocaust and Heroism

Remembrance Day

Yossef Levy, the Ambassadorof the State of Israel to Serbia

Enhanced Communication,

Coordination, and Cooperation

Minority NewsPROJECT

Pristina and Belgrade on the Way to Normalize their Relations

Special Insert

Historical Agreement for Peace, Prosperity, and Hope in the Balkans

Education is the Best Way to Cure Anti-Semitism

dr Tamaš Korhec:

Our Appreciation of the Society WeLive in is Diminishing DailyThe electronic monthly newsletter Minority News has been launchedin response to a growing need for a publication that will provide information and in-depth insight into the themes of relevance for the minority communities in Serbia. Every fifth citizen of our country is amember of a minority community, and this enriching diversity of Serbiansociety has to be appreciated and adequately addressed in the information sector as well.It is a disconcerting fact that majority community and national minoritycommunities know much less about each other than it was the case afew decades ago. Our fathers were much more familiar with their neighbors’ culture, tradition, and customs than we are today. The Minority News Project aims at enhancing the general level of information on the issues both related to and of interest to the minoritycommunities in Serbia. Not only is our objective to provide an adequateresponse to the information needs, but we also strive to incite the interest, particularly with those among us who still do not appreciate theprosperity in the Serbian society created by diverse cultures, art, history,creativity and vision of numerous national minority communities wholive in our country.Multicultural Serbia is both our reality and our perspective. Serbia therefore needs well developed mechanisms that will guarantee thepreservation of the national identity to the national minority communities and ensure unimpeded development of their national cultures. A project, which will enhance communication, coordination andcooperation among the key stakeholders, can certainly contribute to creation of a favorable environment in this regard.The Minority News staff is committed to the highest professional andethical standards in the implementation of the Project. We will activelypromote open and constructive dialogue between the institutions andthe national minority communities, and advocate mutual respect, toler-ance, and appreciation in the Serbian society as a whole. And everymonth the Minority News Newsletter will be a reminder to our readersof the enriching diversity we are all privileged to live in.

From the Hungarian Community

The councils for interethnic relations have not succeededin their missions

The Federation of Jewish Communities on the anti-Semite posters in downtown Belgrade

The concert of choir music bythe Slovenian composers whohave lived in Serbia

Katinka Beretka

From the Jewish Community

From the Slovenian Community

The Day of the Flag – an important holiday for the Bosniak Community

From the Bosniak Community

The Slovak and Serbian Embassies in Beijing jointlypresent the works of naïvepainters

From the Slovak Community

News from the MinorityCommunities

There are 30 national minority communities living in Serbia!

www.minoritynews.rs Everybody is welcome!

3Minority News

PROJECTMinority News

Enhanced Communication, Coordination, and Cooperation

s provided by the Law, national minority com-munities in Serbia are given a possibility of in-formation in their mother tongues, and this is

one of the key competencies vested in the national mi-nority councils. Most of the national minority councilshave exercised this right and provided regular and highquality information to their members through theirprinted or electronic media.The aforementioned authority of the national minoritycouncils is of highest importance. Not only does it pro-vide accurate and timely information on the minorities’rights and possibilities, but it also ensures the preserva-tion of the language, culture, and the overall identity ofthe members of the minority communities in Serbia.With this in mind, the Center for Migration Studies haslooked into the various information possibilities availableto the members of the national minority communitiesand identified the need for a creation of a common chan-nel of information that would target not only the minor-ity communities, but also the general public interestedin the minority issues in Serbia.“For a long time, we have worked on the creation of acomprehensive media outlet specialized in the contentsof interest to the members of the national minority com-munities, as we have determined that they share theneed for similar types of information”, Biljana Jovic, theMinority News Project Leader and the Editor-in-Chief,and the Chairperson of the Center for Migration Studies,said.“The national minority councils are particularly interestedin specific information that has a direct impact on the lifeof the minority communities – such as the informationon how to exercise the rights provided by the Law, or theinformation on education in their mother tongue. Gen-eral news is available through mass media outlets, which,due to the structure of the broad target audience andcommercial orientation, address the issues of importanceto the minorities in a very limited way”, she added.“The Project is very complex and demanding, as it re-

quires daily intensive interaction and communicationwith the representatives of all 19 national minority coun-cils, with the Office of Human and Minority Rights, theOSCE Mission, and other Serbian and international stake-holders”, Iva Juric, the Project Coordinator, noted.The Project consists of two important components:1. Issuance of a monthly newsletter and creation of acomprehensive Web Portal;2. Organization of four round tables in order to discussthe most important issues for the national minorities andfacilitate the cooperation among individual national minority councils and their exchange of ideas and experiences;The Project’s Program Board, consisting of the represen-tatives of the national minority councils, shall identify theissues of highest priority for the minority communities inorder to have them adequately addressed in all segmentsof the implementation of the Project. The Program Boardshall provide guidance to ensure the Project is embracedand seen as relevant by the members of minority communities in Serbia.“In addition to the informative component, the Projectalso has an important educational part. In the current sit-uation, there is not much knowledge in the Serbian soci-ety in general about the problems that members ofminority communities face. The general level of informa-tion on these issues is considerably lower than it was thecase several decades ago. To this end, the Project will payparticular attention to providing its audiences with theinformation, which might have been generally known bythe Serbian public many years ago”, the Minority NewsEditor, Sveta Matic said.“Through the Minority News, the minority communitiesthat live in Serbia will be able to present their culture, art,and identity, as well as their ideas, positions, concerns,and visions”, Matic added.

You can register to receive the Minority News Newsletteron the following web page: www.minoritynews.rs.

A

With the support by the Embassy of the United States of America and the OSCE Mission to Serbia,the Center for Migration Studies has launched the Minority News Project that aims at enhancing

communication of relevance to the national minority communities. The Project, in addition to theissuance of a monthly electronic newsletter, also features a comprehensive and user-friendly WebPortal. The strategic objective of the Project is to improve the general level of information of themembers of the minority communities, ensuring, at the same time, a higher level of information

and understanding of minority issues by the general public in Serbia.

r Suzana Paunović has been recently ap-pointed to the position of the Director of theOffice of Human and Minority Rights after

she had worked in this field for many years. In additionto the scientific work in this specific part of the law,SuzanaPaunovic has acquired extensive practical expe-rience serving in the senior positions in the Ministry ofLabour and Social Policy, where she ran a number of dif-ferent departments for over eight years, and also servedas the Assistant Minister from 2008 to 2012.The area of minority rights is more advanced nowadaysthat it was the case a few years ago. Whereas a numberof important system and specific laws and regulations inregard to the protection of minority rights in the Republicof Serbia have been ratified, there is still space for morethorough implementation of this legislation and en-hancement of the position of the minority communities.For the first time, there are nineteen national minoritycouncils in Serbia and all institutional prerequisites arein place to define and implement the minority policy withactive participation of the representatives of the national

D

4Minority News

Biography

Suzana Paunović was born in Uzice in 1969. After she hadgraduated from the Law Faculty in Belgrade, she was licensed in 2000, and acquired PhD degree in 2012. Shehas worked in the social welfare sector since 1995 and inthe Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare since 1997.In the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare she was incharge of the departments dealing with family legal pro-tection matters (adoptions, fostering) as well as with socialwelfare issues (supervision).Since 2001, she has participated actively in the creationand implementation of the reforms of the social welfaresystem.From 2009 to 2012 she served as an Assistant Minister ofLabour and Social Policy.In 2012, the Serbian Association of the Social Workersawarded her with the first Republic Award for Contributionto the Social Welfare in Serbia.

INTERVIEW

Dr Suzana Paunović, Director of the Office of Human and Minority Rights

Republic of Serbia Is Above an Average European Standard inRegard to the Minority Rights

minorities.However, there are still certain problems and expecta-tions, particularly among the members of the nationalminorities. It is believed that the priority of the state administration in the coming period should be imple-mentation and enhancement of the existing legislationand that additional efforts should be made to secure supplementary funding for the work of the National Minority Councils. The first moves the Director has made have shown thatthe Office of Human and Minority Rights will, during hertour of duty, have a proactive approach towards the National Minority Councils and will not hesitate to address difficult issues and problems at hand. The firstConference that openly tackled the relations betweenthe National Minority Councils and the state institutionswas organized in March, whereas the working session onthe national minority media in Serbia took place in April.The Director of the Office of Human and Minority Rightsspeaks for the Minority News on the Office’s competen-cies, the current situation and perspectives of the minority policy and practices, and on the problems andpossible solutions in regard to the minority communitiesin Serbia.MN: After a few months in this position, you have already had several meetings with representatives ofall National Minority Councils. Can you share with usyour impressions and your thoughts on the future developments of relations between the Office and theNational Minority Councils?Dr Paunović: The Office of Human and Minority Rightshas established good cooperation with all National Minority Councils. Both the Office and the National Minority Councils are pleased by the constructive toneof and continuity of this cooperation.Building a relationship of partnership between the National Minority Councils, the Government’s Office ofHuman and Minority Rights and relevant Ministriesshould contribute to the creation and implementation ofthe minority policy in the areas where the National Minority Councils exercise their competencies – i.e. education, culture, information and official use of languages and alphabets. The established dialogue between the Office of Human and Minority Rights is

being enhanced every day, and its substantive deepeningshall eventually enhance the exercise of the rights of thenational minorities and result in meeting the strategicobjective of integration of the national minorities in allspheres of social life.MN: How do you assess the current situation in regardto the minority issues in Serbia?Dr Paunović: The Constitutional and other legislativeframework, as well as the institutional framework for theprotection, exercise, and enhancement of the nationalminority rights, which has been developed for the lastten years, bring Serbia above an average European standard in this area. The aforementioned has been recognized in the findings of numerous internationalmonitoring organizations, with a remark that the minor-ity policy practices have been marked with a partial implementation of a number of legal provisions that regulate the ways the national minorities can exercisetheir rights. The Office of Human and Minority Rights, asthe Government institution, has identified this as the priority issue in regard to the position of the national minorities and directed its activities towards reachingthis goal. To this end, the Office organized the ConferenceWays to Upgrade the Cooperation between the State

INTERVIEW

The established dialogue between the Office of Human and Minority Rights and the National Minority Councils is constantly enhanced

5Minority News

The Office of Human and Minority Rights has established good cooperation with all National Minority Councils

Building a relationship of partnership between the National Minority Councils, theGovernment’s Office of Human and Minority

Rights and relevant Ministries should contribute to the creation and

implementation of the minority policy

Institutions and the National Minority Councils. In a constructive dialogue, the representatives of the National Minority Councils and relevant Ministriesagreed on the future activities that would contribute toefficient solutions to the issues at hand in the areas ofculture, education, information, and official use of languages and alphabets.MN. Is it accurate to say that the present situation ismuch better than it was the case a few years ago, andhow far are we from the situation that members of thenational minorities would describe as fully satisfactory?Dr Paunović: Presently, there are 19 National MinorityCouncils in the Republic of Serbia that have a developednetwork of national institutions and or-ganizations and they are active partici-pants in the social life of the country inall levels of power.Until now, a lot has been done to improve the position of the national minorities in the Republic of Serbia.Since 200, a new policy has been formu-lated and implemented in our country.One of the key elements of this policy,with integration of national minorities in the social andpolitical life of the country with protection of their na-tional identity as its quintessence, has been legal formu-lation and regulation of the cultural autonomy of thenational minorities. The cultural autonomy of the na-tional minorities has required that top national minorityorganizations be created, which would represent the re-spective national minorities in their interaction with thestate in the social life areas of interest for the nationalminorities. After the Law on the Protection of Rights andFreedoms of the National Minorities had been ratified in2002, the institutional prospects were created to themembers of the national minorities to elect their na-tional minority councils as principal subjects of local self-government in the areas of culture, education,information, and official use of languages and alphabets.This was an important step forward for the promotionand development of the position of the national minori-ties, democratic affirmation of their national identities,and articulation of their interests in the areas of the social

life that are critically important for the protection and de-velopment of their identity. Constitution of the NationalCouncils of the National Minorities marked a beginningof a long process, with every step forward contributingsubstantively to the enhancement of their overall posi-tion. Gradually, the National Councils of the National Mi-norities have been recognized as a reliable partner by thestate, provincial and local self-government structures. The Constitution ratified in 2006 has provided guaran-tees for the Constitutional right of the members of theminority communities, and the Law on the NationalCouncils of the National Minorities of 2009 substantivelyexpanded their competencies.

MN: How do you assess the role of international organizations dealingwith minority rights in our country?Dr Paunović: The Office of Human andMinority Rights cooperates with all relevant institutions in the Republic ofSerbia that deal with national minorityrights. I will mention only few of them:the OSCE Mission, which provides expert assistance and advice in regard

to the strengthening of the democratic institutions, fo-cusing particularly on the rule of law, human rights,media, and the implementation of the law, the Office ofthe Council of Europe, which provides support in meetingthe obligations arising from Serbia’s membership in this international organization, the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia, which, amongother activities, monitors the situation in regard to thehuman and minority rights from the perspective of theaccession to the EU. The cooperation with the aforemen-tioned international organizations is also carried out inimplementation of numerous joint projects in the Republic of Serbia. The Office of Human and MinorityRights has also cooperated successfully in joint projectimplementation with a number of diplomatic missionsin Belgrade, such as the Embassy of Great Britain, the Embassy of Norway, and the Netherlands Embassy.MN: In light of the announced amendments of the Lawon National Minority Councils, do you think that theywill vest additional competencies in the National Mi-

INTERVIEW

The Office of Human and Minority Rights has no jurisdiction over legislative sphere of thehuman and minority rights

6Minority News

I believe that we must be very careful in regard to the extraordinary census of the Albanian national minority population

As the Government institution, the Office of

Human and MinorityRights has no

competencies in regard tothe legislative aspect in the

field of human and minority rights

nority Councils or restrict the existing ones?Dr Paunović: As the Government institution, the Officeof Human and Minority Rights has no competencies inregard to the legislative aspect in the field of human andminority rights. The authority in this regard is vested inthe Ministry of Justice and Public Administration. ThisMinistry has taken over a part of the human and minorityrights portfolio from the old Directorate, which includesthe registry maintenance, elections for national minoritycouncils, and preparation of the human and minorityrights legislation. The ministry has formed a working group that will pre-pare draft amendments to the 2009 Law on National Mi-nority Councils by looking into theexisting solutions and suggestingchanges that are to be made. I supposethat new solutions will focus on clearerand more precise definition of the is-sues of interest to the national minori-ties, which have, thus far, createdambiguities in the implementation ofthe Law. The Office of Human and Mi-nority Rights proposed that representa-tives of the National Minority Councilsbe included in the Working Group andthis initiative has been accepted. Furthermore, the Officealso delegated members of its staff who can contributeto the enhancement of this legislation.MN: The competencies of your office are not wellknown among the minority communities and the majority community alike, and, as a consequence, youdaily receive many requests that are under your jurisdiction. Can you specify exactly what your competencies are and who can, and under which circumstances, address your office for help?Dr. Paunović: After the new Government had beenformed in July of 2012, it issued the Decision on August2, 2012 creating the Office of Human and Minority Rightsand defining its jurisdiction, structure and other issues ofrelevance for its work. In line with the Decision, the Officecarries out expert work for the Government and the relevant ministries in regard to the protection and enhancement of human and minority rights, monitoring

of harmonization of the national legislation with the international treaties and other international acts onhuman and minority rights, initiating amendments to thenational legislation, general issues in regard to the position of the members of the national minorities, monitoring of the position of the members of the national minorities who live in the territory of the Republic of Serbia and implementation of the their rights,and contacts between the national minorities and theirnation states. Based on the aforementioned jurisdiction,the Office is occasionally approached, in addition to in-stitutions of the executive and legislative power, by theindividuals seeking advice in regard to the human and

minority rights issues. The Office triesto provide adequate and timely reply toall those who request such an assis-tance in writing, and it also refers themto the institutions that may be of helpin solving the issue at hand. MN: In regard to the problem relatedto the census of the Albanian minorityin South Serbia, can you tell us howfeasible it is to organize a by-census forthe members of the Albanian nationalminority only?

