User:PajaBG/sandbox

The contract was ceremonially signed on 1 August 2013 in front of the cameras in the Hyatt Regency Belgrade hotel. In 2018 it was disclosed that it was signed a day later in the family home of deputy prime minister (later prime minister and president) Aleksandar Vučić, in the neighborhood of Jajinci.^[1][2]

Giving a foreign minority shareholder full management of the company and letting it to operate long distance flights was deemed troublesome and risky. Result was the planes' leasing under the unfavorable conditions while the renewed flight to New York became economically unacceptable. Serbian diaspora in North America, cited as the main reason for the re-establishment, was dissatisfied with "bad commercial services" and unprofessional moves,^[3][4][5] as Etihad showed lack of interest to keep the New York line operational.^[6]

After Etihad Airways was hit by the crisis in 2016, including bankruptcies of the co-owned Alitalia and Air Berlin, experts urged the government to take over the management of Air Serbia. The contract allowed for the Serbian management to step in after 5 years (31 December 2018). Etihad's management claimed it will step down, but their CEO Duncan Neysmith continued in office.^{[3][4][7][8][9]} By the mid-2018, out of the announced strategic plans in 2013, "maybe 2% was achieved".^[10]

Over the years, both the government and the company officials, refused to discuss almost any issue, or simply ignored the press. Some even paid fines, as they were obliged by the law to disclose information since Air Serbia is still a majority state-owned company. Instead, almost everything regarding company's business was declared a secret.^[10][11]

By 2018, Air Serbia was described as the Etihad's "remaining, dragging tail of the failed strategy", part of the CEO James Hogan's vision of unprecedented expansion. The strategy collapsed massively by 2017, forcing the Etihad to ditch bankrupted Alitalia, Air Berlin and Darwin Airline and to fire Hogan. Analysts concluded that the Etihad won't ditch Air Serbia as it is earning from it, regardless of Air Serbia's continuous business loss.^[12]

Etihad converted its $40 million loan to Jat Airways into the 49% ownership of Air Serbia. In only three years, Air Serbia repaid that through "various services" to the Etihad. In 2013-2016, for just one leased Airbus plane out of two, Air Serbia paid to the Etihad €10.4 million. The official papers show that Air Serbia earns €1 million yearly from the transactions with the Etihad, but pays €10 million for non-specified goods and services.^[10] Leasing planes within the same system is usual as it reduces the costs, but on average, everything Air Serbia paid to the Etihad was cheaper on the free market.^[11]

The state took over all of Jat Airways debts, a total of €215 million,^[10] and additional debts from the transitional period (1 August 2013-26 April 2014; originally planned for 31 December 2013). Accelerating in the second half of 2013, Jat Airways amassed net loss of €73 million, ballooning from 2012 when the loss was €35 million. The Etihad's management already took over the company still called Jat Airways, so only in 2013 Serbia invested three times more than its "fifty-fifty" partner. Aleksandar Vučić's liaison with the UAE investors, Siniša Mali, was the chief contract negotiator and was appointed to head the Air Serbia's Supervising Board. He claimed that Jat Airways was on the verge of bankruptcy, unable to pay for basic needs, and that the Etihad helped with the loan as the state had no money either. However, the rebranded company's inaugural flight Belgrade-Abu Dhabi, with rented Airbus, occurred on 26 October 2013, while the first installment of the loan occurred only 5 days before (21 October - $8 million), so either the Jat Airways, or the state, paid for it.^[11] The line was disconnected due to the lack of profitability in October 2017.^[13]

Jat Airways amassed an average €40 million of net loss yearly. Mali claimed that "strategic partners will finance the company fifty-fifty" and the contract stipulated Etihad's investment of "up to $100 million". The state directly subsidized Air Serbia with €69,32 million in 2014, €48,68 million in 2015 and €40,1 million in 2016, a total of €158,1 million. The state also annulled debts for the unpaid taxes to the Nikola Tesla Airport - €16,79 million in 2014 (old Jat Airways debts) and €19,26 million in 2015 (new Air Serbia debt). In total, the state subsidized the company with €194,15 million in three years. In the same period, Air Serbia reported net income of €7,4 million (in 2016 only €857,000) so without state help, the company had a total net loss of €186,75 million or €62,25 million yearly. On 31 December 2016 the subsidizing was to stop.^[14][15][16]

