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BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK 01 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK CONTENTS 2 ALEKSANDAR GROS & FRITZ KALTENEGGER 30 VLASTIMIR GOLUBOVIC SEEBDN – a young, successful, and Montenegro – “Home“ for over 120 growing organization business ideas 4 KARIN KNEISSL 32 MLADENKA GRGIC A New Narrative for South-East Europe Key role for long term business – meeting the needs of the customers 8 Showcasing Regions JOHANNA MIKL-LEITNER 34 Showcasing Cities Linking with EU and beyond is essential ZORAN RADOJICIC for business My vision is a smart, green and children’s city 12 Showcasing Regions IGOR MIROVIC 40 ZORAN JANKOVIC Take initiative, don’t just wait! Ljubljana Vision 2025 for a Sustainable Development 16 PAVLE PETROVIC Economic growth is now a key issue for 45 MILAN BANDIC Serbia We want to push the boundaries in all important areas 18 DUBRAVKA NEGRE EIB - reliable partner for development of 50 MIHAILO JOVANOVIC Western Balkans Digital transformation for more efficient society 20 ALEKSANDAR VLAHOVIC Economic policy should focus on 52 MICHAEL SCHERZ investment growth "Eyes and ears" for Austrian companies in the world 22 GLIGOR BISHEV North Macedonia: Commitment to 54 MIHA JURGEC Long-Term Growth and Prosperity Ahead of the curve – and how LANCom intends to stay there MULTINATIONAL 24 HRVOJE KRESIC Davos 2019: A Look Inside 56 DARKO BUDEC Protecting what matters. Innovation and high technology as a business model We see diversity as one of our strengths. With around 50 Group 26 Destinations On the Rise – ALEKSANDRA POPOVIC companies in 25 countries, we Montenegro 2019 58 Lovcen Bank Vision for the future share our experience and exper- MILUTIN SIMOVIC tise with each other. We build on Vision of Montenegro as a modern, 59 Welcome to the Hotel group innovative ideas and influences open and democratic society from various cultures for the ben- "Budvanska rivijera" at the Adriatic cost efit of our customers, partners, of Montenegro shareholders and employees. Di- versity is part of everything we do. To find out what also matters to us, visit www.vig.com PUBLISHER: SEEBDN, A- 1190 WIEN, Krottenbachstr 151/3 Coordinator to the Publisher: Mag. Aleksandar Gros, General Secretary SEEBDN EDITORIAL STAFF Editor: ZORAN MIRKOVIC | Design & Technical Editor: ANA DJORDJEVIC Translation & Proofreading: BILJANA MAJSTOROVIC | Print: DMD Beograd 02 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK 1 VIG_AZ_210x280_Multinational_English.indd 1 15.02.19 11:02 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK SEEBDN – We are using this opportunity to invite, one more time, A YOUNG, SUCCESSFUL, AND all companies that share our values or find interest in taking part in our activities to join us and become part GROWING ORGANIZATION of a wider picture, part of the SEEBDN family. Let’s make positive changes together! outheast Europe Business of economy, finance, politics and business people and diplomats. Development Network diplomacy. Hence, the number of The first SEE Business Circle will (SEEBDN) shares a vi- SEEBDN members is growing rap- be held in Vienna on 18 March sion that private sector in idly, along with a proportionate 2019, and during this year more S gatherings of this kind will ensue. Southeast Europe (SEE), through growth of support we are getting the process of networking and from both policy makers and eco- The conference "Destinations on joining forces, can give a boost to nomic decision makers from coun- the Rise" is also a new format of economic growth in that region. tries of Southeast Europe, Austria events aimed at showcasing one Cooperation with the private sec- and Germany. country from the SEE region each tor is one of important factors for In order to present what we do in year, which will have an opportu- stability and prosperity in this part SEEBDN, we have launched the nity to present its economy, com- of Europe. This is where we see a Business Link magazine. The mag- panies and investment projects. role of SEEBDN. azine features up-to-date topics The partner of SEEBDN at these SEEBDN‘s mission is to contribute ALEKSANDAR GROS and authors from the spheres of conferences is the famous Austrian with its activities in Southeast Eu- General Secretary of the SEEBDN economy, politics, innovation and media company "Die Presse". rope to faster development of the Executive Director at Grimex digitization. We plan to distribute Montenegro is the first country region, to provide full support to Consult the magazine at least twice a year to be presented in this format, at Dr Wolfgang Petritsch at the SEEBDN Launch Event in Vienna its members, and to back up EU directly to companies, government the conference "DESTINATIONS candidate countries in Southeast institutions and non-governmental ON THE RISE 2019 - MONTE- Europe on their path to the Euro- organisations from the countries NEGRO", which will be held in pean Union. in which we are active. Vienna on 15 May 2019. We plan Although we are a very young or- Speaking of our next