The Atlantic Council of Serbia in cooperation with the Megatrend University and Security Defence Agenda from Brussels, organized a conference "Serbia on security and economic challenges of the Euro-Atlantic area." The conference was held on 26.04.2013. at the Megatrend University in Belgrade.   

The conference was opened by the President of the Atlantic Council of Serbia and Rector of Megatrend University professor Mića Jovanović, who described the new agreement between Belgrade and Pristina as a step forward for Serbia and give the recognition to the negotiating team. In his opening speech, President of the Atlantic Council of Serbia, said that the ACS fully supports the inclusion of Serbia in the global security system. Introductory  speeches at the conference were held by the Serbian Prime Minister – H.E. Ivica Dačić, Mr. Miroslav Jovanović, - Assistant minister for defence policy, MoD and Mr. Jelko Kacin - the EP Rapporteur for Serbia.

    Prime Minister Dačić emphasized in his speech that Serbia tends to be the guarantor of regional security as well as a good neighbor and a promoter of European integration. He particularly outlined the importance of protecting the national interest in the dialogue with citizens, and reminded that every transition is a painful process that requires victims who have falen for a better future. The Prime Minister stressed that the dialogue with those countries with whom Serbia has a lot in common is particularly important.   

    After the Prime Minister, the audience was addressed by Assistant Minister at the MoD –Mr. Miroslav Jovanović,who stressed the importance of fight against corruption, and as an example he stated that the EU annually lose 1% of its GDP due to corruption, which is comparing to Serbia, about EUR 600 million - the equivalent to the entire defense budget of our country. He emphasized that the Ministry of Defense is intensively cooperatin in this field with international partners (NATO, Transparency international, OSCE ...).   

After Mr. Jovanović, Mr. Jelko Kacin the EP Rapporteur for Serbia addressed the audience. Kacin estimated that Serbia is  a step away from opening the negotiations with the EU. When it comes to negotiating,  Kacin stressed the importance of quality of our  reforms with a focus on chapters 23 and 24 that are dealing with justice, freedom and security of citizens. He stressed the necessity of creating action plans to concretize the stated aims with special emphasis on the prevention of corruption in public procurement in Serbia. He also believes that the implementation of NATO standards is creating bussines opportunities for Serbian defense industry. The first panel, was named ″The Role of the leading euro-atlantic institutions in the global security″. The moderator of the panel was Vladimir Krulj, executive director of the Atlantic Council of Serbia. The first speaker in this panel was former UK defense minister –Mr. Doug Henderson. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the agreement between Belgrade and Priština viewed through theprism of the European security. He believes that this is not the end of the process, but rather - its beginning. The next speaker was a deputy chairman of the Defence committee of the Belgian parliament – Mr. Denis Ducarme, who talked about the importance of European Defence policy and the meaning of larger Serbian involvement in the aforementioned in the light of progress in euro integrations.  Within the first comment, the audience was addressed by H. E. Jan Varso, Slovak Ambassador in Serbia, which is also the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Serbia, who briefed the auditorium about the embassy activities in the context of mediation in the process of communication among NATO and representatives of Serbia.

The second panel was named " The benefits of Euro-Atlantic Security integration " . The first speaker was professor Dr Anton Bebler, president of the Atlantic Council of Slovenia, who believes that membership in NATO is the ticket for entry into the EU,  in the case of South Eastern European countries. However, he points out that in Slovenia were different circumstances than those in Serbia. The next speaker was professor Radovan Vukadinović, President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia, who emphasized that by joining NATO, Croatia acquired a better position in the international arena, as well as open space to stronger political cooperation on an equal footing. The next speaker was professor Vladimir Krulj, executive director of the Atlantic Council of Serbia, who lectured on the topic "Projection of the security integration of the Republic of Serbia on the state budget in the time of economic crisis." He noted that the investments do not come into the country without stable institutions and clear rules of conducting bussines. In Serbia, a special difficulty in this area are often lengthy administrative procedures. Moderators on this panel were Ms. Pauline Massart – representative of the Security and Defence Agenda, Professor Vladimir Krulj, executive director of the Atlantic Council of Serbia and Mr. Boris Viculin – project manager at the Atlantic Council of Serbia.

    Within the third panel, named  "Cooperation in the area of security and defence as a way of strengthening the economies of national states " the first speaker was doc. Dr Elizabeta Ristanović (Military Mediacal Academy) who spoke on the topic of bioterrorism and on this occasion introduced the participants with the potential abuse of microorganisms. After her speech the attendees were addressed by  Lt.Col. Ivan Lazarević, who spoke about the Center for the training of CBRN personell. The next speaker,  Major Stevanović talked about the military base "South" while Colonel Zoran Spasojević talked about standardization and codification of the Serbian Army. Moderators on this panel were Mr. Doug Henderson, Mr. Aleksandar Radić and professor Vladimir Krulj.   