Dr. Paunović: The Office of Human and Minority Rightsis aware of the ideas that a by-census should be organized for the members of the Albanian national minority because of the boycott of the 2011 general census of the population. I believe that we have to bevery careful in regard to the by-census of the membersthe Albanian national minority, as it may cause negativereactions by the members of other national minorities,who could, for a number of different reasons, ask for thesame, which will only create additional problems. Oneshould keep in mind that the 2011 general census wascarried out fully in line with the Law and the internationalstandards. The question of the number of the membersof the Albanian national minority is most likely actualizedwith the disbursement of the funds from the Budget ofthe Republic of Serbia earmarked for the work of the national minority councils and paid through the Office ofHuman and Minority Rights. As provided by the Law on

INTERVIEW

In addition to other criteria, the disbursement of 2013 Budget funds has been carried outbased on the registered number of the national minority population

7Minority News

The Conference participants agreed to have monthly working sessions focusing each time on one of the competencies vested in the National Minority Councils

the National Minority Councils, the funds earmarked inthe Budget of the Republic of Serbia for this purpose aredisbursed according to the following formula: 30% of theoverall amount is distributed equally to all registered national minority councils in the Republic of Serbia,whereas the remaining 70% are distributed based on thenumber of the members of the national minority represented by the Council, and on the total number ofinstitutions of the national minority in the areas of culture, education, information, and the official use oflanguage and alphabet. Bearing in mind that funds forthe fiscal year 2013 have already been disbursed based,among other thing, on the number of members of thenational minority represented by the Council as registered in the 2011 census, when only 5000 membersof the Albanian minority were recorded, the aforementioned fact had a consequence in a loweramount of funds earmarked to the National MinorityCouncil compared to the funds disbursed in 2012. TheOffice of Human and Minority Rights has establishedgood cooperation with all National Minority Council, including the National Minority Council of Albanian national minority, and the earmarked Budget funds forits work are regularly disbursed to the Council.MN: You have recently organized a conference thatbrought together representatives of nearly all NationalMinority Councils, as well as the representatives of theinternational organizations and minority rights experts.What were the main conclusions made in the confer-ence and what do you see as the most useful outcomefor your Office?Dr Paunović: On March 28, 2013, the Office of Humanand Minority Rights and the Coordination of the NationalMinority Councils in the Republic of Serbia jointly organ-ized a conference on the ways to enhance the coopera-tion between the state institutions and the NationalMinority Councils. The representatives of nearly all National Minority Councils and the state institutions having jurisdiction in culture, education, information, andthe official use of languages and alphabets portfoliostook part in the conference. It was concluded that thiswas a good method to address the issues the NationalMinority Councils are interested in a more efficient wayand the participants agreed to have monthly working

INTERVIEW

The European Commission Report noted significant progress in meeting the human and minority rights criteria

THE PROPOSED CONCLUSIONSOF THE CONFERENCE

“The Ways to Enhance Cooperation between the StateInstitutions and the National Minority Councils”organized in Belgrade on March 28, 2013.

1. To prepare the compendium of documents withproblems identified during the conference and forwardit to the Office of Human and Minority Rights and therelevant ministrieswithin 15 days (NMCs Coordination);2. To organize working sessions focusing each time onone of the competencies vested in the National Minor-ity Councils on monthly basis, with participation of theNMCs Coordination, the Office of Human and MinorityRights, and the representatives of relevant ministries.During these sessions, the participants shall set thetimelines for the resolution of the problems.3. To organize working sessions focusing on the com-petencies vested in the National Minority Councilsevery month;4. To introduce the measurability and verification system;5. To organize another conference in the same formatwith participation of the relevant Ministers after the se-ries of working sessions to look into achieved resultsbetween the two conferences;6. To include the National Minority Councils in thepreparation of the legislation;7. To include a representative of the National MinorityCouncils in the working group for the Draft Amend-ments to the Law on National Minority Councils (theCoordination has already constituted the task force inthis regard);8. To initiate the constitution of the National MinorityCommittee of the Republic of Serbia;The general conclusion is that the existing legislationmust be implemented, that the communication mustbe enhanced, and that focus must be put on theessence of the problem.The Coordination of the National Minority Councils

Borče VeličkovskiChairman

8Minority News

There is no doubt that identified problems can be resolved faster if all the stakeholders havepermanent and open communication

INTERVIEW

9Minority News

sessions focusing each time on one of the competenciesvested in the National Minority Councils in order to identify problems and set the timelines to have them resolved. We have also made a plan to organize anotherconference in the same formatafter the aforementionedseries of working sessions to look into achieved resultsin tackling the issues of concern identified in the previousperiod. On April 26, 2013, we had the first working session “In the Eve of the New Media Laws”, with theoutline of the draft Law on Public Information presentedto the National Minority Councils. We also looked intothe problems at hand in regard to the information of thenational minorities and made specific suggestions on theways to overcome these problems. MN: What are the main issues the Office will intensivelylook into in the coming period?Dr Paunović: Bearing in mind that the legislative framework has been assessed as satisfactory and thatproblems arise in the implementation of the minorityrights regulations, we intend to intensify the activities ofthe Office in this regard. As I have already noted, the firststeps have been made by organizing joint conferencesand working session of the representatives of the National Minority Councils and the state institutions having jurisdiction over education, culture, information,and official use of languages and alphabets. We are tryingto identify the main reasons for the situation at hand andthen come up with proposals on how to overcome theproblems we have detected. If it is found that the legislative framework is the main obstacle in exercising aminority right, the Office will look into the issue on an expert level and initiate an appropriate change with theministry having jurisdiction over that particular portfolio.MN: Your Office has recently been visited by the Euro-pean Commission representatives. What are your impressions about the visit? Has Serbia met the mainconditions of the European Union in regard to the minority rights?Dr Paunović:The European Commission Report noted significant progress in meeting the human and minorityrights criteria. As part of the EU accession procedures inregard to setting the date for the start of the membership

negotiations between the Republic of Serbia and the European Union, the representatives of the Delegationof the European Union in the Republic of Serbia paid avisit to the Office of Human and Minority Rights in orderto acquire additional information on the position of thenational minorities, which will be included in the ProgressReport. The representatives of the Delegation of the EUreceived answers to all questions in regard to the positionof some national minorities as well as in regard to the activities taken in order to comply with the recommen-dations made by the European Commission. The talkswere open and constructive with full acknowledgmentof all activities and measures undertaken by our countryin this regard.MN: In light of the high expectations that the representatives of the national minorities have of youas of a newly appointed official, what are your personalexpectations for this year in regard to the cooperationwith the national minorities?Dr Paunović: A genuine commitment to the job, intensified cooperation and enhanced communication-represent a solid basis and also a challenge for efficientand effective performance of the tasks entrusted to us. Ibelieve that it is positive to have mutually high expectations in regard to the cooperation between theOffice of the Human and Minority Rights as the institution of the Government of the Republic of Serbiaand the National Minority Councils as the principal localself-government bodies in the fields of education, culture, information and the official use of languages andalphabets. It is the first step, but it is not sufficient. I believe that the overall enhancement of the situation inregard to the minority rights can only be achieved in a di-rect dialogue and permanent communication betweenthe state institutions and the representatives of the Na-tional Minority Councils.MN: What are your priority objectives for this year?Dr Paunović: In the overall assessment of the human andminority rights issues, the Office of Human and MinorityRightsstrives to pay due attention to all segments of thisportfolio. To this end, there are no priority objectives,there are areas that need to be tackled and improvedbased on the current situation. Perceiving its mission in

The Office of Human and Minority Rights, in line with its jurisdiction, follows closely harmonizationof the domestic legislation with the international treaties and other international bills

The European Commission Report noted significant progress in meeting the human and minority rights criteria

the aforementioned way, the Office has the principal rolein the preparation of strategic documents, such as theAnti-Discrimination Strategy and the Action Plan for itsimplementation, the Action Plan for the Implementationof the Strategy to Improve the Position of Roma in theRepublic of Serbia for the Period 2012-1014, etc. A majorpart of the activities of the Office includes the participa-tion in the task force teams for preparation of draftamendments to the human and minority rights legisla-tion, as well as the coordination work with the joint in-terstate bodies created based on the bilateral nationalminority protection agreements signed with the neigh-bouring countries. Bearing in mind that the Republic ofSerbia is a signatory of the most important internationalmultilateral treaties in the area of human and minorityrights, the Office prepares the reports on the implemen-tation of the responsibilities arising from these treaties.In regard to the minority rights, the Office prepared theThird Interim Report on the Implementation of the Char-ter Convention on the Protection of National Minorities,while the Third Interim Report on the Implementation ofthe European Charter on Regional or Minority Languagesshould be prepared by the end of the year.The Office also participates in the implementation of theIPA 2011, and it is expected that the implementation ofthe IPA 2012 projects supported by the EU funding isabout to start soon. We will work on the further \development of the rights of the LGBT population andother socially marginalized groups. With the support ofthe British and Dutch embassies, we will continue with

the internship program for theyoung members of the national minorities in Serbia.NM: Do you believe that the intensified and more opencommunication between the stakeholders could con-tribute to more efficient resolving of the problems anddo you think that there is space for better coordinationand communication?Dr Paunović: There is no doubt that identified problemscan be resolved faster if all the stakeholders have permanent and open communication. The Office ofHuman and Minority Rightsstrives to bring together allstakeholders who can contribute to the enhanced exercise of national minority rights and to find the bestsolutions in a direct dialogue. There is always space forbetter communication and coordination and we, as theOffice of Human Minority Rights, try to support all proposals and initiatives in this regard.NM: Does the Office plan to launch some legislative initiative in regard to the position of the national minorities?Dr Paunović: The Office of Human and Minority Rights,in line with its jurisdiction, follows closely harmonization And Urges the Republic institutions to enhance the levelof respect of legal procedures, as guaranteed rights andresponsibilities, in close cooperation with the Provincialadministrations and representatives of the local self-gov-ernments, strengthening, at the same time, the mutualcooperation between the all aforementioned stakeholders.

The President of the CoordinationBody for Preševo, Bujanovac, andMedvedja, Zoran Stanković, saidthat it is possible that the census ofthe population in the three munici-palities be carried out again in Oc-tober or November in order to have accurate information on the num-ber of the population in this region. “We will try to repeat the census”,Stanković said, reminding that the

Albanians in South Serbia boycottedthe population count in the country.There were only 3,800 people registered in Preševo, while thereare 9,500 individuals registered bythe National Employment Service. Itis estimated that there are around35,000 people living in the PreševoMunicipality.Zoran Stanković also said that thereare between 30,000 and 40,000

people living in Bujanovac, and between 10,000 and 15,000 living inMedvedja.Stanković noted that there arearound 13,500 individuals fromPreševo, 12,500 from Bujanovac,and a few thousands fromMedvedja currently in the EU countries, which makes the accu-rate population count even moredifficult.

An Extraordinary Census of the Population in South Serbia Might Take PlaceZoran Stanković, the President of the Coordination Body for Preševo, Bujanovac and Medvedja

INTERVIEW

10Minority News

The Office participates in the implementation IPA 2011, and it is expected that the implementation of the IPA 2012 projects supported by the EU funding is about to start soon

orceful reactions, sensationalism, intoleranceand blundering interpretations of theDraftDeclaration on the Protection of the Constitu-

tional and Legal Rights of the Autonomous Province ofVojvodina have shown that any serious debate on the relationswithin Serbia will have to be postponed for some better times.The noise is too strong now for thevoice of reason and clear arguments by the opposite campsto be heard. This does not meanthat many among the political elitehave refrained themselves fromcommenting the issue at hand.They have made their comments,in the principle, whether in support of or against the Declaration, but without anyappreciation of the positions of the “other camp”.Almost all political leaders, both on the national andprovincial level, have expressed their views on the DraftDeclaration, with critical positions, individual party interests and disqualifications absolutely dominating themedia commentaries.Bojan Pajtić “Breaks Up” SerbiaAlthough the Vojvodina Government formally sent thedocument to the Vojvodina Assembly for endorsement,it was BojanPajtić, the Prime Minister of the VojvodinaGovernment, who was the primary target of the fiercestcriticism. Majority of those who publicly criticize the Draft Declaration believe that Pajtić is solelyresponsible for the Draft, thus creating an impression inthe public that the Declaration is his private project thatshould create a political smokescreen for possible per-sonal liability. In their initial statements, high

Republic officials interpreted the initiative for the draftin the aforementioned way, which hinted the public as awhole and those who subsequently commented it whatthe overall tone and the dominant public position should

be. Regardless of the fact that thiswas a draft document that was yetto be looked into by the VojvodinaAssembly, an impression was cre-ated that most of the parliamentaryparties felt it was high time they haddealt with Pajtić. On the other hand,it seemed that Pajtić decided that itwas high time the draft documenthad been given to the Vojvodina As-sembly for endorsement, thus prov-ing that this was not his privateproject.