steps, for to organise these conferences once ganization, we can proudly say sure we will continue to work on a year, always with the support that we have already achieved re- connecting and directly network- of the government of the country markable results, while our plans ing our members with new poten- concerned. for the next period are even more tial business partners, as well as on We are using this opportunity to ambitious. providing them with opportunities invite, one more time, all compa- Let’s start from the beginning. Last to expand their businesses in the nies that share our values or find year we established SEEBDN and new SEE and German-speaking interest in taking part in our activi- successfully marked the occasion markets. ties to join us and become part of a at a conference held on 22 Novem- We also plan to organise impor- wider picture, part of the SEEBDN ber 2018 at the Diplomatic Acad- tant meetings in a new format. For family. Let’s make positive changes FRITZ KALTENEGGER emy of Vienna. We are honored example, we are currently active in together! Chairman of the Board of the by the fact that the importance of organising the SEE Business Cir- SEEBDN our organization has already been cle - an exclusive event which will Fritz Kalteneger at the SEEBDN Launch Event in Vienna recognized by some of the most CEO at café+co International gather members of our Managing prominent figures in the world Holding GmbH Board and Advisory Committee, 2 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK 3 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK A NEW NARRATIVE FOR Austria is bridge builder for EU partners who are geographically further SOUTH-EAST EUROPE away from the region KARIN KNEISSL Austrian Minister for Europe, Integration & Foreign Affairs uring the 2018 Austrian Presiden- cy of the Council of the European Union, we quite naturally built on Dthe EU-“Western Balkans” focus, which had taken shape under the preceding Bulgarian EU Presidency. In fact, by 2018 the region had fully moved back towards the cen- tre of EU attention. Since taking office, I visited every single coun- try of the region. SEE is very familiar to me, hence I prefer to replace the term “Western Bal- kans”, whenever appropriate, by using “South- east Europe” instead: “Western Balkans” was effectively coined at an EU-forum in 1999 and has come to be established. However, it blurs the geographic picture and stresses the term Balkans, which carries a somewhat derogato- ry connotation. I received many positive reac- tions: language is powerful; words reflect re- alities – but they also help to shape them. Let me therefore use “Southeast Europe” - and feel free to emulate this exercise! Of course, I can understand the scepticism con- cerning the current developments in SEE, as voiced in some EU capitals. Nevertheless, the EU cannot be complete without the integration of all the countries in Southeast Europe. My conviction is not derived from lofty principles or romantic dreams, and neither does it stem from Austria’s geographic vicinity and histor- ical links to the region. In SEE, the EU is chal- lenged by various threats and influences, from 4 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK 5 BUSINESS LINK BUSINESS LINK illegal migration to third actors opening of accession negotia- who turn our neighbourhood into tions. In June 2018, the Council a geopolitical theatre. acknowledged this progress and paved the way for opening negoti- Austria is bridge builder for EU ations in 2019. The breakthrough partners who are geographically in the name-issue between Athens further away from the region. We and Skopje highlights how joint try to complement their picture of diplomatic and political efforts the region with the realities, prob- can lead to peaceful solutions and lems, but also opportunities and neighbourhood. advantages, which we know SEE has. The region has been a reliable Concerning the Belgrade-Pristina partner during the migration crisis, Dialogue, one important point essential in fighting illegal migra- needs to be clarified: it is a myth tion. to think that bilateral issues can- The EU cannot be not be resolved and should best Geography is a constant fact of be placed under quarantine: all it complete without the history: when geography and his- takes is political will, courage and integration of all the tory meet, geopolitical analysis a spirit of compromise. kicks in. When adding the geogra- countries in Southeast phy of the EU MS and SEE as well Today we are discussing EU en- Europe as our common history, it becomes largement with renewed acumen. obvious, that the future of South- This is a positive sign, and yet, east Europe must be inside the EU. breakthroughs are overdue. People in the region deserve a better future Over the last years, the countries - they should be able to profit from of the region have improved their and contribute to it, not only by mutual contacts, connected some emigrating to EU member states, of their infrastructure and eased but by staying in their regions and some of their exchanges.