Etihad invested nothing, but through its connected company "EA Partners", in two credit lines, loaned $119.5 million to Air Serbia (56,5 million in 2015 and 63 million in 2016),^[17] with an interest rate of 7% yearly, growth of 0.17% quarterly, and additional $8 million of transaction fees. High interest rates and credit fees on the loan by the mother company point to the money draining. On 9 January 2017 the state loaned €14 million to Air Serbia, with an interest rate of 3.5%. Air Serbia time deposited €79.2 million in several banks, with an interest rate of just 0.4 to 2.2%. In 2017 drastic cost reduction began. All offices in Serbia outside Belgrade were closed, and 300 employees were fired or resigned, with 100 more scheduled for further dismissal. Larger, comfortable plane seats were replaced with smaller ones, the catering was reduced but the rumors that Air Serbia will turn into the low-cost company were refuted by the company. Despite the state money poured into Air Serbia, on 28 July 2017 Siniša Mali said: "I think that from February of last year [2016], I think even from February of a year before [2015], we [Air Serbia] had no help from the Government of the Republic of Serbia, whatsoever. I am saying that Air Serbia is doing business in the open market".^{[10][14][15][16][18]} Number of passengers increased, as being part of the Etihad group expanded markets, which still failed to bring the company into the green as the expenses increased, too.^[10][11] In 2018, number of passengers grew by 18%, but growth of sales income was only 3%.^[19] Employees were fired just one day after Etihad announced loss of $1.9 billion in 2016. Despite the rejection of the low-cost rumors, the Etihad issued guidelines basically turning the company into the low-cost one in everything but the name. From free catering, passengers now had to pay for water.^[18][20]

In July 2018 Mali said "Air Serbia is the fastest growing company in the region" and "the kick starter of the entire Serbian economy",^[21] yet the pumping of the money continued even though the obligation expired. Reported net profit in 2017 was €15.7 million, but €20.8 million were transferred to Air Serbia by the government. Experts expressed doubt that full, direct or indirect state subsidies, are higher and that state pumped in "roughly €300-400 million" by the mid-2018. The 2017 loan from the state's Development Fund (€14 million), had an interest rate of 3,5% per year. Mali explained that €12 million were transferred according to the government's "strategy of the development of tourism" which was adopted at the end of 2016, right when the subsidizing was to stop.^{[10][21][22][23]} Government donated further €14 million in November 2018: €11,7 million to cover the losses of the New York line in 2017, and €2,3 million for the fuel in 2018.^[24] In total, Air Serbia reported a total of €21 million of state subsidies in 2018.^[19]

As the co-owner of the Jet Airways, the Etihad acquired three Jet's landing slots at the Heathrow Airport. After Jet's bankruptcy in April 2019, the Etihad leased them to Air Serbia for six months. As those slots are the costliest in the world, the analysts expected for the Etihad to sell them, not to lease them to its minority-owned subsidiary. In the same package was the lease of Airbus A320 with sub-standard number of seats (136). The plane was leased as the wet lease, which means the plane will fly with Etihad's visual identity and aircrew, while Air Serbia will pay the monthly rent, maintenance, insurance, lodging of the crew and overtime. Both companies refused to disclose the monetary side of the arrangement. Based on the available data, just the plane lease would result in the loss of €6-7 million quarterly, so the analysts concluded this was another poorly analyzed and irrational business move, or plain and simple robbery and money draining.^[25]

In the proposal of the 2020 budget, the funds for Air Serbia were allocated again, claiming the "fulfillment" of the original, 2013 contract.^[26] During the state emergency, declared due to the coronavirus pandemic, Siniša Mali stated in April 2020 that the government will help certain state owned companies, "first and foremost, Air Serbia", so it could continue to grow and expand, still claiming Air Serbia is a profitable company, the only one in the region and one of the few in the world.^[27]

The London Stock Exchange announced that Air Serbia informed the Etihad in July 2020 that it can't pay the first credit line from 2015, or €57.62 million, which was due in September. The company asked for the 82% reduction of the debt on the collecting day, so that it could regroup and pay the remainder later. The Etihad refused. Prime minister, several ministers and the company management, all refused to comment on the subject, even for the pro-government media.^[17][28][29] The company than announced it payed off the credit in full, thanks to "doing responsible business" in the pre-pandemic period.^[30][31]

Analysts described the explanation as the "miracle for the naive". Average loss of airlines due to the corona outbreak was 92% so, one way or another (credits, other state owned companies, Air Serbia's tax debt rebate), the state had to provide the money.^[32][33] Government denied it paid the debt instead of the company.^[34] President Vučić then announced the capital increase up to $60 million and announced that Etihad will be asked to pay for some loses due to the pandemic, while minister Zorana Mihajlović said that the financial aid to the company stopped in 2019.^[35] They both added that there is no doubt that the company will be helped by the state money, and that amount of help will grow.^[36][37] Mihajlović also stated that the government is discussing four options of help, which include debts covered by state, but also an increased share of state's ownership in the company.^[38]

