Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos addressed the first inaugural Youth Night at St. Savas Serbian Orthodox Church in Toronto, Canada, on the topic of “Connecting To Our Roots.”

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick interviews Serbian Orthodox priest Fr. Milorad Orlic regarding the recent passing of His Holiness, Patriarch Irenej of Serbia.

BELGRADE, 4 March 2016 – The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Peter Burkhard and the Deputy Head of Mission, Michael Uyehara visited the House of Human Rights (HHR) in Belgrade today, and met representatives of the Civic Initiatives and the Policy Centre, two of the five civil society organizations based at the House.

The meeting completes a round of consultations with civil society actors, which also included the other tenants of the HHR: the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights.

“Civil society organizations play an important role in any modern society and significantly contribute to the quality of democratic processes in Serbia,” said Ambassador Burkhard. The Mission’s leadership noted that the engagement of civil society organizations will also benefit the monitoring of upcoming elections and the electoral campaign.

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BELGRADE, 22 May 2016 – The European Union Delegation to Serbia and The OSCE Mission to Serbia have taken note of the wide-ranging personnel changes at Radio Television Vojvodina (RTV) undertaken by the newly appointed managing board.

We should like to take this opportunity to recall the weighty responsibility of RTV as a public broadcaster to ensure that it meets the highest standards in safeguarding the public interest, guaranteeing the quality and diversity of its programme content and ensuring the impartiality of its editorial policy, following the principle of independence enshrined in the 2014 Law on the Public Media Services.

RTV has an additional, important responsibility to discharge in meeting the legitimate expectations of national minorities with regard to access to broadcasting in minority languages.

Moreover, we recall the importance of creating an enabling environment in Serbia in which freedom of expression can be exercised without hindrance, strengthening the independence of the Regulatory Body for the Electronic Media in order better to support editorial independence, and ensuring adequate funding to public broadcasting as well as its editorial independence.

For more information & media inquiries please contact:

Aleksandar Djordjević , EU Delegation to Serbia, Media and Information Officer,

e-mail: aleksandar.djordjevic@eeas.europa.eu, Phone: +381 11 30 83 200.

Ivana Milatović, OSCE National Political and Press Affairs Officer,

e-mail: ppiu-serbia@osce.org, Phone +381 11 3606 151

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Serbia’s legal framework for governing elections to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council is fairly comprehensive although there are a few minor issues with implementing the laws and regulations, partly as a result of gaps in the law. This is the conclusion of a joint Report launched on 24 May 2016 by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The OSCE Mission and ODIHR followed the elections of judges and prosecutors to the High Judicial Council and the State Prosecutors’ Council throughout Serbia in December 2015, in partnership with the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), a local civil society organization. The election processes were conducted without any major irregularities observed.

The Report makes a number of recommendations, largely similar for both the judicial and prosecutorial councils, including amending and further developing the legal framework regarding the election process for the judicial and prosecutors’ councils, the candidates’ nomination process, and procedures for resolving disputes and providing effective remedies.

The findings and recommendations resulting from the election monitoring will help inform the public about the ongoing judicial reform process in Serbia. The relevant state institutions and justice stakeholders will also have an objective assessment to assist them in further strengthening the independence, accountability and efficiency of the Serbian judiciary.

The Report is available at: https://www.osce.org/odihr/242346

The OSCE Mission to Serbia and ODIHR stand ready to continue supporting the legal reform efforts of the Serbian authorities in line with the recommendations of this report and OSCE commitments.

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The final public consultations on the content of the new National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of the UN SCR 1325 – Women, Peace and Security (2016-2020) was held on 10 June 2016 in Belgrade at the premises of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia, jointly with the Serbian Government's Office for Co-operation with Civil Society, and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, supported the Working Group in the drafting process of the NAP by organizing public consultations across Serbia.

The consultations were held in the towns of Nis, Vranje, Novi Pazar, Krusevac, Novi Sad and Belgrade. During the meetings, participants welcomed that the new NAP raises the profile of local activities and that it places an emphasis on improved co-ordinated action, both at the local and national levels.

The main objective of the new NAP is to improve the safety and security of women through the implementation of UN SCR 1325 in the areas of prevention, participation, relief and recovery, and to increase involvement of women at the local level.

Participants included some 250 high-ranking officials of the Serbian Government and representatives of civil society organizations, and the media.