    The fourth panel was named "Capabilities of the SAF (Serbian Armed Forces) for international cooperation" . The first speaker on this panel was Major General Goran Radovanović, who spoke about the participation of the Army of Serbia in the international military missions under the auspices of the United Nations but within the tactical units of NATO member states. After general Radovanović, Major Slobodan Malbašić gave a presentation concerning the  Accreditation of Technical Overhaul Institute "Kragujevac" as a regional center for the dismounting of ammunition. As the last but ceratainly not the least, British defense attaché Colonel William English had the opportunity to adress the auditorium. During his speech he presented the activities of the NATO Trust Fund for dismantling the surplus of ammunition in the TRZ Kragujevac as well as some other successful projects implemented in Serbia in cooperation with the experts from NATO Support Agency. Moderators on this panel were Mr. Doug Henderson, professor Vladimir Krulj and Mr. Aleksandar Radić.   

During the period 12.04.-14.04.2013. in Ruma, The Atlantic Council of Serbia organized the regional seminar about security issues intended for media representatives, named “Write as You Speak and Read as it is Written II”. This is the second seminar of this type that we are organizing in a row, and as a sequel it had much broadened program then the first one. This evolution of the program was created by adding the speakers and participants from the countries of  the ex-SFRY region to the former.  The Atlantic Council of Serbia organized this project with the support of  the British Embassy  in Belgrade and in cooperation with NATO military liaison office in Belgrade.

In the opening speech the auditorium was addressed Mr Boris Viculin, project manager of the Atlantic Council of Serbia , who explained more to the participants and speakers about the structure of the project, after which he passed the floor to Mr. Giuseppe Belardetti – Secreretary General of the Atlantic Treaty Association, who represented the goals and framework of activities of the ATA as international umbrella organization consisting of, in this moment 37 national organizations, to which the ACS is affiliated since 2001. After this short opening speeches the participants and speakers were welcomed by Col. William English on behalf of the British Embassy in Belgrade as the institution that supported this project. He explained significance of this project in the light of security and stability as one of the main goals of the UK foreign policy. When Col. English finished his speech, Mr. Viculin gave the floor to the professor Predrag Simić from the Faculty of Political Sciences who addressed to the auditorium in the role of the moderator of the seminar program.

Within the first panel named ″Foreign and defence policy of the Republic of Serbia and the countries from the region in the framework of Euro-Atlantic cooperation″, the speakers were: Amb. Miomir Udovički, Assistant Minister (Sector for Security Policy); Mr. Miroslav Jovanović  Assistant minister for defence policy, MoD of the Republic of Serbia; Ms. Ljiljana Janković, Director for NATO at General directorate for NATO and security policy at the MoD of Montenegro; Mr. Kristijan Beljan, Manager of the Defence Policy Division , Department for Defence policy, MoD of Croatia.

On the second panel named ″Cooperation between Serbia and NATO within the Partnership for peace program″, the speakers were: Amb. Zoran Vujić - Sector for Security Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia; Maj.Gen. Milan Mojsilović,  Head of the Military Branch of the Mission of  Republic of Serbia to NATO; Brigadier General Ornello Baron, Head of the NATO MLO in Belgrade; H.E. Mr Ján Varso, Ambassador, Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Belgrade.

On the third panel named, ″International military cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic framework″, the speakers were: General - Major Mitar Kovač, Head of the Department for strategic planning at the Defence Policy Sector, MoD; Col. William English, defence attaché at the Embassy of the UK in Serbia; Col. Esben Aass, defence attaché at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Serbia; Brig.Gen. Reinhard Schöberl defence attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Serbia.

On the fourth panel named ″Partnership programs, initiatives and standardization″, the speakers were: Mr. Ted Whiteside, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy;  Mr. Milan S. Milutinović, Sector for defence policy, Serbian MoD; Mr. Serge Duplain, Senior Technical Officer, NATO Support Agency; Brigadier - general Bojan Zrnić, PhD, Head of the Department for new technologies, MoD.On the fifth panel named ″Participation in the international military missions as a contribution to the global security″, the speakers were: Col. Milivoj Pajović, Head of the Center for peacekeeping operations at the JOC GS SAF; Gen-Maj. Vojin Č. Jondić, Head of the Department for operational matters at the GS of SAF; Col. Milorad Vidaković, Department for planning and development at the GS of SAF; Col. Slaviša Ćirić, (former Head of the EUTM medical team in Uganda), Military hospital – Niš;  Lt.Col. Metodi Hadji Janev (Commander of the first contingent of the Macedonian special Forces „Wolfs“ in Iraq)  professor at the Military Academy of the Republic of Macedonia.