The opposing strategy, by which the state would buy off Etihad's share, was proposed by the experts.^[39]

In 2019, the company reported net profit of €9.5 million,^[32] but also reported €21 million of state subsidies.^[19] Due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the company reported net loss of €17 million in 2020, and €42.5 million in 2021.^[40] However, already in June 2020, Mihajlović stated that the company made a loss of €40 million since the pandemic started.^[41]

During the state budget amendments in November 2020, government allocated €150 million for non-specified "budgetary loans". The Fiscal Council, government's finance-counselling body, stated that the item is "too big" and "probably for Air Serbia",^[42] adding that government used the pandemic as the smokescreen to enlarge the entire budgetary deficit by pumping money into the company.^[43] The Council claim Even without the pandemic, the Council estimated the situation dire - the loss of €60 million, while with the reductions due to the coronavirus, it will reach €100 million. Total amassed debt since the company was founded was estimated to €200 million, eating the entire capital. It was masked behind the company books which showed that Air Serbia took credits in the amount of 18 billion dinars, while the servicing of the costs was 10 billion dinars. That way, it appeared that company has overflow of cash, instead of showing that it is unable to cover its costs from doing business. The government's claim that all other European governments helped there flag carriers was confirmed by the Council, but with addition that they covered up to 35% of costs, while Air Serbia was covered up to 60%.^[44] While the Cuuncil claimed company made €20 millions of debts each year, on average, Mali continued to claim that company was in green until the pandemic, now adding €235 million of JAT Airways' debts in the mix. He claimed this was the starting point of Air Serbia,^[45] blaming the previous, pre-2012 government.^[46] However that debt was took over by the state already in 2013, and was one of the Etihad's conditions.^[10] In 2020, both Mali and Brnabić claimed that €41,8 millions of subsidies to the company are payments for this, old JAT Airways debt.^[28]

In September 2022, the state pumped further €15.47 million into Air Serbia, as capital increase, reducing Etihad's share in company to 16,4%. Some analysts suggested this may show Etihad's wish to withdraws completely, but other pointed out that Air Serbia is the only successful investment of this kind for Etihad, and that it will remain as silent partner.^[47][48] The capital increase was also described as a "classical subvention".^[49]

On 7 June 2023, president Vučić said that "Air Serbia operated wisely" and that now has a €200 million on its bank account.^[50]

In October 2019 flight from Belgrade to Sydney cost €1,586, but Etihad flights from Frankfurt cost €1,108, from Paris €1,031 and from London €937. Such overpricing was described as the evident Etihad's monopoly, especially comparing much lower salaries in Serbia.^[4] Serbian authorities also let the Etihad to operate flights to the Far East, with numerous business and private flights between China and Serbia not being controlled by the Serbian part.^[6]

Air Serbia was the only bidder for the flights from the Niš Constantine the Great Airport in southern Serbia, which began on 15 July 2019, and from the Morava Airport in western Serbia, on 25 November 2019. State declared the lines from these airports the "lines of public importance" and granted further subsidies of €15 million and €5.63 million, for each airport, respectively, in the next three years.^[51][52] By October 2020, out of 12 planned lines from Niš, only 3 were operational.^[53]

The company's report from 27 November 2017 showed that 12 pilots had no security clearance neither from the Ministry of Interior nor from the Security Intelligence Agency. It also concluded that 18% (or 101 person) of company's own aircrew had no security clearance either. Though enough for major fines and even revoking of the company's flying permit, the Civil Aviation Directorate, obliged to act, did nothing. Pilots were hired via the AviGo LTD. Etihad's senior vice president, Rick Allen, promised to address the issue, but then declined to comment.^[54]

Collaboration began in 2014, after Air Serbia closed internationally esteemed Jat Airways' training school which trained 100 pilots at the time. The trained and experienced pilots were offered to retire or to continue on short-term contracts. In 2014-2017 Air Serbia hired a total of 56 inexperienced pilots, of which 21 were not properly trained to pilot. The report concluded the number of pilots hired through AviGo LTD was excessive. Vladimir Nikolić, Air Serbia's Director of Flight Affairs in charge of providing aircrew personnel, was also a hidden co-owner of the AvioGo LTD, which operated through Dominican-Bulgarian channels. CEO Dane Kondić dismissed the investigation which showed conflict of interest in 2015, but the 2017 investigation confirmed it.^[10][54][55]