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A record number of 1,150 local inspectors in Serbia have successfully completed a three-month OSCE-supported online course on implementing the new Law on Inspection Surveillance. Of this number, 280 inspectors from the capital and its municipalities were publically recognized on 7 July 2016 at the premises of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade.

Local-level inspectors work in the areas of construction, environment, traffic, communal issues.  This course, supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia, was developed at the request of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) and the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.  

“The capacity building of staff working in local self-governments is particularly important as they are the closest to the citizens.” said Acting Head of the Democratization Department at the OSCE Mission, Olivera Zurovac-Kuzman. “The strong interest in the training course speaks about the relevance of the inspectorate and their roles in local communities. Proper surveillance is key in responding to the need for better governance at all levels of government,” she added.

The online course on the Law on Inspection Surveillance was developed after the successful implementation of online training courses for local self-government employees and councillors in 2014 and 2015, which proved to be an effective new approach for the professional development of local self-governments.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia will remain committed to supporting local self-governments across Serbia in the process of public administration reform.

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A roof collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia, resulted in the deaths of 14 people, with several others injured. Rescue efforts continued throughout the night as crews worked to recover bodies from the rubble and assist survivors.

Violent protests erupt in Serbia after deadly train station canopy collapse

Dara Alizadeh continued competing in the World Rowing Championships 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia. On the third day, Alizadeh finished 4th in the men’s singles quarter-final elimination heat 4, with the Bermudian rower recording a time of 7:24.50. Related Stories Photos/Results: End Of Summer Rowing Regatta Photos: 5-Time Olympic Medalist Visits Rowers Photos/Results: Summer Rowing Regatta Videos: […]

On day four of the World Rowing Championships 2023 in Belgrade, Serbia, Dara Alizadeh had an impressive performance, winning the men’s singles semi-final G/H heat 2. The Bermudian rower — who represented the island in the last Olympic Games — secured victory with a time of 8:19.06. Related Stories Learn To Row Programme For Adults […]

OM EAST is publishing Rodney “Gypsy” Smith’s autobiography to help inspire Roma believers in Serbia.

After years of work and anticipation, Gypsy Smith has been published in Serbian, a cause for rejoicing in a Roma church in Serbia.

In a village in Serbia, OM workers see Roma believers reaching Roma, encouraging them to let God put a new song in their mouths.

Research by fDi Intelligence reveals which countries receive more than their ‘expected share’ of FDI. 

Serbia’s minister of finance, Siniša Mali, explains why the country is one of Europe's economic stars, and how its FDI levels have risen on the back of this.

Foreign investment into Serbia is growing at a healthy pace thanks to its attractive automotive manufacturing industry and highly regarded free zones.

Serbia’s technology cluster is gaining momentum and attracting FDI, for both its software and hardware expertise.

Serbia’s 15 free zones are driving forward an ongoing flurry of foreign investment in the country’s buoyant manufacturing scene, especially in automotives.

Huge crowds of antigovernment protesters Saturday encircled the Serbian state television building in downtown Belgrade to press their demand for autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic to ease his tight grip on the mainstream media and allow alternative voices. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters, some chanting slogans urging Vucic's resignation, streamed into the rain-drenched streets a day after the president's followers staged an equally big rally in the capital. Most of his supporters were bused into the capital from all over Serbia and some neighboring states. Outside the RTS TV headquarters, the crowds blew whistles and booed loudly. They say that according to the laws, state TV should be unbiased as a public broadcaster, but that it has been openly pro-government. Held for the fourth time since the early May shootings, the opposition-led protests appear to be shaping up into the biggest revolt against Vucic's autocratic rule during his over 10 years in power. The rallies initially erupted in response to two back-to-back mass shootings earlier this month that left 18 people dead and 20 wounded, many of them children from an elementary school. Other protest demands include the resignations of top officials and the revoking of licenses for pro-government media that air violent content and host crime figures and war criminals. Vucic has accused the opposition of abusing the shooting tragedy for political ends. Earlier Saturday, he stepped down from the helm of his populist party amid plans to form a wider political movement. Vucic named his close ally, Milos Vucevic, the current defense minister, as his successor. Holding umbrellas amid heavy rain Saturday, the protesters walked slowly around the RTS television building in central Belgrade, completely covering the streets in the entire area. Many held flowers in memory of the slain children and wore badges reading "vulture" or "hyena," mocking the expressions that officials used to describe the protesters. Vucic has said the new, national movement will be formed in June to include other parties, experts and prominent individuals and promote unity. Analysts say it is a bid to regroup amid mounting public pressure. Critics say the movement could lead to single-party rule, more or less as the case in Vladimir Putin's Russia, which Vucic supports. During the rally Friday, Vucic offered dialogue as he seeks ways to ease mounting public pressure. Opposition parties have pledged to press on with the demonstrations until their demands are fulfilled. They include the ouster of the interior minister and the intelligence chief; the revocation of nationwide broadcast licenses for two pro-government TV stations; and the dismissal of a media-monitoring body. "If they don't fulfill (the demands) we are not leaving from here," said Milica Tomic, a Belgrade resident. "We will be here, if it need be, every day, every week, whenever."