Is the Problem in the Bad Timing Only?Certainly not, but the timing served as an additional ar-gument to critics who believe that, at the moment Serbiais in the middle of negotiation on the future of Kosovo,no other issues should be brought to the table, particularly not those that may create an impression that another Serbian Province, too, has complaints about thetreatment by the Serbian state.Differences that Are as Deep and as Wide as the DanubeIt soon became clear that there are unbridgeable differences in the perception of the moves the VojvodinaGovernment made. Not only were the positions groupedaround the two extremely different poles, but thisprocess was also marked by passionate confrontations.One camp believes that the text of the Draft Declarationis in full compliance with the Constitution and the Lawsof the Republic of Serbia, and that the Province has a

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It was the political elites who have created the dilemma in the public by resorting to series of offensive qualifications and mutual accusations instead of presenting solid arguments. The caseof “Vojvodina Declaration” has stormed the society as a whole and dramatically increased the

tensions. In the absence of a constructive debate supported by solid arguments, the environmentthat has been created does not leave any space for tolerance and respect to different positions.

While one party claimed that theDeclaration will protect the

legitimate rights of the citizensand mend the injustice, the

others insisted that it is harmfuland dangerous for the state and

the interests of its citizens, particularly at the moment thedecision is being made on the

status of the Province that oncehad the same status as Vojvodina

has today

The critics do not even look into the problem addressed by the document, they believe that it ismotivated by bad intentions, i.e. personal or party interest, or even pro-independence agenda

sveta@minoritynews.rs

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REACTIONS TO “VOJVODINA DECLARATION” HAVE SHOWNTHE SERIOUS ABSENCE OF THE DIALOGUE CULTURE

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commitment to protect the interests of its citizens. To thisend, the Draft Declaration pinpoints the issue that hasexisted for a while, which is described as the breach ofthe Constitution and other Laws of the Republic of Serbiain the segment of the rights of the Autonomous Provinceand the obligations of the Republic in this regard. Theother camp believes that the Draft Declarationis uncon-stitutional, secessionist, separatist, and brought up at thedifficult time for the country as a whole. The critics donot even look into the problem addressed by the docu-ment, they believe that it is motivated by bad intentions,i.e. personal or party interest, or even pro-independence agenda.

The Constitutional Right or the Breach of the Constitution?While one party claimed that the Declaration will protectthe legitimate rights of the citizensand mend the injustice, the othersinsisted that it is harmful and dangerous for the state and the in-terests of its citizens, particularly atthe moment the decision is beingmade on the status of the Provincethat once had the same status as Vojvodina has today.Such an analogy was immediately rejected by the part ofthe public and the Vojvodina leadership, but it had al-ready been launched and broadly accepted by the publicmajority.It is likely that the state is currently unable to meet itsConstitutional obligations to the Province, and the financial obligations in particular. On the other hand, theprovincial leadership are criticized for not being forthcoming in regard to the dialogue with the Republicauthorities and for resorting to one-sided moves that hadheightened tensions as a consequence. While one campsaw the slating of the parliamentary debate on theprovincial level as a proof that it is against the nationalinterests, the others found that this date was irrelevantand therefore decided to postpone it.Reactions to the text of the Declaration were brought tothe public attention by a number of different methods,from the special press conferences, through the state-

ments issued by the institutions and political parties, toorganization of rallies and street graffiti.Given the split created around the Declaration, the meth-ods different parties used to express their disagreementbecame increasingly vicious and reached their climax indeath threats sent to the Vojvodina PM by the “war vet-erans”.

(Lack of) Political Culture in SerbiaAlthough it was primarily perceived as a political prob-lem, the “Declaration Case” showed that there is still ab-sence of a dialogue culture in our society, which is, mostlikely, one of the most serious problems the authoritiesface on all levels. At the time Serbia is in the middle ofthe reform process, many solutions could have beenmore sustainable if they had been reached through a di-alogue. The lack of culture of presenting one’s argu-

ments, using appropriate channelsand methods to communicate, andinvesting additional efforts to edu-cate the public can cost our societymany missed opportunities and ulti-mately result in unsuccessful re-forms. Hasty and vicious reactions,

without an in-depth analysis of a problem and its causes,in addition to jumping into conclusions based on limitedor unconfirmed information and without an open dia-logue are typical for a society with low level of politicaland communicational culture.Public debates and expressions of positions on the draftdeclaration have left the boundaries set by the Constitu-tion and the Law, and the communication and the politi-cal culture has once again limited the political actions andsocial dialogue. This has shown again that, regardless ofthe success the country has made in many areas, the tol-erance threshold is still very low, whereas the sensibilityis extremely high.

There is No Democracy without FreedomA state as a complex system sets strict boundaries andred lines by its Constitution and other legislation. A dem-ocratic state also has solid and uncompromising rules andclear boundaries, but there is life going on, with freedom

It is likely that the state is currently not in the position to

meet its Constitutional obligations to the Province, and

the financial obligations in particular

Reactions to the text of the declaration were brought to the public attention by a number of different methods, from the special press conferences, through the statements issued by the

institutions and political parties, to organization of rallies and street graffiti.

At the time Serbia is in the middle of the reform process, many solutions could have beeneasier to reach and would have been more sustainable if they had been reached

through a dialogueMinority News

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and blooming culture within these boundaries.Whenever a force, whether it is verbal or physical, med-dles into a creation of culture and a continuous estab-lishment of sustainable adaptable matrixes of socialactions, it threatens the freedom, the individual, the so-ciety, and the state. Only the society that condemns vio-lence can protect an individual. Such a society strives toimpose the culture of respect of the differences and tol-erance and thus creates a matrix that enables a dialogueon any issue. A state dominated by fear, where peoplecannot express their opinions freely, can never be dem-ocratic and its citizens can never be free. The Declarationon the Protection of Constitutional and Legal Rights ofthe Autonomous Province of Vojvodinahas provoked the reactions that indicatea low level of political culture and democ-racy in Serbia. There are no winners in thepublic debate on the Draft Declaration,and those who have lost the most are thecitizens.

The Media – the Pillar of Shame or the Pillar of DemocracyAlthough the key objective of the media shouldbe to in-crease the level of information in the society, regrettably,a few media outlets often add up to the overall confusionand creation of unbridgeable differences in the society.In the case of the “Vojvodina Declaration”, the media cre-ated the atmosphere that opened space for direct andvicious clash of a number of social groups, cheering in-flammatory statements and quoting them in drawingmostly flawed conclusions.With no attempts to publish the text of the Draft Decla-ration, or at least some of its parts or summarized re-views, media focused on the statements by the officials

and showed no ambition to present facts to their audi-ences. Although there were no lies published, the mediadid not disclose all facts to the public, which can some-times result in graver consequences that giving a straightlie.As it is the case in many other situations, the citizens re-ceived all information predominantly from the state-ments by the political leaders, which were uncriticallygiven as factual. A few citizens expressed their readinessto defend or attack the Declaration at any cost, since theybelieved that “it mends the injustice made to the citizensof Vojvodina” or “it is a prologue to Vojvodina sepa-ratism”. The control function of media is frequently to-

tally disregarded in our society. In thesocieties with a low level of political cul-ture and communication, media outletsonly serve as a loudspeaker rather thanas serious filter to the hate speech, ver-bal violence and stupidity.

A New Beginning Instead of an EndNo matter what we personally think about the Declara-tion, it is surely an issue that will attract a lot of attentionin the future, particularly among the members of the mi-nority communities who live in Vojvodina and who lookat the issue from their own perspective. If there is any-thing good about the whole case, it is an experience weshould all learn from and a lesson that it is necessary tocreate a favourable environment first if we strive to havean efficient and successful debate on any issue. This isthe starting point for establishment of genuine toleranceand freedom in any society, whereas the Constitution,the Laws, and the Declarations on their own are onlyhard boundaries of an empty space.

A democratic state also has solid and uncompromising rules and clear boundaries, but thereis life going on, with freedom and blooming culture within these boundaries

A state as a complex system sets strict

boundaries and red linesby its Constitution and

other legislation

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Vojvodina Assembly Endorses the Declaration on Protection of Constitutional and Legal Rights of the Province

On Monday, May 20, 2013, the Vojvodina Assembly endorsed the Declaration on Protection of Constitu-tional and Legal Rights of the Province with 71 votes FORand 21 votes AGAINST.The Declaration, among other points, notes the “multiple breaches of the Constitutional principles andlegal regulations in regard to the rights and jurisdictionof the bodies and the institutions in the AutonomousProvince of Vojvodina”.

The Declaration includes the five amendments of theUnion of Vojvodina Hungarians and one amendment ofthe League of the Social-democrats of Vojvodina, changing the point two of the draft to read “autonomyof Vojvodina is a historical and natural right of its citizens,as it was created and confirmed by the will of the Vojvodina nations in the Assembly of the Deputies ofthe Nations of Vojvodinain Novi Sad July 30-31, 1945,when they unanimously decided that Vojvodina, as anAutonomous Province, should accede to Serbia.”

n Majority of the citizens can clearly see that theserights are daily ignored and violated.

n This directly affects the interests of the citizens of Vojvodina. The previously acquired rights arealso being violated, which is unprecedented in the modern European practice.

n The Declaration will send a serious warning that disrespect of the principles of autonomy, constitutional and legal solutions, weakens the state, the rule of law, and the European democratic practice. This endangers the stability and normalfunctioning of a responsible state.

n The present Republic Government must find strength to deal with the burden of a disastrous policy in Kosovo in the nineties and must find strength to make difficult, but far-reaching decisions.

n Vojvodina must not be a training ground for anger and frustrations over forced and un-popular political decisions. The Assembly of Vojvodina will not agree to have Vojvodina and the rights of its citizens be reduced to a loose form, such as a non-governmental organization,

or a fishermen’s or hunters’ club.n At the same time, Vojvodina gives full support to

the Republic Government in clear commitment to the European future of Serbia, predominantly because of the fact that there is a good custom in Europe to protect the interests and rights of the citizens as well as to respect the constitutional and legal norms.

n The framework for the earmarked funds for theAutonomous Province of Vojvodina has been recently changed contrary to the Constitutionalguarantees.

n The Republic Government has, based on an unconstitutional decision and without any consultations with the Provincial institutions, started using the Provincial assets in an unconstitutional way.

n The Vojvodina Government’s request to enable the representatives of the Province to participate in the ownership and management structures of the Novi Sad Fair, as clearly provided by the Law on Vojvodina Competencies, was fully ignored.

n The right to appoint the Director of the Provincial Health and Social Policy Fund has also been usurped, contrary to the earlier initiative based on the law and unquestionable right of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.

President of the Vojvodina ExecutiveCouncil, BojanPajtić

In order to illustrate the public debate on the Draft Declaration on Protection of Constitutionaland Legal Rights of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodine, we have selected a few short state-

ments made by the key political stakeholders

A Constitutionally Guaranteed Right vs. Separatism

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Deputy President of theSerbian Progressive Party,

Igor Mirović

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I see the Declaration as a document with a separatistnote. One indication in this regard is that it has beenproposed at a very difficult political moment for Serbiawhen the negotiations on the protection of our citi-zens in Kosovo and Metohia are close to completion.

On the other hand, the Declaration represents a po-litical pamphlet, both in regard to its format and itscontents. Looking for a motif for channelling such adocument into the parliamentary procedure, we havediscovered that there is an intention to use it as a po-litical pressure on the central authorities. I do not seethis as a positive move, and I do not think it is legiti-mate either. Without any intention to sound pathetic,I believe that there are moments when state and na-tional interests should be seen as a higher priority.

n This has been done in a wrong way and at a wrong time, and it has caused a major damage tothe state of Serbia.

n The citizens of Vojvodina do not need protection from Serbia, they need protection from those who run Vojvodina in a poor way. The highest unemployment rate is in Vojvodina. The people wholive in Vojvodina are hard-working, but the incompetent provincial government has destroyed everything that existed in Vojvodina.

n Pajtić’s statement is very dangerous, but it will have no impact whatsoever, as neither him or his party are important today.

n It would have been both therapeutic and benefi-cial to have by elections in Vojvodina, as one cannot govern successfully without any legitimacy.

First Deputy PrimeMinister of the

Republic of Serbia,Aleksandar Vučić

President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić

Speaker of AP Vojvodina Assembly,

Ištvan Pastor

Member of the Parliament,the Chairman of Constitu-tional Rights Committee,

Bojan Kostreš

Member of the Parliament,Member of the Constitu-tional Rights Committee,

Borislav Stefanović

n BojanPajtić is trying to make up a problem in a situation where there are no problems what-soever.

n No man is strong or powerful enough to harm the interests of Serbia.

n If Mr.Pajtić has other problems, these are not the problems of Serbia and its Autonomous Province. If he believes that this is the way to defend him of something that is being brewing around him, then… I think there is enough evidence even now that things have not been done in line with the law under his rule.

n If he is so confident, let him slate a referendum, let him resign and try his legitimacy in elections, and we will see who will win.

n I am concerned over a thesis of separatism in Vojvodina. If there is separatism here, then the Government of the Republic of Serbia should instantly send the police and arrest all separatists.

n The talks about separatism are just an excuse for a political performance, which should lead to the extraordinary elections in Vojvodina.

n There is no “S” of separatism in this case, there is not a single element of internationalization nor any attempt to break up Serbia.

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n I am appealing and I am kindly asking the Provincial Government to give up on the idea to have the document discussed in the next session of the Assembly of Vojvodina. This is the only way to create conditions for compro-mise and for enhancement of the document, to bring down the walls of distrust. I am also appealing that we do not search for solutions in the streets, as we all know that the conse-quences of the all-popular rallies can be extremely painful and long-term. We must bring the issue back to the institutions.

n How can it be possible that we are going through this in 2013? How can it be possible that, no matter how problematic the Declara-tion could be, an atmosphere of lynch is created by posters, social networks and news-paper headlines? How can it be possible that once again we can hear about ustashas, seces-sion, and separatism? I hope this will not be the case every time the issue of Vojvodina rights is addressed.