Transactions with AviGo LTD and the pilots were done without proper documentation. It was estimated that €4.4 million was drained out this way. The pilots were advised to open accounts so not to pay taxes in Serbia. Nikolić was fired, officially "because he didn't validate magnetic card when coming to work", while Kondić resigned a month after the report, citing private reasons. Nikolić claimed the report is untrue, saying everything was legal and that he saved money to the company, but he was picked as the scapegoat because he is "young, successful and drives a good car".^[54][55]

In December 2018, Air Serbia banned from its Nikola Tesla Airport's lounge magazines critical of Aleksandar Vučić claiming lack of contracts with the publishers. Some magazines confirmed the contracts indeed expired, but in 2016,^[7][56] while others dismissed it, labeling the action insolent and brown nosing.^[57] Instruction by the company's on ground supervisor Milica Milaković showed the content was the problem: "Colleagues, please pay attention to the newspapers which are in the lounge, so as to their content. All newspapers left behind by the guests remove immediately and don't place them on the display rack. Especially pay attention to NIN, VREME, NEDELJNIK and newspapers with similar content. Those, don't display at all."^[58][59] The e-mail was authenticated by Air Serbia.^[7] Suzana Vasiljević, media adviser to president Vučić, is member of the Air Serbia's Supervising Board.^[7]

Krušik affair

In September 2019, the Krušik affair broke out, regarding the illegal weapon sales from the state-owned Krušik arms factory. An international investigative journalistic effort, it showed that the arms and ammunition produced in the factory ended up in the hands of ISIS fighters in Yemen, but also in other war zones where the weapons trade is forbidden, like Ukraine. Additional investigation in Serbia showed that Krušik sold merchandise via mediators, who were close friends or family members of president Vučić and his closest political ally, Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović. This financially almost ruined the company but allowed for the massive enrichment of the mediators. Weapons were officially purchased by the companies from the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. The weapons were delivered to the Emirates, which is legal, but from there they were distributed into the war zones.^{[2][60][61][62]}

Marinika Tepić, parliamentary deputy of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice, connected the Ettihad Airways contract and illegal weapons trade. She pointed out to the unfavorable contract for the state and misuse of Jat Airways, the fact it was signed in Vučić's private house, the same mediators appearing in almost all Serbian-Emirati businesses like Belgrade Waterfront or selling arable land to the Emiratis (some of which are foreigners given Serbian citizenship, blacklisted weapons merchants or wanted by foreign countries) and unrecorded middle of the night flights from the Nikola Tesla Airport with unmarked planes, loaded with the crates wrapped in polyester or green cloth with Etihad's VIP stamps, concluding that the only reason for the entire deal was just to transform Jat Airways into one of the key European links in the illegal weapons trade chain. Planes flying during the night were previously noted by the citizens of Belgrade, while photos of unmarked planes on the runway leaked into the public.^{[2][63][64][65]}

In the essay titled Velike tajne Malog majstora - ili kako je Siniša Mali ukrao doktorat, Karapandža used three checking sites, iThenticate, Turnitin and Grammarly, and concluded that this is the case of one of the worst plagiarisms in Serbian science.^[1]

Paljenje diploma.^[2]

On 23 June 2021, rector Ivanka Popović announced that the Administrative Court abolished the university's decision and returned it to the Professional Ethics Board for new deliberation. Mali immediately reacted on his Instagram account, saying he is glad that the justice has won, and that this proved he didn't steal anything.^[3]

After the failed third attempt at selecting a new dean, some media theorized that sudden lack of interest to head the faculty, and present dean Suknović's refusal to talk to media at all, is a result of the Administrative Court's decision to return the doctorate's case back to the faculty.^[4]

On 22 December 2021, based on the decision of the Board, the Senate voted unanimously to void the doctorate, confirming the September's decision of the FON's dean. Rector Đokić said he hopes the university will not have to deal with this matter again, unless ordered by "some additional decisions of the court". Some academics said that the Senate didn't even have to void it again, as the reasons for repeated process were technicalities, not the doctorate itself, which has been already proved to be a plagiarism.^[5]

Mali didn't talk to the reporters about it but reacted on his Instagram account. He called the decision a "political hunt", which will only motivate him to work even more and even better. He said that he can't accept the political decision and will use all available legal remedies to quash the decision, because the truth is on his side. Mali added he is a great fun of obtaining knowledge, and that is the only thing in life that no one can take away from him. He personally used that knowledge to "secure money for new roads, hospitals, and schools, higher pensions and salaries and monetary help to citizens and economy during the COVID-19 pandemic".^[5]