On the sixth panel named, ″Regional security capacities: pooling and sharing″, the speakers were: Col. Katarina Štrbac, Head of department for strategic analysis and security integrations,  Institute for strategic research, Sector for defence policy, MoD of the Republic of Serbia; doc. dr Elizabeta Ristanović, Military medical academy; Kf. MSc Nusret Hanjalić, Ministry of defence of Montenegro; Lt.Col. Metodi Hadji Janev,  professor at the Military Academy of the Republic of Macedonia.

On the last, seventh panel in a row, named, ″Communication and  role of the media in integration processes″ the speakers were: Mr. Ted Whiteside, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; Col. Petar Bošković, Head of the Department for Public Relations – Serbian MoD; Mr. Aleksandar Radić, journalist and military-political analyst as well as the last, but certainly not the least, media representatives from the region: Ms. Dušica Tomović from newspapers ″Vijesti″ – Podgorica (Montenegro) and Mr. Daniel Omeragić from newspapers ″Oslobođenje″ - Sarajevo (BaH)

Media representatives that participated at the seminar were the following: Slavica Gligorović – Radio television of Serbia, Milan Bozokin – ″Dnevnik″ newspapers from Novi Sad, Dijana Tadić - ″Kurir″ newspapers, Boban Karović – ″Danas″ newspapers, Milan Galović- ″Politika″ newspapers, Milivoje Pantović– ″Beta″ press agency, Marko Petković - ″Tanjug″ press agency, Davor Lukač – ″Fonet″ press agency, Radenko Mutavdžić - military magazine ″Odbrana″, Ratko Femić - ″Novi magazin″ weekly, Boban Trajković – Production Group „Mreža“, Dejan Đusić – ″Radio – Television of Kragujevac″, Maja Stanković - ″Narodne novine″ and ″TV Belle amie″ from Niš. Representatives of the media from the ex-SFRY region were : Mr. Jure Brankovič - ″POP TV″ (Association of Slovenian journalists) (Slovenia), Ms. Sabina Zonta - ″Slovenska tiskovna agencija - STA″ Slovenian Press Agency (Slovenia), Mr. Velimir Ilić- ″HINA″, Croatian Press Agency (Hrvatska), Mr. Dejan Šajinović - ″Nezavisne novine″ newspapers (Banjaluka, BaH), Mr. Daniel Omeragić- ″Oslobođenje″ newspapers ( Sarajevo, BaH), Mr. Aleksandar Srbinovski- ″Nova Makedonija″ newspapers (Macedonia), Mr. Toni Angelovski- Dneven vesnik – DEN, newspapers (Macedonia), Ms. Dušica Tomović- ″Vjesti″ newspapers (Montenegro), Ms. Maja Đurđić- ″Pobjeda″ newspapers (Montenegro).

The 58th GA of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) took place at the NATO Defense College (NDC) in Rome on 5th and 6th February 2013.

The aim of the two-day event, organized by the ATA with the logistic support of the College, was to promote discussion and research on security issues and topics relevant to NATO in particular, and to the international security community as a whole.

In giving his inaugural address, NDC Commandant Lieutenant General Arne Bard Dalhaug (NOR A) had the honour of welcoming a number of distinguished speakers: H.E. Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Italian Minister of Defence; H.E. Arben Imami, Minister of Defence of Albania; the Hon. Franco Frattini, President of the Italian Society for the International Organization (SIOI); the Hon. Karl A. Lamers, President of the Atlantic Treaty Association; and the Hon. Prof. Enrico La Loggia, President of the Italian Atlantic Committee (IAC).

LtGen Dalhaug praised the activity of the ATA as a forum for fostering dialogue and research, hence helping promote the values of the Alliance, its mission and objectives. He then left the floor to the Hon. Enrico La Loggia, who gratefully acknowledged the support received from LtGen Dalhaug, the NATO Defense College and the many authorities present. The Hon. La Loggia also offered the audience his assessment of the steps needed to achieve dialogue and cooperation between leaders from NATO, the Mediterranean area and the Gulf region.

The following speaker was the Hon. Franco Frattini, President of SIOI and official candidate of Italy for the position of NATO Secretary General. He stressed the importance of NATO for today’s security environment, providing an overview of the major challenges and opportunities that the Alliance is set to face in the foreseeable future. Particular emphasis was given to cyber security and to its implications, given the potential grounds for invoking articles 4 and 5 of the Washington Treaty in response to cyber threats. The next speaker in succession, the Hon. Karl Lamers, also focused on current and future threats for the Alliance. In addition, he stressed the importance of a reasoned and efficient implementation of the concept of Smart Defence, as decided during the Chicago Summit in May 2012.