A democra!c society must respect the specificsof ahistorical, na!onal, cultural, religious, and poli!calpluralism. In such a society, there is a natural presence ofautonomy, which enables that, without threatening therights of the others, one can respect the feeling of specialbelonging to one’s na!on as well to one’s regional en!ty.With this in mind, the autonomy of Vojvodina is ahistorical and natural right of its ci!zens, as it was createdand confirmed by the will of its na!ons in the Assemblyof the Representa!ves of the Na!ons of Vojvodina inNovi Sad on July 30-31, 1945, when they unanimouslydecided that Vojvodina, as an autonomous province,should accede to Serbia. To this end, the autonomy of Vojvodina has been grantedby the Cons!tu!on of the Republic of Serbia, as regulatedand guaranteed right to diversity, which also includes thedecentraliza!on of power, division of competencies andindependent management of affairs of interest to the cit-izens of the Province. The Cons!tu!on of Serbia providesthat transfer of competencies between the central gov-ernment and the autonomous provinces is based on thesubsidiarity principle, and that the respect of the rule oflaw, through implementa!on of original and transferredcompetencies, is based on the principles ofharmoniza!on, jus!ce, and solidarity.There is no doubt that the elements of rights, obliga!ons,and responsibili!es are defined in detail by laws andregula!ons made on the level of the Republic of Serbiaas well as by the Statute of the Autonomous Province ofVojvodina.Not only is the respect of the aforemen!oned principlesand the cons!tu!onal and legal provisions is animpera!ve of a lawful state and democra!c prac!ce, butit is also the founda!on of stability and normal func!oningof every modern and responsible state.The fact is that there were !mes in the poli!cal prac!cethus far, when these guaranteed principles were substan-!vely disrespected.It was to be expected that thedevelopment of a democra!c society and its harmoniza-!on with general civiliza!on and European values wouldbring such phenomena to a minimum.Regre&ably, we have been witnesses to a recent annihila!on of the overall ambiance, which has not onlyharmed the development of the legal system andbuilding of confidence between the ins!tu!ons of theAutonomous Province of Vojvodina, but it has also had

the most direct impact on the interests of the ci!zens ofVojvodina, implementa!on of their rights, and guaranteesfor their security. A par!cularly sensi!ve issue is thebreach of the original rights and competencies, which isunprecedented in the modern European prac!ces.The disagreements accelerated in late 2012, par!cularlyin regard to the funding of Autonomous Province ofVojvodina.The cons!tu!onal guarantees, as provided by the Ar!cle184, Point 4, of the Cons!tu!on of the Republic of Serbia,defining that the budget of the AP of Vojvodina shallamount no less than 7% of the budget of the Republic ofSerbia, with three seventh of the AP Vojvodina budgetused for capital expenses, have not helped much either,although they are precisely and clearly defined. The dis-pute culminated during ra!fica!on of the Amendmentsto the Law on Budgetary System and the Law on theBudget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2013, andit lead to:

Submission of the proposal of the Governmentof the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina toassess the cons!tu!onality of the provisions ofthe Law on the Amendments to the Law on theBudgetary System, andPrepara!on of the Dra$ Law on Amendments tothe Law on the Budgetary System, which theAssembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvo-dina forwarded to the Na!onal Assembly, giventhe fact that the amendments to the Law havereduced the cons!tu!onally guaranteedminimum budgetary funds for the AutonomousProvince of Vojvodina.

The Cons!tu!onal Court, regardless of the urgency of thema&er, has not even implied yet the steps and the posi-!on that might be taken in this regard.On the other hand, the Republic Government has startedmanaging the Provincial assets without any consulta!onswith the Provincial ins!tu!ons. As an example, it issueda Decree, giving the substan!ve property formally ownedby the Province to the City of Novi Sad, thus directlyviola!ng the Law. The Provincial Government’s request to enable the rep-resentaves of the Province to par!cipate in the owner-

Draft Declaration of the Protection of the Constitutionaland Legal Rights of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina

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ship and management structures of the Novi Sad Fair, asclearly and unquestionably provided by the Law onVojvodina Competencies, has been fully ignored.At the same time, the top management structures, thedirectors and the members of the managing boards inimportant state institutions have been increasinglyreplaced prior to the completion of their terms in theoffice without any legal basis and any formal explana-tion.Partisan cadres have been appointed to these positionsinstead without any respect to the opinions of theProvincial and local administrations, relevant experts andunion organizations.The right to appoint the acting director of the ProvincialFund for Health and Social Policy has been usurped, con-trary to the initiative made earlier as provided by the Law,which has unquestionably vested this authority to theAutonomous Province of Vojvodina. Namely, the Boardof Directors of the Republic Fund has violated the Law onthe Health Insurance, which explicitly provides that thedirector of the Provincial Fund, based on results of a pub-lic job announcement, is appointed following the formalproposal of the relevant institution of the AutonomousProvince. The aforementioned violation of legal proce-

dures suspends the right of the citizens of Vojvodina tohave a transparent insight in the distributions of the as-sets of this Fund.Based on its responsibility as of the highest level of re-gional governance and the bearer of the normative au-thority in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, asprovided by the Article 33 of the Statute of the Au-tonomous Province of Vojvodina, the Assembly of theAutonomous Province of Vojvodina herewith ratifies

The Declaration on the Protection ofthe Constitutional and Legal Rights of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Which

n Notes the multiple violation of the Constitutionalprinciples and legal regulations in regard to the rights andcompetencies of the institutions in the AutonomousProvince of Vojvodina,n And Urges the Republic institutions to enhance thelevel of respect of legal procedures, as guaranteed rightsand responsibilities, in close cooperation with the Provin-cial administrations and representatives of the local self-governments, strengthening, at the same time, themutual cooperation between the all aforementionedstakeholders

ccording to the most recent census, thepopulation of the Autonomous Province ofVojvodina is 1,931,809, which represents

21.56% of the overall population of the Republic ofSerbia.The majority population in the northern Serbianprovince are the Serbs (there are 1,289,635 Serbs wholive in Vojvodina - or 66.76% of the Provincial popula-tion). The other national communities are as follows:

Hungarians (251,136 or 13%)Slovaks (50,321 or 2.6%)Croats (47,033 or 2.43%)Roma (42,391 or 2.19%)Romanians (25,410 or 1.32%)Montenegrins (22,141 or 1.15%)Bunjevac (16,469 or 0.85%)Rutheninans (13,928 or 0.72%)Yugoslavs (12,176 or 0.63%)Macedonians (10,392 or 0.54%)Ukrainians (0.22%)Muslims (0.17%)Germans (0.17%)Albanians (0.12%)

Slovenians (0.09%)Bulgarians (0.08%)Others (there are over 26 nations and national or

ethnic groups)In most of the municipalities and towns of Vojvodina,Serbs represent the majority population. Hungariansare majority in the five municipalities in the North ofthe Province (Kanjiža, Senta, Ada, BačkaTopola andMali Idjoš), Slovaks are majority in the municipality ofBačkiPetrovac, whereas the town of Subotica, and themunicipalities of the Bečej, Čoka, Bač, and Kovačicaethnically mixed. In the town of Subotica and the mu-nicipalities of Bečej and Čoka, the Hungarians repre-sent the majority, in the municipality of Bač Serbs arethe majority, while in the municipality of Kovačica, Slo-vaks are in majority (this is the municipality where thehighest number of Vojvodina Slovaks live). The otherhighly numbered Vojvodina nationalities, such asRuthenians, Romanians, Montenegrins, Bunjevac,Croats, Czechs, are in majority in some settlements,whereas Roma are majority in some neighbourhoodsand suburban areas.

ETHNICAL STRUCTURE OF VOJVODINA

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rommenting on the announced amendmentsto the Law on the National Minority Council,the President of the Hungarian National

Minority Council, TamašKorhec, said that, for the timebeing, it is uncertain whether the competencies ofthese bodies will be truly increased. He also expressedconcerns that a possibility of misusing the aforementionedamendments to limit thecompetencies of the minority self-government in Serbia should notbe discarded either. “If the Ministry truly wants to limitthe competencies provided by theLaw on National Minority Councilsand harmonize them with the Lawon Culture and the Law on PublicInformation and Media, which arebeing prepared at the moment,they can expect that we wouldstrongly resist it”, Korhec said inthe interview given to the “Magyar Szo”.Korhec noted that, according to the information he hadreceivedin the last week’s meeting in Belgrade on theways to enhance the position of national minorities inSerbia, the substance of the amendments to the Law onthe National Minority Councils, would be the harmoniza-

tion with the already existing legislation in certain areas.“As far as I know, the increase of the competencies of thenational minority councils has never been mentioned. Ifwe talk about the harmonization with the other law, itcould even mean the decrease of competencies in allareas except the education, since, the Law on the Educa-

tion and the Law on the National Mi-nority Councils have already beenharmonized based on the proposalmade by the Union of Vojvodina Hun-garians during the last Parliamentarycycle. The plan has been to harmonizeother laws with the Law on NationalMinority Councils, and not vice versa”,Korhec said.“We will use our strength and influ-ence and try to defend our competen-cies, as any restrictions to theacquired rights will be against theConstitution. In the worst case sceario, we will make an appeal to the

Constitutional Court in regard to this issue. Naturally, Iwould refrain from prejudging the process, as I have alsobeen informed that the Ministry plans to include the rep-resentatives deleated by the national minority councilsin the working group that will prepare the draft amend-

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Interview with the President of the National Minority Council of the Hungarian National Minority Publishedin the Magyar Szo

C

Minority News

The requests made by thecitizens of Serbian nationality torun their own affairs in Croatia,Bosnia and Herzegovina and inKosovo are fully legitimate. Theprinciples should be respected.

Those who believe thatautonomy is in the interest ofequality and preservation of

identity can be seen astrustworthy only if they insist that

the same principle be applied universally, from Basque, throughVojvodina Hungarians, all the way

to the Kosovo Serbs

INTERVIEW

The harmonization of the Law on Education with the Law on National Minority Councilshas shown that it is possible to do it without decreasing the competencies of the national

minority councils

Korhec: If something is good for the Hungarians– It is not Bad for the Serbs Either

ments to the legislation at hand. If this information istrue, we will try to resolve any potential conflicts of in-terest within the working group. The harmonization ofthe Law on Education with the Law on National MinorityCouncils has shown that it is possible to do it without de-creasing the competencies of the national minority coun-cils”, Korhec concluded.As the leader of the Hungarian National Minority Councilnoted, the task of those who support the idea of a cul-tural autonomy is to prove that such an autonomy, as theHungarian community believes, can have positive resultsthat are not bad for the majority community either.“We must be careful in implementing our competenciesto take into consideration the legitimate interests of theothers as well. Naturally, a legitimate interest of the oth-ers should not be that we become extinct or be in a sec-ond- rated position”, Korhec added.Commenting on the requests made by few majoritypolitical parties who have been disturbed by the compe-

tencies vested in the Hungarian National Minority Coun-cil and who have, at the same time, made loud requestsfor the widest possible autonomy for the Kosovo Serbs,Korhec described it as double standards.“They have been so blinded that they do not even rec-ognize that what they are saying, what they are demand-ing, and what they are doing is in a continuous andirreconcilable discrepancy. I personally support the ideaof autonomy and therefore I believe that autonomyshould protect a Hungarian as much as it protects a Serb.The requests made by the citizens of Serbian nationalityto run their own affairs in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegov-ina and in Kosovo are fully legitimate. The principlesshould be respected. Those who believe that autonomyis in the interest of equality and preservation of identitycan be seen as trustworthy only if they insist that thesame principle be applied universally, from Basque,through Vojvodina Hungarians, all the way to the KosovoSerbs”, Korhec concluded.

19Minority News

Councils for inter-ethnic relations that operate inVojvodina multi-ethnic local self-governmentshave regrettably not succeeded in their mission inall environments, the analysis endorsed by theHungarian National Minority Council noted.The Council’s Advisor for the Official Use ofLanguage, KatinkaBeretka, explained that thepractice has shown that the aforementionedbodies created in multi-ethnic settlements havenot met their true purpose. As she said, there aremany reasons for such a failure, from the absenceof universal practice for nomination of the mem-bers to these councils, through the fact that in onethird of the multi-ethnic local self-governmentsthese councils have not been formed, and even ifthey have been formed, they do not operate in aconsistent, transparent, and efficient way. Also, thecouncils do not meet frequently enough, the publichas no knowledge about their work, political influ-ence is, in many cases, clearly visible, and local self-governments have not earmarked funds for thework of these bodies, Katinka Beretka concluded.

Magyar szo

Katinka Beretka, Advisor for the Official Use of Lan-guage in the Hungarian National Minority Council

INTERVIEW

Councils for Inter-ethnic Relations Have Failedin their Mission

itizens of Serbia haveshown the greatest dis-tance and the most neg-ative attitude towards

LGBT population and HIV positiveindividuals, as well as towards Alba-nians, Croats, Roma, and Bosniaks.The results of the survey carried outon behalf of the Office of the Com-missioner for Protection of Equalityby the Centre for Free Elections andDemocracy (CeSID), with support ofthe United Nations DevelopmentProgram (UNDP), have shown thatthe most widely spread discrimina-tion is against Roma, the disabled,

and the elderly. The Equality Com-missioner Nevena Petrušić haspointed out that, while half of the re-spondents do not discriminate othergroups, they do not condemn dis-crimination either.She also noted that, although onethird of the respondents con-demned discrimination, 18%showed evident tendency towardsdiscrimination and one fifth was un-aware that discrimination is againstthe law.She noted as particularly disconcert-ing that 44% of the cases reported tothe Commissioner’s Office in 2012

were the cases of discrimination bythe government structures. Petrušićalso said that 30% of the complaintsfiled with the Office of the Commis-sioner for Protection of Equality arein regard to the employment dis-crimination.Among the cases the Commis-sioner’s Office pursued further,Petrušić pointed out the complaintsabout a pizzeria chain that employedwomen only, and against a companythat announced an office assistantjob vacancy looking for “a nice-look-ing 25-35 year old female”. Sheadded that charges were also

Commissioner for Protection of Equality Submits ReportTo the Parliamentary Committee for Human and MinorityRights and Gender Equality

C

Treatment of marginal social groups is an indicator that our so-ciety is not ready to accept differences and the individuals in

the critical need for inclusion.

Generally speaking, citizens are aware of what discrim-ination is, but additional progress can be made in thisregard, as one fourth of the population does not knowanything nor has any position about it. The most dom-inant replies on what the discrimination is are as fol-lows:

Endangering/deprivation of rights (23%)Degradation/humiliation (18%)Inequality/unfairness (12%)

Compared to the survey made two years earlier, theorder of different types of perception what the dis-crimination is differs, although the same five terms areamong the top five. Eighty-one percent of the respon-dents clearly recognize that it is never justified to de-prive someone from a right (to work, to education,etc.) based solely on their affiliation to a group (ethnic,religious, gender, etc.).