In September 2022, former rector Ivanka Popović was proposed as the new presidential candidate of the European University Association. She was nominated by the rectoral colleges of Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia, but Council of rectors within KONUS, association of Serbian universities, voted not to endorse her nomination. The endorsement by the parent association is not necessary for the nomination, though. KONUS refused to comment.^[6][7] Concurrently, the Senate of the Belgrade University voted not to award the professor emeritus title to Dušan Teodorović, even though he passed two lower electoral bodies, and was endorsed by his home, Transportation Faculty Among the nominees, Teodorović was the only one not be awarded. Aleksandar Popović, head of the Council of Belgrade University, despite political and personal disagreements with Teodorović, called his case a "slap" in the face of the faculty, and that since no one objected or disputed anything in the presentation papers, the voting was probably "not academically motivated". Noting that University of Belgrade itself endorsed Popović for the EUA position, Popović called out other universities which were silent for months on why they rejected her, calling the decision "absurd, harmful and scandalous".^[8]

On 31 August 2022, Mali posted on his Instagram account that he passed the "dissertation exam", which means that the subject for his thesis was approved, and that this is the most important moment in his doctoral studies so far. He added that he wasn't happy to have the exam on his birthday, but that "necessity knows no law". He claimed that he enrolled to the doctoral studies in Slovakia two years ago, section "Finance". Sometimes you need to be invalidated in life for you to get courage, move on, and show what you can. I am doing this for my own soul, said Mali.^[9] Political analyst Boban Stojanović alluded that Mali is a proven plagiarist and illegal Doctor of Philosophy, saying that claims of writing another doctorate while being a minister, is impossible and a mockery of citizens.^[10] In March 2023 Mali stated he expects to defend his dissertation by the mid-2023,^[11][12] and on 29 June 2023 he announced that he defended his thesis "The Flypaper Effect in the Republic of Serbia" at Technical University of Košice.^[13]

On 14 July 2022, a decision by the Constitutional Court was published by which the court ruled that the university's statute's provisions for taking away someone's title or firing someone based on the proved non-academic behavior is illegal and unconstitutional. Only the labor laws are handling this matter, not the university. The court specifically declared unconstitutional statute's article 133, paragraph 5, which says that someone can be stripped of its title, meaning that if someone is proved plagiarist, the academic title can't be revoked. The court also took the stand that, regarding employment and promotion, the university has to treat equally those who has no reprimands due to the non-academic behavior, like those who are punished, because they are constitutionally equal. With this decision, all ongoing cases conducted by these provisions of the statute are considered discontinued. This prompted regime media to claim the "justice was served" and that title must be restored to Mali.^[14][15][16] At the time of the ruling, out of 13 judges of the Constitutional Court, all but one, Vesna Ilić Prelić, were appointed during and by the SNS administration.^[17]

Based on the court's decision, Mali filed a complaint to the university on 22 August 2022, asking for the decision on voiding his doctorate to be revoked. On 25 January 2023, the Senate of the University unanimously voted to reject his appeal as unfounded and to uphold the Board for Professional Ethic's decision. At the Senate's session, rector Vladan Đokić read board's explanation for rejection, saying that "act like plagiarism, which has been proven in this case, cannot become morally acceptable behavior with the passage of time".^[18]

Mali also filed another complaint to the Administrative Court, claiming that university had no legal ground to abolish his PhD title. In the meantime, Mali "notified the court" about the decision of the Constitutional Court. The Administrative Court then in March 2023 again voided the university's decision, denying university's legal capacity to strip Mali of his title and claiming that the 2016 manual published by the university can't be effective retroactively.^[19] Prorector of the Belgrade University Dejan Filipović confirmed that the courts decision arrived at the University, and that it was forwarded to the legal department. The university has no deadline by which it has to respond.^[20] While there was no other official reactions from the university, unofficially it was stated that regardless of the courts' decisions, there is no way Mali will be awarded the PhD as plagiarism is plagiarism.^[21]

Opposition parties and former students who protested against Mali, concluded that this is just another confirmation that justice system is subordinated to the government and the ruling party, SNS, and if the justice would be independent from the government, Mali would be charged for much more serious things.^[22] Members of academia also reacted. Slobodan Prvanović called the decision scandalous and shocking, adding that the plagiarized context of the thesis is not an issue. The court already returned the verdict due to the technicalities and procedure which was followed this time, so there was no reason for the court to void it again.^[23] Ratko Božović labeled the court's decision "absurd and abnmormal", while Biljana Stojković called it unacceptable and announced possibility of new protests.^[24] Vladimir Obradović, Dušan Teodorović and Jelena Jerinić concluded that neither of the courts decided that the doctorate is not a plagiarism, which still makes Siniša Mali a plagiarist. Jerinić added that while retroactivity is in general unconstitutional, the constitution allows exeptions and there was no reason for such rigid decision of the court.^[25]

