I WILL REMEMBER IN 2015: Misa Brkic

(Misa Brkic) Misa Brkic is a journalist of the "Novi magazin" weekly. He started in journalism 40 years ago at "Vecernje novosti". He was a journalist and an editor at "Borba", "Nasa Borba", "Glas Javnosti", "Politika" and "Press" and weekly magazines "Vreme", "Ekonomist" and "Evropa", and an associate of Serbian service "Voice of America", a columnist of "Pescanik" and "Trzisno resenje" and an associate of daily "Danas".

One of the founders and editor – in-chief of independent daily "Nasa Borba" which in 1997 received an award "Golden feather of freedom " from the International association of publishers of newspapers for extraordinary contribution to objective journalism. The National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) delivered him in 2009 "Promoter of reforms" award.

He worked as a researcher-analyst for an international non-profit organization "Global integrity" which operates in research of corruption and proposing anti-corruption mechanism in 43 countries in the world. He was a member of the first team of the Anti-corruption council and the Council for competitiveness of the first democratically selected Government of Serbia of the Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic.

EVENT OF THE YEAR

- Decision of the Government to sell Telekom Srbija. It is one of the key points of reform process of Serbia. The decision revealed how many opponents of sale there are actually parasites which live comfortably out of the state-owned company and now, for personal interests, they are lobbing publically not to sell the company. Although there are few of them, these lobbyists are well-distributed and could talk the prime minister into delaying sale. Delay would have significant repercussions when it comes to the image of Serbia in international circles of investors. If the Government resists pressures, it will be a clear signal it opted for change of the system it has only been discussing about and did a little to achieve it. *

FAILURE O F THE YEAR

- The decision of the Government to save 17 companies from bankruptcy, trustees and privatization. The Government would have, if it had been done, sent a strong signal it ended privatization as a key transition process. I count as a failure the avoidance of the Government to face difficult reforms (public administration, state-owned companies, legal system, contracts, etc.), which is what all its partners point out – from World Bank, IMF to the Council of Foreign Investors and local businessmen.

World Economic forum (WEF) therefore wrote in its report on competitiveness in mid-year that Serbia has one of the least efficient government in the world. The efficiency of the government has serious consequences when it comes to competitiveness of the state and its economic growth. Exaggerated bureaucracy and regulating, insufficient transparency and bad legal framework, limit business development and produce constant additional costs for entrepreneurs.

PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

- Gaetano Masara, Executive Manager at General Electric for CEE. His statement speaks a lot more about Serbia than all propaganda of domestic local politicians: "We want to invest in Serbia but we need stable business environment and stable legal framework".

THE BEST MOVE OF THE STATE

- Significant decrease of fiscal deficit, endurance in fiscal consolidation and continued cooperation with IMF. It was the first essential step so that the state would avoid bankruptcy but not sufficient for make economy healthy and creation of business environment as it exists in modern and prosperous countries.

THE WORST MOVE OF THE STATE

- It was to save Zelezara and thus sends signal that the state will continue to use various machinations to subsidize companies with no market perspective. And, constant hiding of business results of national airline Air Serbia and amateur persuasion of the public the company operates successfully.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN 2016?

- Opening of a dangerous wound called non-payable loans (NPL). They hide huge capital, some estimations show EUR 4 and 10 billion which must be written off in banks since they cannot be paid and whose write-off can seriously endanger financial system of Serbia. It would be detrimental if the state starts dealing with the problem which emerged solely in relation of bank-client relations and took over banking claims in a separate state-owned fund. That kind of populism would be very expensive for all tax payers.

* Replies arrived before the decision of the Government of Serbia not to sell Telekom Srbija".