H.E. Giampaolo Di Paola, Minister of Defence of the Italian Republic and an ancien of the NATO Defense College, then took the floor. In an inspiring speech, he prioritized the need to ensure the Alliance’s prescient and timely adaptation to the far-reaching changes occurring in rapid succession throughout an increasingly connected and globalized world. Admiral Di Paola also encouraged the younger members of the audience to embrace change and to be an active part of it.

The next speaker was H.E. Arben Imami, who offered a topical and relevant overview of the progress achieved by Albania in terms of interoperability with the other components of NATO’s integrated military structure. In a broader perspective, H.E. Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata spoke of the interrelation between human rights and security, as well as the importance of reviving and reinforcing the Alliance’s links with the European Union in a true spirit of collaboration. Partnerships and Smart Defence-related initiatives were also singled out for comment, given the attendant advantages both for NATO and for individual member states like Italy.

The day continued with two forums, the first of which was dedicated to the analysis of the NATO 2020 initiative. Chaired by Dr Karl-Heinz Kamp, Head of the NDC Research Division, the panel comprised: Dr Frances G. Burwell, Vice President of the Atlantic Council of the United States; Prof. Julian Lindley-French, a member of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Advisors Group; Prof. Tanja Miscevic, from the University of Belgrade; Prof. Stanislav Tkachenko, from the Saint Petersburg State University; and H.E. Ambassador Gabriele Checchia, Italian Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council. The lecturers provided an attentive audience with a comprehensive overview of the NATO 2020 agenda, its challenges and the resulting impact on national policies.

The second forum was entitled “Cooperative security in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East”. Under the chairmanship of Mr Fabrizio Luciolli, Secretary General of the Italian Atlantic Committee, the panel brought together the following speakers: Mr Nicola De Santis, from the NATO PASP Division; Prof. Khaled Fouad Allam, from the University of Trieste; Dr Yasemin Taksin, Sabah columnist; Mr Oraib Al-Rantawi, Director of the Al-Quds Center for Political Studies; and Major General Danny Rothschild, Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. The speakers provided varied and detailed perspectives on the complex scenario of diplomatic and military action in the Middle East, looking at the implications not only for regional security environment but also for NATO.

On the second and final day of the Conference, there was a forum on modern defence and economic development. Chaired by Admiral Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte, President of the Military Committee of the Italian Atlantic Committee, the panel included: Lieutenant General Gian Marco Chiarini, Italian representative to the NATO and EU military committees; Dr Antonio Perfetti, MBDA Italy; and Mr Shai Blitzblau, CEO at Maglan Information Technologies Ltd. The discussion shed valuable light on issues related to cyber security, for NATO members and partners alike. Areas such as procurement, threat assessment and operational response were addressed thoroughly and methodically, from the perspective both of governments and of academic institutions.

Closing remarks were offered by the Hon. Prof. Enrico La Loggia and by LtGen Dalhaug, bringing proceedings to a very successful conclusion in terms of the interest generated by the varied and highly topical programme of the 58th ATA Conference.

Among the representatives from Serbia, this event was attended by former state secretary at the Ministry of Defence – prof. Tanja Miščević, president of the ACS – Mr. Vladan Živulović, executive director of the organization – dr. Vladimir Krulj, and project manager – Mr. Boris Viculin.

During this event there were discussions about the process of cooperation between NATO and Serbia, partnership of our country with this organization and the perspectives in this area. This topic was primary in the speeches of Ms. Miščević and Mr. Krulj, within which beside the aforementioned they also represented all the difficulties and burdens that are making these relations more difficult. Their remarks come to understanding by the side of ATA representatives as well as representatives of NATO and other participants of ATA GA as a forum for exchange of opinions of representatives of both national and international level. By the side of representatives of NATO, a strong will statement for enhancement of cooperation with Serbia, firstly stated during NATO Summit in Chicago by the  NATO SG – Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was repeated.

During the discussions about fulfilling NATO standards, as leading in the world concerning areas of security and defense, as well as cutting the costs in these areas in the time of financial crisis (both within NATO as a whole, as well as in member and partner states), Mr. Viculin drew attention to the progress of Serbian MoD in this area by using the mechanisms of NATO Building integrity initiative (BI), which is primarily aimed at downsizing of corruption and enhancement of defense system efficiency, and for which our ministry got good review grades by the NATO assessment team that is in charge for the assessment of progress for a country that showed devotion and will to use the mechanisms of this initiative. Concerning this topic, the ACS president, Mr. Živulović stated that this initiative is an example that is in the best manner showing that the accepting of best security and organizational standards in the world is in correlation with Serbian interests to have as lowest costs and better efficiency of the defense sector, which is on the first place an interest of the Republic of Serbia to have more efficient security sector.