Mali's Slovakian doctorate was recognized in Serbia on 2 August 2023.^[26]

Vučić lamented at the "harassment" of Jakšić.^[27]

Jakšić then reemerged, progressing in the SNS hierarchy. In April 2022 he was announced by Ana Brnabić as one of the party's youth commissioners in Belgrade.^[28] On 18 August 2022, he was appointed as the head of City of Belgrade's Housing Enterprise,^[29] one of the largest and richest city companies, despite being only in his late 20s. His nomination, and of other proposed managers, were kept a secret by mayor Aleksandar Šapić until the very session when they were to be elected. Šapić, also accused of PhD plagiarism, said he has done so to "protect the candidates" from "smearing".^[27][30]

On 7 August 2021 a massive fire broke out again. A thick smoke covered the entire town, highly reducing visibility, followed by the bad smell. The smoke rushed down into the city over the hills above the Mirijevo neighborhood, which separates the landfill from the city. Tall structures were barely visible, including bridges across both the Danube and the Sava, as the smoke spread all over into the Syrmian and Banat sections of the city, including New Belgrade and Ada Ciganlija.^[1][2] The fire was extinguished with water and sand, with police, communal militia and firefighters being dispatched.^[3] The solution made of the sea brown algae, Ascophyllum nodosum, was also used to treat the burning terrain,^[4] so as the tens of tons of earth.^[5] Measurements showed that the temperature below ground was 170 °C (338 °F).^[6] On 23 August, the fire was declared for the most part extinguished.^[5]

Officials claimed that the quality of the air was good, and official measurements showed it was "excellent", with only in Vinča itself being "good". However, experts pointed out again that the most dangerous and cancerogenous particles in the air are not measured at all, especially those coming from the burned plastic.^[1][7][8]

Originally, the severe heat wave was blamed.^{[3] [3]} Then city announced than security cameras showed two people at the landfill prior to the fire outbreak but that connection with the fire is unknown.^[5]

In the meantime, it became public that no one was guarding the landfill at the time. The new private management, "Beo Čista Energija", was given the administration over the landfill on 2 August, and the city stopped inspecting the fires. However, the "Beo Čista Energija" also didn't inspect the old landfill as it obtained all the necessary permits on 16 August.^[4]

The stabilization of old landfill was announced for August 2021, but constantly postponed until the end of 2022. Without efficient draining system, the hill made of 14,000,000 cubic metres (490,000,000 cu ft) of garbage is landsliding, riddled with never-ending smoldering deep fires, ponds of drained wastewater and pockets of landfill gases. Works should last for 30 months and by 2026 the old landfill should be transformed into the green oasis.^[9]

Landfill restoration

Nova pocela u avgustu 2021 - Heating plant should be finished by November 2022, while it should reach full capacity in April 2023. It will produce 56,5 MW-h of heat and 30,24 MW-h of electricity, or 10% and 5% of Belgrade's consumption, respectively - capacity of water treatment facility is 90,000 cubic metres (3,200,000 cu ft) per year.^[10]

Proper development of mining began during the rule of king Uroš I (1243-1276), who invited Sasi, Saxon miners into Serbia, to develop mines in the country. Fast development followed thanks to the rich ore deposits, technology introduced by the Sasi, wise long term planning, and merchants from Dubrovnik and Kotor. Revitalized former mining areas included prehistoric or Roman localities Rudnik (silver, lead, copper), Kučevo/Kučajna (copper, iron), Brodica, Majdanpek, Rudište-Plana mine [sr]) (lead, silver, iron), Rogozna, Trepča (lead, silver) and Novo Brdo (gold, silver). New mines, opened from the 13th to the 15th century, include Zajača, Krupanj (lead, silver), Trešnjica (silver), Gluhavica (iron), Samokovo, Belo Brdo (lead, silver), Ostraća [sr], Belasica mine [sr], Janjevo, Kišnica, Livađe, and Koporić [sr]. Some of the major medieval mining fields are today in neighboring states: Brskovo (silver; Montenegro), Srebrenica (gold, silver, iron; Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kratovo (silver, iron, lead, copper; North Macedonia) and Altin (Albania).^[1][2]

