Serbs and Croats are not at odds Interview: Croatian President Stjepan Mesić
Serbs and Croats are not at odds
Croatia is set to go to the polls at the beginning of next year. The country’s incumbent president, Stjepan Mesić, has served two terms and brought Croatia to the very brink of EU membership, but it is with regret that he will have to step down before his country is welcomed as a full member of the European family of nations.
Interview: H.E. D. Stoidis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic
Serbia’s advocates in the EU Interview: H.E. Dimosthenis Stoidis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic
Speaking to CorD on the day that the EU finally announced it had given the green light to the abolition of visas for Serbian citizens, H.E. Ambassador Stoidis said: “We are honoured that Greece is the number one tourist destination for the Serbian people and we are convinced that even more Serbian tourists will travel to our country once visas are abolished.”
“I was CEO of Slovenia’s largest retail company and the customer was king. Now I am a mayor of the Slovenian capital and the citizen is king. My job is to keep the king satisfied. So, technically, there is no difference between presiding over a company or a city, says Zoran Janković, Mayor of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.
Zoran Janković was among the pioneering Slovenian entrepreneurs who turned to politics. As this country’s post-‘90s story was somewhat different to the rest of the former Yugoslavia, Janković’s path to Ljubljana City Hall was also ’somewhat different’. Very little controversy has surrounded his character, despite the fact he was one of the most influential men during Slovenia’s transition and post-transition period.
Interview: H.E. Krister Bringéus, Ambassador of Sweden to Serbia
Leadership challenge
Sweden is set to take over the EU presidency in just a few days’ time on 1st July. With a global downturn and the aftermath of the European parliamentary elections to contend with, as well as climate issues, question marks over the Lisbon Treaty, the Cyprus issue and expansion progress to be made, it’s no wonder that some have dubbed this the Presidency from Hell.
“I think that with the new Lisbon Treaty in place the presidency will be different than it has been until now. I also think that, yes, there is something to be said about it being a short term and that there’s sometimes a lack consistency, but with a determined presidency I think you can achieve a lot.”
Serbs and Croats are not at odds
Serbia’s advocates in the EU Interview: H.E. Dimosthenis Stoidis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic
The king must be contented
Leadership challenge