Thousands of Serbians demand prime minister's resignation following deadly roof collapse

ABSTRACTIntroduction:Since the health information system (HIS) in public health care services in Serbia was introduced in 2009, it has gradually expanded. However, it is unclear how well the HIS components have developed and the whole system’s stage of maturity.Method:In June–September 2021, a maturity assessment of the Serbian HIS was conducted for the first time using the HIS Stages of Continuous Improvement (SOCI) toolkit. The toolkit measures HIS status across 5 HIS domains: leadership and governance, management and workforce, information and communication technology (ICT), standards and interoperability, and data quality and use. The domains were further divided into 13 components and 39 subcomponents whose maturity stage was assessed on a 5-point Likert scale, indicating the level of development: (1) emerging/ad hoc; (2) repeatable; (3) defined; (4) managed; and (5) optimized. The toolkit was applied in a working group of 32 professionals and experts who were engaged in developing the new national eHealth strategy and action plan.Results:The overall maturity score of the Serbian HIS was 1.6, which indicates a low level. The highest baseline score (2) was given to the standards and interoperability domain, and the lowest (1.1) was given to ICT infrastructure. The remaining 3 domains (leadership and governance, Management and Workforce, and Data Quality and Use) were similarly rated (1.7, 1.7, and 1.6, respectively).Conclusion:A baseline assessment of the maturity level of Serbian HIS indicates that the majority of components are between the emerging/ad hoc stage and repeatable, which represent isolated, ad hoc efforts, with some basic processes in place and existing and accessible policies. This exercise provided an opportunity to address identified weaknesses in the upcoming national eHealth strategy.

“This publication is a tool to help those who will join Goran in sharing the gospel among Gurbet-speaking Roma, and lays the foundation for future Christian materials.”

Iranians in Serbian refugee camps are turning to Jesus, becoming baptised and sharing their faith—events that one OM leader describes as being straight out of the Book of Acts.

1 Ugandan Shilling = 0.0285 Serbian Dinar

1 Salvadoran Colon = 12.3925 Serbian Dinar

1 Romanian Leu = 24.3533 Serbian Dinar

1 Ukrainian Hryvnia = 4.0411 Serbian Dinar

1 Tanzanian Shilling = 0.0469 Serbian Dinar

1 Venezuelan Bolivar Fuerte = 10.8591 Serbian Dinar

1 Yemeni Rial = 0.4332 Serbian Dinar

1 Paraguayan Guarani = 0.0166 Serbian Dinar

1 Hong Kong Dollar = 13.9637 Serbian Dinar

1 Kuwaiti Dinar = 350.5888 Serbian Dinar

1 Saudi Riyal = 28.8731 Serbian Dinar

1 Tunisian Dinar = 37.2378 Serbian Dinar

1 South African Rand = 5.9101 Serbian Dinar

1 Norwegian Krone = 10.6152 Serbian Dinar

1 Argentine Peso = 1.6316 Serbian Dinar

1 Moroccan Dirham = 11.0386 Serbian Dinar

1 US Dollar = 108.455 Serbian Dinar

1 Icelandic Krona = 0.7416 Serbian Dinar

1 Kazakhstan Tenge = 0.257 Serbian Dinar

1 Namibian Dollar = 5.8528 Serbian Dinar

1 Israeli New Sheqel = 30.9279 Serbian Dinar

1 Costa Rican Colon = 0.1906 Serbian Dinar