During the rule of the Nemanjić dynasty, minting coins was one of the ruler privileges and the state had unified monetary system.^[3] For a long time, a general consensus among the historians was that Serbia began minting its own money during the reign of king Radoslav (1228-1234). Those were silver and copper coins based on the Byzantine monetary system, called electrum if minted from silver, or billon, if they were made of copper.^[4] The first batch of coins was ordered from Thessaloniki, but the minting then continued in Serbia. Radoslav's coins, and materials for their minting were discovered in Ras. During the reign of Radoslav's younger brother, Uroš I, Brskovo became the regional mining and monetary center, known for minting of the quality silver coins, patterned after the Venetian currency, matapan. Serbian sources refer to the coins as perper, dinar or groš.^[5]

However, several coins which predate the reign of king Radoslav and development of Brskovo, were discovered. Silver coins from the reign of Stefan the First-Crowned were found. As the first king from the Nemanjić dynasty, it is considered that the elevation to the title of king and confirmation of authority and independence would certainly be enhanced with the state's own coinage. But some of the coins have an inscription DVX (dux, župan), which means that Stefan coined money even before the change of title. His money is known as Stefan's matapan, also patterned after the Venetian one, or Slavic (Serbian) perper, as it was named in the 1214 work Dračka Listina.^[5][6]

In 2017, at an auction in London, a copper, or copper-alloy coin, appeared. It is engraved in Byzantine style, of the 10th century Macedonian dynasty. The obverse has a bust of the ruler en face. The ruler is crowned and holds a scepter and resembles portraits of Roman emperors Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus and Romanos I Lekapenos. On the reverse there are cross with arms of equal length, written inside the ring which is surrounded by the inscription in Latin, BLADIMIRVS (Vladimir). Three rulers from this period were suggested. One is Vladimir of Bulgaria (ruled 889-893), but he ruled before this specific Byzantine style developed, he was staunchly anti-Christian and wouldn't use Christian motifs, nor the Latin language was used officially in Bulgaria at the time. Russian prince Vladimir the Great (ruled 980-1015) was also proposed, but he minted golden and silver coins with Cyrillic inscriptions. This leaves king Jovan Vladimir and, if fully confirmed, this find will move the beginning of the Serbian minting for two centuries.^[5][7]

• Мијалковић, Александра (2021). Загонетка Владимировог новца (интервју са Рашком Рамаданским) [Riddle of Vladimir's coins (interview with Raško Ramadanski)]. Београд: Политика-Културни додатак, year LXV, No. 20. p. 1.
• Nedvidek, Dalibor (2017). Serbian Medieval coinage from the kingdom period (PDF). Novi Sad: Muzej Vojvodine. p. 110. ISBN 978-86-87723-84-9.
• Костић, Слободан (2014). Новац Србије кроз векове, број 1 [Serbian money through centuries, No. 1]. Београд: Политика & Народна банка Србије. p. 7.
• Ramadanski, Raško (2020). "Serbian medieval coins". Belgrade: Serbianmedievalcoins.com.
• Škalamera, Željko (1990). Школски историјски атлас, 7. издање [School historic atlas, 7th edition]. Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva. p. 24. ISBN 978-86-17-01363-7.
• Вујић, Слободан (2022). "Рударство на тлу Србије - 8.000 година постојања" [Mining on the territory of Serbia - 8.000 years of existence]. Београд: Политика. p. 11.

With political backup from the city administration, it was possible for such idealess but intrusive residential complex to be built, and to endanger the panoramic view of Kalemegdan.^[1]

Тобоган у Радничкој је био предвиђен за рушење са објавом изградње прилазних петљи Мосту на Ади из јуна 2010. године.^[1] У децембру 2011. године почело је повремено затварање тобогана због радова на петљи,^[2] да би у децембру 2012. године био потпуно затворен и размонтиран у 2013. години.^[3]

Надвожњак Радничка-Кировљева, најкраћи пут^[4][5]

Име тобоган^[6]

Због дотрајалости и лоше безбедности, 27. марта 2020. године забрањена је употреба надвожњака за возила тежа од 12 тона, мада је путнички саобраћај остао и даље дозвољен. То значи да је и аутобусима градског саобраћаја забрањено да возе преко Тобогана. Од тада градски превоз кружи око Аде Циганлије и око Хиподрома, преко петље "Радничка" моста на Ади.^[4] Укупно, 10 линија, укључујући сезонске и експрес линије, је променило трасу: 23, 37, 51, 52, 53, 58, 85, 88, АДА1 и 560Е. Такође, укинута је и њихова станица код Аде Циганлије, која се налазила на самом почетку пењања уз надвожњак.^[5]

Како је ситуација потрајала неколико година, то је изазвало незадовољство грађана.^[4] Град је увео кружну линију 87А, чији је терминус на Чукаричкој падини, која је требало да преузме путнике на укинутом делу руте, међутим град је обезбедио само један минибус који је ишао на 40 минута. Сем тога, и ова линија је кружила преко петље Радничка на Мосту на Ади,^[5] иако тежина минибусева није ни близу 12 тона.