More than 60% of the respondents believe that thediscrimination is spread or widely spread in Serbia.Only 3% think that there is no discrimination at all, 14%believe that there is minimal discrimination, whereas16% are unsure (both yes and no). More than one thirdof the respondents (36%) think that the discriminationis more evident now than three years ago. Every ninthrespondent believe that there is less discrimination,15% do not know or have no position, whereas 38%think that the level of discrimination is the same.The following groups believe that the discrimination ismore widely spread nowadays:

1) The youngest population (age 15-18)2) National minorities, particularly Roma

minority, and3) Individuals with lowest income (under rsd

10,000 per month).

Most of Citizens Aware of Existence of Discrimination in Serbia

20

Nevena Petrušić: There is Discriminationagainst Roma, the Disabled and the Elderly in Our Society

Front Page NewsSERBIA

Minority News

21

pressed against the owner of a restaurant whose staffhad refused to serve a group of disabled children.As she noted, the number of registered cases has increased since 201, when the Commissioner for Protection of Equality was appointed. As provided bythe Law, the Commissioner can react by statementsonly and is not authorized to take legal actions,whereas, in certain cases of discrimination, the Com-missioner can react only if an official complaint hasbeen filed. Petrušić also said that the Commissioner’sOffice sent 117 recommendations for action to thepublic institutions in 2012.

Thirty-eight percent of the respondents identified the Roma population as the most vulnerable group, representing 7% and 12% decrease compared to the 2010 and 2009 surveys, respectively (45% in 2010 and 50%in 2009). The second most vulnerable group are the poor (28%), the disabled (22%), the elderly (18%), women(17%), and sexual minority groups (14%).

Thirty-seven percent of respondents believe that the dis-crimination is most widely spread in employment of thevulnerable groups. The employment of the members ofthe discriminated groups, including the costly custom-tai-lored measures taken by the state in this regard, is sup-ported by the 76% of the respondents. One tenth of therespondents said that they would not support the afore-mentioned measures, as they would be carried out to thedetriment of the majority population. There is almostidentical attitude towards the enrolment of the minoritygroups in the university. There are no differences in atti-tude, with the exception of an increased number of re-spondents (13%) who objected the special universityenrolment quota for minorities. Seventy-three percentof the respondents would support such measures,whereas 14% have no position in this regard. The highestlevel of support to the affirmative action measures existson the subject of the education in the mother tongue, as45% of the respondents believe that national minoritiesshould be provided with education in their mothertongue despite the cost that may incur in this regard.

Discrimination is Most Widely Spread in Employment of Member of the Vulnerable

Groups

As expected, the ethnic distance towards Serb is mini-mal. Nevertheless, two thirds of Bosniaks and one thirdof Roma are not ready to marry a Serb. On the otherhand, the highest level of ethnic distance among theSerbs is towards the Albanians, then towards the Croats,Roma, and Bosniaks, whereas the lowest level is towardsthe Hungarians.

Serbs and Albanians Are the Farthest fromInter-ethnic Marriages

Front Page NewsSERBIA

Minority News

22

It is easy to support Roma when they are not inyour neighbourhoodAgree 49% Disagree 20% Do not know 31%

Personally, I have nothing against Roma, by theyare prone to stealingAgree 42% Disagree 22% Do not know 37%

Homosexuals are ill and they must be treatedAgree 32%Disagree 20% Do not know 48%

I have nothing against homosexuals, but theyshould do it behind their closed doorsAgree 17%Disagree 13% Do not know 71%

One should be cautious to other nations, evenwhen they seem to be friendlyAgree 32%Disagree 20% Do not know 48%

Serbia should be the state of Serbian people only,as Serbs are the majority nationAgree 61%Disagree 15% Do not know 24%

A normal individual acknowledges only traditionalreligions (Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Islam)Agree 37%Disagree 22% Do not know 41%

Small religious communities “steal” people’s soulsAgree 33% Disagree 35% Do not know 33%

There is some truth in books about Jewish conspiracyAgree 34% Disagree 46% Do not know 20%

Jews are trying to take advantage even of the suffering of their own nationAgree 34% Disagree 43% Do not know 23%

Children with mental disabilities should not bemixed with other childrenAgree 61% Disagree 19% Do not know 20%

There are not many people with disabilities in ournationAgree 61% Disagree 29% Do not know 10%

Health care facilities should refuse treatment ofHIV/AIDS patientsAgree 85% Disagree 11% Do not know 4%

Patients with HIV/AIDS are to be blamed for theirillnessSAgree 52% Disagree 25% Do not know 23%

More 60% of the Respondents Believe that Serbia should be the State of the Serbian People

Excerpt from the Survey Results

Front Page NewsSERBIA

Minority News

We Have Never Been Closer to a Sustainable and Mutually Acceptable Solution for Kosovo

he agreement, which was initialled in Brusselson April 19, has provoked strong reactionsboth in Pristina and in Belgrade. The agree-

ment was, almost simultaneously, declared an act oftreason by many on both sides. The impression is thatthere are political forces on both sides that are aggra-vated by the fact that the two parties in conflict haveagreed to end it. The arguments they offer do not focuson specific provisions of the agreement and are more areaction to the events from the past, which cannot bechanged.

The Agreement Creates another Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans...The hardliners in Kosovo believe that no negotiations andagreements with Belgrade are needed and necessaryuntil after Belgrade has recognized Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, and the more radicalones demand that Serbia should pay Kosovo reimbursement for war damages. They do not see theAgreement as a positive step towards normalization ofthe relations in the Balkans. Instead, they condemn it andcall for boycott. Few political leaders in Kosovo already

claim that the Agreement is creating a new entity andnew Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans. Some political parties have recognized that they could make aprofit on the dissatisfaction of the hardliners and havetried to impose themselves as leaders of the protests, repeating the mantra: “Kosovo is an independent andsovereign state and never again will our destiny be in thehands of Belgrade”.

The Agreement is an Act of National Treason...On the other side, in Belgrade, those who believe thatthe signing of the Agreement was the act of treason havegrouped together and they insist that those who haveinitialled the Agreement must be brought to justice asthey have consciously breached the Constitution. TheSerbian Orthodox Church also issued a statement urgingthe Prime Minister and the country leadership not to giveup on Kosovo. A number of high church officials took partand made public statements in the protests against theAgreement. A number of Kosovo Serbs, predominantlyliving in the North Kosovo, are determined to boycott theimplementation of the Agreement and have publiclyjoined the protests against it. A few political parties, who

T

A compromise solution is an ideal in resolving any political problem. Although it has often seemed that acompromise is impossible, particularly given different perceptions of the past, the Agreement reached by

Belgrade and Pristina has proven that it was realistic to find a solution that will normalize the situation,above all for those who live in Kosovo

23Minority News

In Focus

HISTORICAL AGREEMENT FOR PEACE AND PERSPECTIVES IN THE BALKANS

scented potential political profit in the water, have gath-ered the opponents to the Agreement and started com-peting among each other in proving convincingly that itwas the act of treason and criminal act that the culpritsshould be held liable for. Although the idea on the refer-endum had been launched to serve the purpose of thedaily politics only, at one point it evolved into a possibleoption. Like their counterparts in Kosovo, those who op-pose the Agreement in Serbia also have a mantra of theirown: “Kosovo and Metohia is an inseparable part of theterritory of the Republic of Serbia and no one has theright to negotiate with the secessionists”.

People Are More Important than the LawThe negotiators knew in advance that they would facefierce negative reactions by their compatriots regardlessof the contents of the agreement they were about tomake, as there are many of the “principled ones who donot forgive and do not forget” in both camps. Althoughthe aforementioned pressure was clearly seen in differ-ent segments of the talks, the negotiators managed toremain focused on specific solutions and the draft agree-ment on the table. The heavy issues from the past anddifferent perspectives in this regard were only sporadi-cally opened during the talks, more as a consequence tothe negotiators’ fatigue and the need to create specialperception for the audiences at home than the desire tosuspend the talks. The negotiators on both sides and theEU representatives, fully aware of the situation, madeadditional efforts to reach an agreement eventually andcome up with solutions predominantly focusing on thequality of life of people in Kosovo and in Serbia. Havingreached the aforementioned priority objective, theywould focus as much as possible on international norms,national constitutions, legislations, regulations and prac-tices. Eventually, the success of the Agreement wouldalso depend on whether the solutions reached are in linewith the constitutions and legislations of the negotiatingparties. The real truth, however, is that the Agreementhas prioritized the enhancement of the perspectives ofthe citizens living in Kosovo and in Serbia. As a conse-quence, the main criticism of the Agreement is based onthe fact that it is not in line with the local legislations. Itis clear, however, that it would not have been possible toreach an agreement if it had supposed to:

1. Allow Kosovo police to use force against thosewho violate constitutional and legal order of Kosovo andform the parallel governmental structures, and

2. Respect that the state officials are not allowed to

negotiate with terrorists and secessionists and thatKosovo is an integral part of Serbia as provided by theConstitution and the UNSCR 1244.

What does the Agreement Provide to the Citizens?The citizens in Kosovo, predominantly those of Serbiannationality, shall have the increased level of security andprotection, since their status has finally been resolved.They shall have their legitimate representatives in thegovernment structures that no one can challenge andthat Pristina shall have to cooperate with as provided bythe Agreement. The Serbian community’s right to selfgovernment with substantive competencies has beenrecognized, with no risk of being outvoted or systemati-cally discriminated by Priština. On the other hand, Bel-grade shall respect the agreed status of the Serbs inKosovo and the assets earmarked by Belgrade for theSerbian community in Kosovo shall be used more effi-ciently and disbursed more equally. It shall prevent anytrafficking or smuggling activities, which, as some peopleclaim, were necessary in the past in absence of other al-ternatives.Citizens of Serbia shall receive clear and tangible supportof the EU in the integration process and all other accompanying benefits in this regard. This package includes the support for the development of the infra-structure and increased assistance in the reforms and de-velopment of a more efficient and functional system.Although certain circles in Belgrade have referred to theaforementioned benefits in this context as to the Kosovofor EU membership trade, the Serbian Prime Minister ex-plained that there is no alternative that will make it pos-sible to reach an agreement and return Kosovo as awhole in the political, legal, and social system of Serbiaand enable Serbia to continue with the process of the ac-cession to the European Union.On the other hand, stability and security is provided toPriština, as the agreement envisages clear principles forthe functioning of the local self-governments in NorthKosovo and ends tensions and frustrations of being un-able to govern a part of Kosovo territory. Additional in-centive is the prospect of accession to EU andestablishment of a functioning system that currently doesnot exist in Kosovo. However, more importantly than any political implica-tions, it is realistic to expect that, in the near future, theAgreement shall contribute to the mutual respect of thenations that share a part of territory. It should also bringto an end any concerns about the survival and open thedoor to cooperation.

24Minority News

In Focus

The Agreement represents hope in re-gard to the progress in “European as-pirations of both countries” andensures peaceful and safe future for allcitizens. By taking this important step,Prime Minister Dacic and his Cabinethave shown their competence andstrength.

I urge Belgrade and Pristina to take necessary steps to implement theAgreement and offer the UN assistancein this process.I hope that the Agreement will securebetter future and permanent stability inthe region.

This is a historical agreement and it hasto be implemented as soon as possi-ble. I congratulate the leaders of bothparties on their commitment, courageand vision. The Agreement shall enablethe members of the European Unionto “make decisions on the furthersteps in the European path of Serbiaand Kosovo”.

Joseph Biden Ban Ki-moon Jose Manuel Barroso

The Agreement Represents Hope BothFor Belgrade And ForPristina

United Nations Ready toHelp

The Agreement ShouldBe Implemented AsSoon As Possible

The Negotiators Have Sacrificed Their Personal RatingsBoth chief negotiators have found themselves underenormous pressure by the general public and the politicalopponents, which has somewhat endangered their po-litical positions. To this end, Hashim Thaci has been in amore difficult position, as he does not have the supportof the parliamentary majority anymore and it is possiblethat he will have to resign before the elections.Ivica Dačić has, in addition to the expected death threats,ended up with other political prob-lems that threaten both his rating andthe position of his party. The most ac-tive in this regard are the Serbian Or-thodox Church and the politicalopposition. The Serbian Radical Partyhas pressed criminal charges againsthim on the account of national trea-son, which may result in a maximumprison penalty.In order to reply to serious accusa-tions and justify their actions to themore radical circles, the negotiatorsoffered provisional interpretations of the terms of theAgreement and even resorted to the statements that arenot implicitly or explicitly included in the document.Priština negotiators thus claimed that the Agreementhad finally established sovereignty of Kosovo over its ter-ritory as a whole, and that Serbia had implicitly recog-nized independence of Kosovo . Belgrade negotiators, onthe other hand, informed the public that all requests Bel-grade had made had been included in the document andnone requested by Priština.Both chief negotiators believe that time will show thatthey have carried out their duty in the talks in a respon-

sible way, and that they have achieved an agreement thatis in mutual interest. Those who believe that it was pos-sible to make a deal that reflects the interests of oneparty only will never be happy.

Why is this Agreement Historical?The London Economist and Kathryn Ashton immediatelydescribed the Agreement as historical, as it brings an endto the conflict that has existed for several decades. Fur-

thermore, it is historical because it hasbeen reached at a specific moment thatcan determine the long term future of theregion as a whole. The Agreement on theNormalization of the Relations is a condi-tion for further progress in the EU acces-sion process both for Serbia and forKosovo, and therefore should be seen as ahistorical step forward in the overall effortsfor EU membership. It is historical in thecontext of the relations between the Serbsand the Albanians, who are, for the firsttime, about to start building the mutual re-

lations on the basis of the respect of each other’s differ-ences and interests.From the perspective of a broader regional context, theagreement puts an end to the last armed conflict in theBalkans, and marks a possible opening of a new chapterof relations and conflict resolution in the region. The Agreement has been reached and now it should beimplemented and followed up by technical talks, whichshould result in specific solutions for the issues at hand.Both parties have agreed that the first and the most im-portant step has been made and that the process of nor-malization of relations cannot be stopped any more.

25Minority News

In Focus

More importantly thanany political implications,

it is realistic to expectthat, in the near future,

the Agreement shall contribute to the mutual

respect of the nationsthat share a part of

territory. It should alsobring to an end any

concerns about the sur-vival and open the door

to cooperation

1. There will be an Association/Community of Serbmajority municipalities in Kosovo. Membership willbe open to any other municipalities provided themembers are in agreement.

