Dejan Pantović, Acting Director of "Prosveta" – Plans for one of the oldest publishing companies in Serbia

Dejan Pantović has been appointed as the new Acting Director of "Prosveta" at the Stockholding Assembly of "IPS" holding, of which member, company "Media II", bought that publishing company at the end of June.

Company "Media II" became the majority owner of "Prosveta" after it set aside 3.2m EUR for the procurement of the company and announced investments of 200,000 EUR.

When asked for the purpose of the investments, Dejan Pantović told "eKapija" the following:

- The priorities are defined in the sales contract. One part of the funds will be invested in improvement of the retail network, reconstruction of retail space, etc., while the rest will be invested in introduction of the information system in "Prosveta", the kind we use in our day-to-day operations.

Pantović announced that he would strive to include "Prosveta" in the business system of "IPS" in the way that "this publishing company remains one of the most recognizable pillars of Serbian culture and the gathering place of significant artists and Nobel Prize-winners".

The first facility that will be reconstructed is cult bookstore "Geca Kon", which is seen by the new management as a place with significant history that should be respected, primarily because the Government’s regulation included it in the cultural heritage of the city of Belgrade.

- We still don’t have the project for reconstruction or precise calculations because significant reconstruction requires time for consideration of all aspects, while minor “cosmetic changes” can be made quickly.

"Prosveta" also owns a facility at 380 square meters where theater "Boško Buha" is situated.

How will the problems of ownership and use of that space be resolved?

- That is a complicated situation. The space is taken from the bookstore and allotted to the theater, which means that we talk about two significant cultural institutions. "Prosveta" is the registered owner, and we hope to find a compromise – that the theater be able to keep working without some limitations, and that we get a similar space to use in some other location.

Before the privatization, "Prosveta" had 94 employees. That number will now be reduced?

- Certain sectors are much too big for the volume of work they have to do, which is the consequence of the old method of work, insufficient automation, etc. We will definitely need to cut the number of employees in these sectors, but the dismissed people will be offered either another job or a severance pay. The retail sector in "Prosveta" has exceptionally quality staff who will, most certainly, stay with us. We will try to prepare the employees for new, modern way of work and, unfortunately, those who fail to adapt will have to be laid off – said Pantović.

New publications

Mirjana Milisavljević Đurić will remain the editor-in-chief of "Prosveta". She points out that "Prosveta" plans to publish about 20 new books before the Book Fair in Belgrade in autumn. The first publication will be the supplemented issue of popular "Vujaklija". The project for publishing the works of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić is close to end, and book "Who is Who in Nedić’s Serbia" by Sima Ćirković will also be published soon.

Book "Juriš na nebo" by Mihajilo Mirković, of which first volume achieved great success, will get its second part these days thanks to "Prosveta".