Градска управа тврдила је да санација надвожњака није могућа. Планом детаљне регулације културно-историјске целине Топчидер у делу код Радничке улице, предвиђена је денивелисана петља "са пуним програмом веза", и додавање по једне саобраћајне траке с обе стране Радничке улице, на делу од раскрснице са Улицом Светолика Лазе Лазаревића на Чукаричкој падини, до уливно-изливних рампи на мостовској петљи "Радничка". Проблем чини и непоклапање катастарских парцела са стварним стањем на терену, па мора да се изврши репарцелација која ће да обухвати и земљиште над којим се надвија надвожњак. У априлу 2022. објављено је да се не зна када ће ишта од овог пројекта бити урађено, тако да је Тобоган до даљег остао отворен само за путничка возила.^[4][5]

У децембру 2002. године град је изјавио да је "у току припрема тендерске документације за расписивање јавне набавке за израду техничке документације" за изградњу надвожњака у Кировљевој. То би требало да буде прва фаза плана детаљне регулације за Топчидер. Конкурс би требало да буде расписан до краја 2022. године.^[6]

In December 2021 and May 2022, the third route was announced, from Banjica to Bežanija, which will swerve around Belgrade, reaching the Prokop railway station. Despite connection with Prokop was one of the central crossing points in all previous plans which were discarded by the current administration, it was now presented as the "suggestion" of president Aleksandar Vučić. Maps also showed unexplained fork of the southern section of the first route with seven stations, from Banovo Brdo to the cemetery Orlovača.^[1][2]

During the amending of the city budget in September 2022, the city owned company "Belgrade metro and train" asked for additional funds, due to the necessary changes in the projected routes because of the "objective barriers in the field", despite all this was known for decades. Obstacles for the line two are atmospheric water collector in Resavska Street, vaults of the National Bank of Serbia in Slavija, car-sized hydro-technical tunnel also in Slavija, the Vračar tunnel at Southern Boulevard. For the line one, it is the marshy and geologically unstable Sava's foreshore (floods, landslides, faults and caverns).^[3][4] On 21 February 2023 city assembly adopted a detailed route of the first line, with mayor Šapić stating that the route will not be changed.^[5]

Though a deadline for the signing of the contract for the depot construction was February 2022, as of July 2023 it was still not signed. Opposition concluded this shows bad planning, poor coordination between the state and the city, and financing problems.^[6] The signing was then announced for July 2023 and August 2023, before it was signed on 22 September 2023. The planning and construction of the depot should last for 60 months and the €200 million job is awarded to the Power Construction Corporation of China.^[7]

Massive filling of the vast area with earth and sand ensued. In November 2023 mayor Aleksandar Šapić said that when works were finished, "we will get a town within a town", and that entire cental- and north-eastern sections of Makiš will be urbanized, with new major thoroughfare above the projected route, and business and residential buildings around it, while the Obrenovac Road will be transformed into the highway. According to Šapić, this section of Makiš will become the "new urban part of the town, which was completely unused so far".^[8]

In 2020, before any works on construction began, Japanese video game developer Summertime issued a video game titled "Children of Belgrade Metro". It is situated in the later decades of the 21st century, in the already abandoned and derelict Belgrade metro. It depicts people with superpowers who are hiding in the metro from the government which outlawed them, and from evil Golden Dawn Corporation which controls Belgrade. Due to the graphic violence and sex, the game is for adults only.^[9][10]

In May 2023, mayor Aleksandar Šapić began announcing "little metro" (mali metro). The project actually has nothing to do with the proper subway, nor with any form of railway track type of transport. Šapić named this way a project of connecting New Belgrade to Palilula municipality. The planned program includes expansion and extension of the Boulevard of Dr Zoran Đinđić and Vladimira Popovića Street in New Belgrade, demolition of the Old Sava Bridge, construction of the new bridge at Belgrade Waterfront and a tunnel under the old section of the city. Šapić claimed that people in cars would reach other side of the city faster than those using future metro, hence the name. When started, construction should last up to two and a half years.^[11][12][13]

Šapić connected construction of the tunnel with the demolition of the Old Sava Bridge and postponed works further to the spring of summer of 2024 claiming the new bridge will have no purpose without the tunnel. Long preparatory works were added as the reason for delay.^[14][15] In July 2023 memorandum of understanding was signed with Power China International Group Ltd regarding the construction of the tunnel.^[16]