2. The Community/Association will be created bystatute. Its dissolution shall only take place by a deci-sion of the participating municipalities. Legal guaran-tees will be provided by applicable law andconstitutional law (including 2/3 majority rule).

3. The structures of the Association/Community willbe established on the same basis as the existingstatute of the Association of Kosovo municipalitiese.g. President, vice President, Assembly, Council.

4. In accordance with the competences given by theEuropean Charter of Local Self Government andKosovo law the participating municipalities shall beentitled to cooperate in exercising their powersthrough the Community/Association collectively. TheAssociation/Community will have full overview of theareas of economic development, education, health,urban and rural planning.

5. The Association/Community will exercise other ad-ditional competences as may be delegated by thecentral authorities.

6. The Community/Association shall have a represen-tative role to the central authorities and will have aseat in the communities consultative council for thispurpose. In the pursuit of this rile a monitoring func-tion is envisaged.

7. There shall be one police force in Kosovo called theKosovo Police. All police in northern Kosovo shall beintegrated in the Kosovo Police framework. Salarieswill be only from the Kosovo Police.

8. Members of other Serbian security structures willbe offered a place in equivalent Kosovo structures.

9. There shall be a Police Regional Commander for

the four northern Serb majority municipalities(Northern Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Lep-osavic). The Commander of this region shall be aKosovo Serb nominated by the Ministry of InternalAffairs from a list provided by the four mayors on be-half of the Community/Association. The compositionof the KP in the north will reflect the ethnic compo-sition of the population in the four municipalities.(There will be another Regional Commander for themunicipalities of Mitrovica South, Srbica and Vucitrn).The regional commander of the four municipalitieswill cooperate with other regional commanders.

10. The judicial authorities will be integrated and op-erate within the Kosovo legal framework. the Appel-late Court in Pristina will establish a panel composedof a majority of Kosovo Serb judges to deal with allKosovo Serb majority municipalities. A division of theAppellate Court, composed both by administrativestaff and judges, will sit permanently in northernMitrovica (Mitrovica District Court). Each panel of theabove division will be composed by a majority ofKosovo Serb judges. Appropriate judges will sit de-pendent on the nature of the case involved.

11. Municipal elections shall be organized in thenorthern municipalities in 2013 with the facilitationof the OSCE in accordance with Kosovo law and in-ternational standards.

12. An implementation plan including time frameshall be produced by April 26. In implementing thisagreement the principle of transparent funding willbe addressed.

13. Discussions on Energy and Telecoms will be inten-sified by the two sides and completed by June 15.

14. It is agreed that neither side will block, or encour-age others to block, the other side's progress in therespective EU paths.

15. An implementation committee will be establishedby the two sides, with the facilitation of the EU.

The First Agreement on the Principles of Normalizationof the Relations

26Minority News

Document

he Report notes that the most serious humanrights problems during the year 2012 includeddiscrimination and societal violence against

minorities, especially Roma. “Harassment of journalists and pressure on them to self-censor was also a significant area of concern, as were cor-ruption in healthcare, education, and multiple branchesof government, including the police, and an inefficientjudicial system that resulted in lengthy and delayed trials,and long periods of pre-trial detention”.The Report also gave details on other problems reportedduring the year, which included physical mistreatment ofdetainees by police; harassment of human rights advo-cates, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)groups and individuals, as well as groups and individualscritical of the government. It also noted other importantissue in regard to the human rights practices such as

- Lack of durable solutions for large numbers of displaced persons,

- Societal and domestic violence against women and children, and

- Trafficking in persons.

“The government generally took steps to prosecute offi-cials, both in the police and elsewhere in the govern-ment, when abuses were made public. Nevertheless,many observers believed that numerous cases of corrup-tion, police mistreatment, and other abuses went unre-ported and unpunished”, the Report stated.It was also noted that there were no reports on the politically motivated disappearances or that “the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings”.In regard to the conditions of prisons and detention centers, the Report noted that they did not meet international standards and were marked by severe overcrowding, generally poor sanitation, lack of properlighting and ventilation, and weak discipline and poortraining among custodial staff. It was noted that one ofthe problems is prolonged pre-trial detention, and thatapproximately 27 percent of the more than 11,000 inmates in prison were in pre-trial detention, or had onlybeen sentenced by a first instance court and were awaiting appeal.However, the Report noted that the government permit-ted visits by independent human rights observers. It wasalso pointed out that judges and prosecutors, particularlythose handling organized crime and war crime cases,continued to receive death threats. As an example, theynoted the case of fugitive Darko Saric, who had report-edly offered a bounty of 10 million euros ($13.2 million)for the assassination of high-level officials, involved in judicial processing of his case.Barricades Identified as a Problem in the Kosovo ReportIn the 2012 Report on Kosovo, the US Department ofState also noted that the barricades in the North Kosovomade by the hard-line Serbs represented one of thebiggest problems “as they limited basic human rights, in-cluding the freedom of movement and the transport ofgoods. “The hard-line (Serbs) used force on several oc-casions” and harassed their compatriots who did notshare their views as well as the members of international

27

US Department of State Issues Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012

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Minority News

Front Page News

The US Department of State has issued the 2012 Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The situation in our country has also been included in the document, with disconcertingassessments in regard to the minority rights and other segments of the human rights corpus.

US Department of State on Serbia: Discriminationagainst Roma and Societal Violence against Minorities

Identified as Serious Problems

28

security forces.The Kosovo Report also expressed concerns in regard tosocial discrimination of the minority communities, indi-viduals with disabilities, and members of the LGBT pop-ulations. It noted the widely spread domestic violenceproblems, and particularly the violence against women.The additional problems in regard to the human rightspractices are corruption, protection in detention facilitiesand prisons, length of pre-trial procedures, judicial ineffi-ciency, harassment of media by public figures and crim-inal elements, limited progress in regard to the return ofIDPs, government-linked corruption, human trafficking,children labour in the grey economy, etc.The Report stated that the Kosovo Government hadtaken steps against to prosecute and bring to the justicethe officials who had abused the power in the securityservices and other government structures, however,many high level officials implicated in corruption caseshad remained untouched. The Report noted that Ramush Haradinaj had been acquitted by the ICTY on November 29, 2012 and addedthat the Kosovo Government had cooperated with theEULEX Special Investigative Team in regard to chargesabout human body organ trafficking and crimes commit-ted from July 1999 to mid 2000, as stated in the 2010 Report by the Council of Europe. In regard to the missing persons, the Report stated that,while there were no reports on the new politically moti-vated disappearances, according to the Red Cross, 1,766individuals reported as missing during the conflict 1998-1999, continued to be listed as missing persons through2012.

Cases of Dragan Šutanovac and MilanMarković Mentioned in the Report

In its 2012 Report on Prisons and Social Care Institu-tions in Serbia, the Helsinki Committee on HumanRights noted that the condition of permanent judicial

reform and minimal impact on the increased efficiencyof the prison system remained the main characteristicsof the penal policy in Serbia.

Thousands of inmates in the prisons in Serbia are beingphysically and psychologically destroyed and they areunable to adjust to the society again, the system isdeeply corrupt and its inefficiency is costly. Systematicviolations of human rights, hundreds of individualsheld in unjustified detention, unused production ca-pacities, shady deals made with private companies, arenoted in the summary of the Report, which will be is-sued later this year.

Inmates in Serbia Are in the Most Difficult Position

Minority News

Front Page News

The Report noted the claims by the AnticorruptionAgency, the Anticorruption Council, and Transparency Serbia, that “corruption remained awidespread, systemic phenomenon” and added that“the new government that came into power in Julydeclared a strong commitment to fighting corruption.”The Report also quotes that, during the year 2012,the Anti Corruption Agency initiated a number ofadministrative or criminal proceedings against members of the former government for failures inrelation to property disclosure forms. “Notably, theACA filed a criminal report to the prosecutor’s officeagainst former Minister of Defence Dragan Šutanovac for having falsely presented the full sizeof his apartment. Former Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government MilanMarković was subject to misdemeanour proceedings for filing after the prescribed deadline”.

29

he Ambassador of Israel,Yossef Levy and membersof the Parliament of the

Republic of Serbia requested thatthe prosecutors' office initiate inves-tigations against those responsiblefor recent anti-Semitic posters seenin Belgrade. Ambassador Levy highlighted that Serbia is not ananti-Semitic country.

Anti-Semitism is an act of a cowardice

“We have jointly condemned suchacts and requested that the prosecu-tor ensure that those responsible arebrought to justice, to prevent evil actsand forbid all extremist organizationsin Serbia that call for hate”, saidBorislav Stefanovic, the President ofthe of Parliamentarian groupFriends of Israel.

Anti-Semitic posters appeared in thecentre of Belgrade at the end ofMarch 2013, showing a bomberfrom the Second World War with thestar of David, along with the pictures

of the ruins of the Military Headquar-ters (Generalstab) and the destroyedbridge over the Danube in Novi Sadand the message “14 years since theNATO bombing, their terror is stillpresent”.

In a conversation with journalists,after a meeting that was also at-tended by the President of the Fed-eration of Jewish Communities inSerbia Mr. Ruben Fuks, AmbassadorLevi pointed out that the problems ofbrutal anti-Semitism seen in extremeacts of extremist organizations havebeen identified.

“We expect the state organs to actimmediately, not only against thosewho posted these posters, but alsoagainst organizations that continu-ously spread hate. Moreover, we expect that illegal publications finallydisappear from the market, particu-larly the The Protocols of the Eldersof Zion and other books that are inappropriate and are unacceptablefor any civilization and nation”, Ste-fanovic pointed out .

According to Stefanovic, the partici-pants propose to introduce all thenecessary information into theschool curriculum to teach studentsabout anti-Semitism and the evils ofthe Holocaust. Although anti-Semiticacts can occur, the Ambassador of Israel said that Serbia is neither ananti-Semitic state, nor anti-Semiticsociety. Ambassador Levy pointedout that anti-Semitic messages inBelgrade are not the acts of Serbianpatriots, but acts of cowardice.

“Anti-Semitism is a sickness andevery society should fight against it.Anti-Semitic messages are anti-patriotic and anti-Serbian acts”, concluded the Ambassador of Israel,who pointed out that the best medicine for anti-Semitism is education, especially the educationof the young generations.

THE BEST MEDICINE FOR ANTI-SEMITISM IS EDUCATION

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Serbia is neither an anti-Semitic state, nor anti-Semitic society

Minority News

Yossef Levy, the Ambassador of Israel to Serbia

Front Page NewsSERBIA

Anti-Semitism is a sicknessand every society should

fight against it. Anti-Semiticmessages are anti-patriotic

and anti-Serbian acts

30

Yom HaShoah was inaugurated in 1953, anchored by a law signed by the Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gu-rion and the President of Israel Yitzhak Ben-Zvi. The original proposal was to hold Yom HaShoah on the 14th of

Nisan, the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising (April 19, 1943), but this was problematic because the 14thof Nisan is the day immediately before Pesach (Passover). The date was moved to the 27th of Nisan, which is eight

days before Yom Ha'atzma'ut, or Israeli Independence Day.

Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah (םוי ןורכיזההאושל -Holocaust and Heroism Remem" ;הרובגלוbrance Day"), known colloquially in Israel Israel andabroad as Yom HaShoah (םוי and in English as (האושהHolocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day is ob-served as Israel's day of commemoration for the approx-

imately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaustas a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germanyand its accessories, and for the Jewish resistance in thatperiod. It is a national and state holiday in Israel and iscelebrated on the 27 Nisan (April-May). There are differ-ent commemorative days in other countries.

From the Jewish Community

Yom HaShoah in IsraelYom HaShoah opens in Israel at sundown in a state ceremony held in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem,the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes Authority, inJerusalem. During the ceremony the national flag is low-ered to half mast, the President and the Prime Ministerboth deliver speeches, Holocaust survivors light sixtorches symbolizing the approximately six million Jewswho perished in the Holocaust and the Chief Rabbis re-cite prayers.

At 10:00 am on Yom HaShoah, sirens are soundedthroughout Israel for two minutes. During this time, peo-ple cease from action and stand at attention; cars stopand drivers emerge from them, even on the highways;and the whole country comes to a standstill as peoplepay silent tribute to the dead.On Yom HaShoah, ceremonies and services are held atschools, military bases and by other public and commu-nity organizations.On the eve of Yom HaShoah and the day itself, places ofpublic entertainment are closed by law. Israeli televisionairs Holocaust documentaries and Holocaust-related talkshows, and low-key songs are played on the radio. Flagson public buildings are flown at half mast.Observance of the day is moved back to the Thursday be-fore, if 27 Nisan falls on a Friday (as in 2008), or forwarda day, if 27 Nisan falls on a Sunday (to avoid adjacencywith the Jewish Sabbath). The fixed Jewish calendar en-sures 27 Nisan does not fall on Saturday.

Yom HaShoah outside IsraelJews in the Diaspora may observe this day within the syn-agogue, as well as in the broader Jewish community.Commemorations range from synagogue services tocommunal vigils and educational programs. Many YomHaShoah programs feature a talk by a Holocaust survivoror a direct descendant, recitation of appropriate psalms,songs and readings, or viewing of a Holocaust-themedfilm. Some communities choose to emphasize the depthof loss that Jews experienced in the Holocaust by readingthe names of Holocaust victims one after another—dra-matizing the unfathomable notion of six million deaths.Many Jewish schools also hold Holocaust-related educa-tional programs on, or around, Yom HaShoah.

Flags at half mast on Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoahHolocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day

Minority News

he Holocaust Remem-brance Day was comme-morated in Belgrade on

22 April by the laying of wreathes atthe monument in the complex ofthe former Nazi-camp “Starosajmiste”. The Minister of Health inthe Government of the Republic ofSerbia, Slavica Djukic – Dejanovic was present at the maincommemorative event. On behalfof the Serbian government, she laida wreath.

A few survivors, along with the am-bassadors of Israel and Germany,many diplomats, representative ofthe Roma national minority, theHead of the EU delegation to Serbia,Vincent Deger and the representa-tives of the City of Belgrade partici-pated at the state ceremony.

The representatives of the Federa-tion of Jewish Communities of Serbiaalso laid a wreath.

This year's commemoration was par-ticular, since the former Nazi camp ofStaro Sajmiste was visited by themembers of the Committee of theConference of European Rabbis, ledby Rabbi Pinchas Goldsmith, themain Rabbi of Moscow. On this oc-casion, the Rabbis prayed for the in-nocent victims. The HolocaustRemembrance Day is also the Day ofthe Breakthrough of the Jasenovaccamp prisoners.

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Serbia commemorates the Holocaust Day

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Also during this day, tens of thousands of Israeli high-school students, and thousands of Jews and non-Jewsfrom around the world, hold a memorial service inAuschwitz, in what has become known as "The March ofthe Living," in defiance of the Holocaust Death Marches.This event is endorsed and subsidized by the Israeli Min-istry of Education and the Holocaust Claims Conference,and is considered an important part of the school cur-riculum – a culmination of several months of studies on

World War II and the Holocaust.

Yom HaShoah 5773 in SerbiaAlthough the Jewish community in Serbia is not large, itis traditionally very active, while the Yom HaShoah is al-ways commemorated. The commemoration was held atthe Jewish cemetery in Belgrade on 7 April, followed byan artistic program at the synagogue Sukat Salom on thesame day at 19.00.

22 April 2013

Delegation of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Serbia, led by the President, dr Ruben Fuks, duringthe wreath laying ceremony at the Staro Sajmiste memorial

om HaSoah was commemorated in Novi Sadon 8 April 2013 in the Club of the Jewish Community. After the presentation of Edita

Jankov about the tragic history of the Jewish people, sixcandles were lit for the six million of our co-nationals whowere tragically killed during the Second World War. An interesting exhibition of the artist-painter SlobodanNenad Karadzic, entitled “Crtica iz zivota – Sketches from

Life”, was opened, celebrating the Roma World Day atthe same time. The author, a Roma himself, shared hisinteresting and sad life story with the guests.Like the Jews, the Roma were camp prisoners all over Europe. During the Second World War around 1 200 000 Roma were killed. This exhibition was also anoccasion to highlight the difficult position of the Romapeople in our country.

Yom HaShoah in Novi Sad

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Minority News

From the Jewish Community

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“Golem” in the Jewish Community of Belgrade

The première of the play “Golem” was held onWednesday, 24 April in the Large Hall of the Jewishcommunity in Belgrade after its great success on Bejahad, in Subotica, Zrenjanin and in the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium. The author of “Golem” is theCanadian Giulia Pacal. The play was performed by theYouth Theatre of the Jewish Community Belgrade “KingDavid” and directed by Mirjan Salom.

Manual for Reading the City

“Places of Pogrom and Anti-fascist Movement in Bel-grade 1941 – 1944 – Manual for Reading the City” is atitle of the publication presented on 11 April 2013 inthe Gallery of the Jewish Community in Belgrade. Thepublication was printed by the B92 Fund as part of theproject “Poseta Starom Sajmistu – Staze”, with fundsprovided by the “Rosa Luxembourg Foundation”. Thebook was presented by its editors Rena Redle andMilovan Pisari.

The Federation of the Jewish Communities in occasion of theanti-Semitic posters in the centre of Belgrade

he Jewish community of Serbia is disturbedby the appearance of posters which accusethe members of their community of being re-

sponsible for the bombing of Serbia and for the “terror”that has continued between 1993 and 2013.The appearance and the content of these posters remindone of those that were seen during the occupation in1941, when the so-called Anti-Masonic exhibition wasannounced in Belgrade and then opened on 22 October1941. This exhibition had a very strongAnti-Semitic character and was focusedon spreading anti-Jewish sentiments.This exhibition was followed by theabolishment of citizen's rights for Jews,the theft of their property, arrests, tor-tures and mass exterminations. Over 80percent of the Jewish population in Ser-bia was killed during the rule of thosewho supported the Nazi ideology.Today, the authors of the posters repre-sent the continuation of this ideology,whose representatives had all thepower in the occupied Serbia of 1941. Anti-Semitic posters that appeared inthe centre of Belgrade on Friday, 29March 2013, rendered the anti-Jewish sentiments andstatements of some individuals and organized groups vis-ible. The Federation of the Jewish Communities in Serbiadrew attention to their public speeches, articles, journalsand books on its website. None of those individuals andgroups have ever been prosecuted, punished or pre-vented from spreading racial, national and religions in-tolerance. The consequences of their activities can bebest seen in the Report on youth intolerance to different

minorities, broadcast on the Radio Television of Serbia,in the program called “Da mozda ne – Yes Maybe No”,the night before the posters appeared. Intolerance, hate, discrimination, physical attacks andkillings are present in this time of crises in many countriesmuch more than in Serbia. Hate rhetoric in the world rep-resents an inspiration for ideas to individuals and groupsthat are still small and lack influence in our country. Theyare not connected among themselves only ideologically,

but also organizationally. The Federa-tion of Jewish Communities in Serbiawarns that there is a tendency tochannel the anger of the unsatisfied,humiliated and penurious citizens ofSerbia against Jews and other na-tional minorities. If not preventedfrom the beginning, this tendencycould develop into a general point ofview in this society which would havea counter-effect and bring negativeconsequences. We would like to express our grati-tude for the reactions and support wereceived from the representatives ofthe government, respected individu-

als and all good people in Serbia and Belgrade in this se-rious and disturbing moment. We would also like torequest the institutions responsible for monitoring ac-tivities of extremist groups and individuals, the publicprosecutor and the judiciary in general, to act efficientlyand effectively and to prevent and eliminate the spread-ing of such ideas – ideas that have been convicted a longtime ago as shameful and against any civilized society.

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The statement of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Serbia, 3 April 2013

The appearance and thecontent of these postersremind one of those that

were seen during the occupation in 1941, whenthe so-called Anti-Masonicexhibition was announced

in Belgrade and thenopened on 22 October

1941. This exhibition had avery strong Anti-Semitic

character and was focusedon spreading anti-Jewish

sentiments

NEWS FROM THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Minority News

From the Jewish Community

ational rights are not given to anyone and yetwe have been persistent in using them – westarted to exercise our rights by ourselves,

through our knowledge and capacity - pointed out EsadDzudzevic, the President of the Bosniak national councilin his speech at the ceremony for the Day of the Bosniakflag in Novi Pazar.“Respected founders of the Bosniak national council,councillors, state secretaries, presidents of municipalities,respected ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, respectedparticipants of the 8th Festival of the Bosniak people'sgames – SBONI 2013, it is a great pleasure to congratulateall Bosniaks and all citizens of Sandazk on this day - the11th of May – the Day of the Bosniak flag, on my behalfand on behalf of the Bosniaks national council. This is the 10th anniversary of the Bosniak national coun-cil. Our results speak more than our words. Today, we celebrate the Day of the Bosniak Flag in 2013 – an academic year in which the Bosniak language has beenintroduced into the school curriculum in Sandzak. We have rebuilt the Bosniak value system and we are incorporating it into the system of the state in which welive and, more importantly, we are internalising this valuesystem into the conscientiousness and personalities ofBosniak children and future generations of Bosniaks whowill recover their self-esteem and self-respect, since theywill know and will respect their language, history and culture. They will be proud of their national and culturalidentity. We are blessed people, we do not hate anyone,we never did any crime against others, we respect theothers and those who are different and we are a nationthat has enriched the other nations we live together withthrough our culture and tradition.National rights are not given to anyone and yet we havebeen persistent in using them – we started to exerciseour rights by ourselves, through our knowledge and capacity. Moreover, this government has been very cooperative and helpful in this process.The Bosniak's National Council did a lot for unity and national consensus among Bosniaks. We established andstrengthened the cooperation with Bosniaks fromBosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro. We cooperate with all ethnic groups in thiscountry: Hungarians, Romanians, Croats, Bulgarians,Vlachs, and Albanians. We cooperate with both domestic

and international entities. We presented Bosniaks from Sandzak and their cultureand history to both our friends and those who do notcare for us much. However, we are respected by everyone. Or they will need to respect us in the future.Dear friends, Bosniaks in Sandzak and in Bosnia livemixed with other ethnic groups, but mostly with Serbs.That's why the relations between Bosniaks and Serbs arevery important. Serbs will respect us as much as we respect ourselves and our history and culture, or as muchas we are strong and united. I am inviting you to stand up and actively fight and participate in achieving Bosniak rights. I invite you to takea distance from the culture of complaint, disorder andworries, and to build together a culture devoted to work,persistence and results. And you should know – I willquote wise words of the prince of wisdom and the fatherof the modern Bosniak nation – Alija Izetbegovic: Thereis no justice and injustice in this world, only weak andstrong. Stay strong and we will succeed.The Bosniak national council calls on the Government ofthe Republic of Serbia to implement the program of return of refugees and displaced Bosniaks, especially inthe municipality of Priboj, their sustainable survival andlivelihood and the erection of a monument devoted tothe victims from Strpci and Sjeverin, along with the appropriate material remuneration to their families. The Bosniaks national council strongly supports theprocess of the unification of the Islamic community onthe territory of the Republic of Serbia and calls religiousleaders to establish a dialogue focused on mutually accepted solutions and in accordance with Islamic lawand Ottoman tradition and in the interest of all believers. Following the affirmative experience from the EU coun-tries, the Bosniak national council considers the city ofNovi Pazar and the municipalities of Tutin, Sjenica, NovaVaros, Projeplje and Priboj as one administrative unit inthe process of decentralization and regionalization. Thismeans granting them special regional self-governancewithin Serbia, along with the right to establish a borderregion and cooperation with Southern Sandzak in Montenegro. And, once again, I congratulate you the11th of May, the Day of the Bosniak flag and I declare theEight Festival of the Bosniak people's games open. I wish you all the best.

33Minority News

Day of the Bosniak Flag – a Major Bosniak Holiday

Esad Džudžević, President of the Bosniak National Council

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From the Bosniak Community

From the Bosniak Community

osniaks in Sandzak and Serbia celebrate the11th of May as their national holiday – theDay of the Bosniak Flag – preserving the

memory of important dates from their history.“The 11th of May this year, as in previous years, Bosniaksin Sandzak and Serbia will celebrate with mixed emo-tions. They will be happy for their national holiday, butalso worried, bearing in mind the discrimination that ourco-nationals suffer. Their rights, defined by the Constitu-tions, have been continuously trodden upon, while theBosniaks National Council, elected by Bosniaks them-selves in democratic elections, is obstructed by the Min-istry”, Samir Tandir, the President of the Bosniak National

Council pointed out.“We, Bosniaks, still keep up our optimism when we thinkabout our future. I would like to take this opportunity tocongratulate all Bosniaks the 11th of May, our nationalholiday – the Day of the Bosniak flag”, said Tandir.

Congratulations on the Day of the Bosniak flagThe President of the Bosniak National Council congratulates his co-nationals on their celebration

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n the 4th of April 2013 the AdministrativeCourt of the Republic of Serbia ruled in favourof the International University in Novi Pazar

and abolished the Decision of the National Council forHigher Education of the Republic of Serbia.Based on this decision, the National Council for HigherEducation is obliged, within a month, to revise its decisionin accordance with the decision of the AdministrativeCourt . The decision of the Administrative Court acceptedthe complaint of the International University in NoviPazar regarding the accreditation procedure.

“The agony of the accreditation of the International Uni-versity in Novi Pazar lasted very long. I believe that thisagony finally came to its end thanks to the decision ofthe Administrative Court. I would like to thank our stu-dents and their parents who believed in high quality ofthis University, despite existing pressures coming fromoutside. This decision shows that, in this country, thereare institutions open to hear those whose rights are trod-den upon. This is a very positive signal for all citizens inSerbia”, said Prof. Dr Melvud Dudic, Rector of the Inter-national University in Novi Pazar.

Accreditation SoonAdministrative Court ruled in favour of the International University in Novi Pazar

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34Minority News

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia andthe National Council of the Slovenian na-tional minority, in cooperation with the city

of Kragujevac, Association of the people of Kragujevacin Belgrade and the Music Center of Kragujevac, organ-ized an unusual concert on Thursday, 25 April in DomVojske in Belgrade.The conductor, Miloje Nikolic, the City choir Liceum andthe Ensemble Skancin impressed the audience. They per-formed pieces by J. P. Galus, Davorin Jenko, Mihovil Logar,Zlatan Vauda and Anica Sabo. The concert was part of the project “Strings, gentlysinging”, organized and implemented by the NationalCouncil of the Slovenian national minority in Serbia.The project is devoted to the presentation of choral com-positions by authors of Slovenian origin who have livedor are still living in Serbia. It is based on the wish to bringtheir work closer to the public and to highlight importantaspects of the cultural exchange between Serbia andSlovenia. The role of the Association of Slovenians wasalso important in this process, since it was concentratedon the preservation of the Slovenian culture in Serbia.

The project was focused on the work of Davorin Jenko,Mihovil Logar, Zlatan Vauda and Anica Sabo, and a specialpart was devoted to the work of Jakob Petelin Galus,Slovenian renaissance composer, a great master of choralpolyphony, recognized as a symbol of the ancient her-itage and great value of Slovenian art music.

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Strings, Gently Singing

Choir music composed by Slovenian composers who lived and live in Serbia

From the Slovenian communityFrom the Slovenian Community

Minority News

Days Devoted to A. G. Matos andDr Josip Andric in Plavna

Days devoted to A. G. Matos and Dr Josiv Andricwere held in Plavna on 27 and 28 April, organizedby the local Cultural-Artistic Association “Matos”and the Institute for Culture of Croats from Vojvo-dina”.

The youngest members of the Association“Matos” showed their talent, along with the choirand mandolin orchestra. The program includedthe presentation of the Croatian Choir “Festivalbunjavackih pisama” from Subotica. The eventwas followed by mass for the three Croatian he-roes in the Church S. Jakov, while the exhibition ofthe Croatian Art Association “Cro Art” from Subot-ica was opened.

Local Croats pointed out that Matos and Andric re-main the main protagonists of the permanent in-spiration in the work of the Plavanj-based culturalassociation.

Following the opening of the International Festival ofCroatian Mandolin Music on Friday, the 10th of May inOsijek, the second evening of this traditional manifesta-tion was organized in Sombor, hosting this event for thethird time. This year, the Festival of the Croatian MandolinMusic celebrated its 36th anniversary. A small celebration was organized in the hall of the Som-bor-based Croatian House, before the competition ofmandolin orchestras started. The event was opened bythe President of the Croatian Cultural and Art Association“Vladimir Nazor”, Mata Mataric, who expressed his greatpleasure for being able to be the host of such an eventagain this year. The General Consul of the Republic of Croatia in Serbia,based in Subotica, devoted his presentation to the Festi-val and the concerts of the Croatian mandolin music per-formed abroad.“Festival Bunjevackih pisama” and the Subotica MandolinOrchestra were among the four mandolin orchestras thatperformed that evening.

he meeting on New Media Legislation wasorganized by the Office for Human and Mi-nority Rights and the Coordination body of

the National councils, focused on analysing issues in thefiled of information on national minority languages andtheir solutions. Representatives of the national councilsexpressed their concern related to the level of the vio-lation of rights and responsibilities as defined by thenew Law and requested the harmonization of the Law

on Public Information and the Media Law.

The representatives of the Croatian National Council,Darko Saric Lukendic and Ankica Jukic Mandic proposeda new formulation to define the funds from the Republic,the Autonomous Province and local self-governance tobe reserved for minority media: Article 10 of the prelim-inary draft will need to include the percentage reservedfor this media.

New Law should not Reduce the Achieved Rights

From the Croatian community

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The Festival of the Croatian MandolinMusic was also organized in Sombor

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From the Croatian Community

Minority News

n Friday, 10 May, an exhibition of naïve artby Jan Glozik from Kovacica and JanosMesaros from Belgrade was opened in

Beijing, China. We can easily say that the naïve art from Kovacica hasvisited every part of the world. The exhibition of theartists on the 10th of May at the Slovakian Embassy inBeijing is just another confirmation. The exhibition in-cluded the work of the contemporary naïve artist fromKovacica, Jan Glozik and the naïve artist from Belgrade,Janos Mesaros. This is the first exhibition organized by the Embassy ofSlovakia in Beijing. It was opened by His Excellency, theAmbassador of the Slovak Republic in China, FrantisekDlhopoljcek. The exhibition is jointly organized by twoembassies - the Embassy of the Slovak Republic and theEmbassy of the Republic of Serbia. The exhibition of the two authors – Jan Glozik from thefamous Kovacica-based school of naïve art and JanosMesaros, a naïve artist from Belgrade, however differentfrom the Kovacica-based style, will be also seen outsideBeijing, in few other towns in China. The phenomenon of the Kovacica naïve art has been rec-ognized all over the world. Their work is part of the col-lections of many celebrities – from Queen Elisabeth II toactors Ursula Andress, Alain Delon and musicians, such

as the Rolling Stones. This exhibition confirmed thatnaïve art was born in Kovacica. Its uniqueness, originality,honesty and tender view of the world will fascinate thepublic in distant Beijing.

From the Slovakian community

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The Embassy of Slovakia and the Embassy of Serbiajointly presented naive art paintings in Beijing

The 47th Festival, known as “Slovesna jar”, was organizedthis year between the 23rd and the 26th April in Martinin Slovakia. The last day of the Festival was devoted tothe literature, paintings and the culture of Slovaks fromVojvodina.The program started with the debate on “Foreign Guestsof the Verbal Spring” with the following guests: VjeraBenkova, Miroslav Demak, Martin Prebudjila, VladimirValencik, the artist Pavel Canji, the writer and professorEtela Farkasova from Bratislava. The program continuedin the Gallery of Turcan with the presentation of the workof Vjera Benkova and Etele Farkasova, the writers ex-pressed mutual respect for each other and explained

how their cooperation developed while writing thejointly published book in the Serbian language “U zatisjusna”. The exhibition by Pavel Canji “Paintings and Graphics”was opened in the same gallery. The director of thegallery, Ljubomir Kraljovanski, welcomed the foreignguest, while the curator of the exhibition, Vladimir Va-lencik brought the author's art closer to the numerousvisitors. Around 30 Slovakian teachers from Vojvodina wereamong the guests at the opening, They joined the eventafter the four-day seminar for teachers, organized by theSelf-governance of Zilinska in Martin.

“Slovesna jar 2013” - many nice words

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From the Slovakian Community

Minority News

From the Bunjevac Community

38Minority News

epresentatives of the Bunjevac NationalCommunity participated in the Festival ofSlavic Literacy and Culture, which was organ-

ized by the City of Novi Sad on May 24-26, 2013.The Festival featured the exhibition in the foyer of theNovi Sad City Hall on the cultural-historical heritage ofthe Bunjevac community and other Slavic communities.The representatives of the Bunjevac community alsotook part in the “Slavic Friendship Nights” recital in themain hall of the Novi Sad City Palace. At the opening ofthe exhibition, Mirko Bajić expressed gratitude to the Cityof Novi Sad and noted that “Bunjevacs are small, but his-torically recognized, Slavic nation, who has lived in thispart of the world for centuries, and regrettably, as it hasbeen the case for decades, they are even nowadaysstruggling to preserve their identity. T his is an opportu-nity to show a small piece of our cultural and historicalheritage and we feel happy and privileged to be able toparticipate in this Festival with other Slavic communities”. Ms. Kata Kuntić, the President of the Cultural and Art So-ciety “Bunjevka”, who was the selector and author of theexhibition, gave more details on the exhibition and theindividual exhibits. She pointed out to the historical pres-entation of the origin of the Bunjevac community andspecifically presented the folk custom “Dužijanca“, with

the exhibits made of straw, a crown and bread made ofnewly harvested grain and a man and a woman in thenational costumes, which have drawn attention of all at-tendees.A solo singer, Tamara Babić participated in the “SlavicFriendship Nights” with two Bunjevac songs and the Cul-tural and Art Society “Tavankut” presented a mix of Bun-jevac folk dances, which have been warmly received bythe audience. Thus the Bunjevac Community partici-pated in the event with other Slavic communities livingin Serbia and the guests from Nizni Novgorod from theRussian Federation and contributed to the overall successof the first Festival of the Slavic Literacy and Culture,which was organized by the City of Novi Sad.

The Festival of Slavic Literacy and Culture Organized in Novi Sad

Bunjevac Community Side by Side with other Slavs

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8 April – The Roma World Day

special edition

Minority News

he averageR o m a

person lives 49years and only one in100 live up to sixty.Only 5 percent of Romahave employment contracts onan indefinite period of time, while 80percent are functionally illiterate. Between threeand five thousand Roma are legally invisible,while most of them have a social benefit as theironly income. Around 15 percent of Roma girlsbetween 15 and 19 get married before they turn15, while every third has a child before she turns18. They leave school before they turn 12 years.The mortality rate of new born children is 50

percent higher compared to the average in theRepublic of Serbia. This leads to the question whether the Romapeople have anything to celebrate.

According to the Census from 2011, there aremore than 147.000 Roma in Serbia. According tothe Roma National Council, there are around600.000 and 700.00 Roma in Serbia in around600 settlements. Half of them live in places with-out basic hygienic conditions. Only in Belgradethere are about 150 such places. These places donot have any communal infrastructure and basicliving conditions. The conditions are substan-dard for humans. In such places there is always

a high risk of fireand infectious

diseases. There isno clear picture

about the number ofpeople who live in such

places, but figures are be-tween 25.000 and 50.000.

During the process of dislocation from suchplaces, there is always a problem, especially inBelgrade, since often international standards arenot respected and their rights, guaranteed bythe law, are not respected. International stan-dards require that appropriate informationabout dislocation be delivered in written formand an appropriate alternative be offered, some-

thing that is not followed in the local context. Asa temporary solution in Belgrade, a metal con-tainers of 14 square meters have been organizedand they do not represent appropriate condi-tions for family living.

The International Pact on Economic, Social andCultural Rights and the Revised European SocialAct guarantee the right of accommodation,which is one of the basic human rights. The Re-public of Serbia sighed both documents. Unfor-tunately, the state has not fulfiled its obligationand members of the Roma community aremostly affected .

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Do Roma have anything to Celebrate?They live hard and short, they are invisible for the state, they live in a society where prejudices

and stereotypes dominate, they are the most vulnerable part of the society, while discrimination towards the Roma people is the most visible.

Only one in 100 Roma will reach the age of 60

Minority News 8 April – The Roma World Day

40Minority News

The President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolicpointed out that the protection of nationalminorities in Serbia is guaranteed by theConstitution and that the Republic of Serbiashould protect minority rights. Moreover,they enjoy a special protection aimed atachieving full equality and protection oftheir identity.

The Mayor of Belgrade, Dragan Djilas an-nounced that the problem of housing for202 Roma families will be solved during thenext two years with the financial support ofthe European Union, the City of Belgrade'spartner in this project.“During the last four years, we have done alot for our co-citizens, the Roma peoplefrom the non-hygienic settlements in Bel-grade. We organized accommodation for303 families, 1,389 people got their per-sonal documents (IDs and Medical cards),social benefits, while 191 apartments weregiven to Roma families, out of 650 socialapartments that we built (91 family fromthe settlements Belvil and below the Gazelabridge and 100 families from other parts ofthe city) “.

The Minister of construction and urbanism, Velimir Ilic said that bad livingconditions is one of the biggest problemsthat the Roma community is facing. He invited Roma to apply to get social apartments. At the moment, apartments ofa total area of 10.000 square meters arebeing built for the most vulnerable part ofthe population, while the Roma are advan-taged in the decision process. It is impor-tant, however, to register with localauthorities. He pointed out that 14 townsin Serbia offered free of charge the landwith all communal permissions to buildsuch apartments.

The Minister of Health, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic said that the health protection ofthe Roma people has been substantially im-proved. A great success is the existence ofRoma health mediators, who will be fully in-tegrated into the Serbian health system.Thanks to 75 mediators, in the health data-base there are 130.000 Roma, including47.000 children. 22.000 children have beenvaccinated, while 10.000 women wentthrough a medical check-up.

The Director of the Office for human andminority rights, Suzana Paunovic, pointedout that the mortality rate among Roma chil-dren has been reduced by 50 percent since2005. However, it is still twice the mortality rate of the Republic's average.“Since 2003 and thanks to the affirmativemeasures undertaken, 1,092 students entered higher education, while 2.000 Romaadolescents joined secondary schools.

The Minister of Justice, Nikola Selakovicsays that Serbia should be a safe house withequal rights for everybody, but also obliga-tions. “The Government and responsible in-stitutions are preparing different projectswith the EU support to raise the awarenessabout human rights. Such projects will im-prove Roma education, accommodationand their better integration into social life”.

The International Roma Day - The most important statements

41Minority News

The President of the Parliamentarian Com-mittee for human rights and gender equal-ity, Meho Omerovic pointed out that onlyjoin action, higher tolerance and solidaritycould bring positive steps and improve theposition of the Roma people.

The Ombudsperson of the Republic of Serbia, Sasa Jankovic said that despite someindividual examples of the improvement ofthe Roma life, they are still affected by general poverty and discrimination. Hepointed out that there is no room for celebration regarding the speed of Roma integration into society.

The Commissioner of Protection of Equal-ity, Nevena Petrusic says that the Roma arestill the most discriminated social group inSerbia and called all social actors to workmore intensely towards reducing all formsof direct and indirect discrimination. “Although many things have been done during the last few years to improve the sta-tus of Roma, they are still the most discrim-inated social group in Serbia and it can beseen in the field of employment, education,health protection and housing”.

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Interiors,Vladimir Bozovic invited Roma to participate in the work of the Police forceand to apply for employment there. Hepointed out that all calls for employment inthe Police force are translated into the Romalanguage and said that the Roma are welcome in the Police Force, since their participation will automatically increase thesecurity of the Roma community.

The Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Vincent Degert said that the Roma WorldDays should be recognized as an invitation tothe EU counties and EU candidate countriesto point out the need for the integration of theRoma people and their better health protection.

The Chief of the OSCE Delegation in Serbia,the Ambassador Peter Burkhard called forthe continuation of the efforts in the Roma in-clusion and higher tolerance.

The President of the National Council, Vitomir Mihajlovic said that poverty, discrimination and high levels of unemployment are the most crucial problems of the Roma people, while theirstatus has been improved after the National Council was founded. Anotherproblem facing the Roma people is pooreducation, along with the problems related to theirhealth. It is very important to integrate Roma into so-cial, political, economic and cultural life. Mihajlovic pointed out that there is a political will tohelp the Roma community since 2000, however thisis not enough, since concrete results are more important. He said that the status of the Roma hassubstantially improved since the National Council wasestablished.

“The Roma people are more visible nowadays, atleast the majority nation, the state and internationalorganizations are better informed about their problems”, said Mihajlovic.

42Minority News

The International Roma Day - The most important statements

Special Supplement World Roma Day

lmost all media in the Republic of Serbia reported the celebration of the World RomaDay. We do not need to repeat the stories

that could be heard on TV stations, print media and internet portals. All highly ranked state authorities havebeen recognized on that day as champions of Romarights and they all agreed that the Roma people live invery difficult conditions. Maybe some of them werehappy next morning, when the Roma World Day wasbehind them, or it could happen that some of themquickly forgot the promisesgiven a day earlier. We believe this is not the caseand we will continue to monitorand report on the promises theygave. Up to now, the Roma haveattained public sympathy,mostly from state authoritiesand honest reports about theirstatus in society. Media reports included real facts, exactinformation, worrying figures and presented correct andlogical conclusions, while society was horrified by suchalarming facts. The level of education and unemployment, mortality rate, life expectancy and manyother parameters all clearly show that the Roma

population, as a social group, lives a very difficult life andthat immediate and substantial help is a must.On that day alone, there were no jokes about Roma inthe newspapers, while local crime chronicles reportedabout other people who were breaking the law, and notthe Roma who did it again, who robbed someone orcommitted another crime. Information about ethnicbackground, often highlighting ethnicity selectively, doesserious damage in society, while negative consequences

for the whole social group can behazardous. On that day, it looked asif the media had managed to understand its importance and theimportance of responsible reporting. The Serbian media has done a goodjob on the World Roma Day. Their reports were professional. We trulybelieve that such a trend will continue and that reports in the future will not include jokes about

Gypsies or information about a Roma man arrested forrobbery.

The Media has demonstrated a responsible and professional approach. This might announce a differentmedia approach towards the Roma people in the future.

One Day of Responsible Reporting about Roma is not Enough

The Roma people celebrate their holiday for the 42nd time worldwide. Almost all state authorities in Serbia gavestatements, including congratulations and promises that their position in society will improve in the forthcoming

period.

A

On that day alone, there wereno jokes about Roma in the

newspapers, while local crimechronicles reported about otherpeople who were breaking the

law, and not the Roma who did itagain, who robbed someone or

committed another crime

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Special Supplement World Roma Day

Media coverage of the World Roma Day

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