The bombing was the final act of breaking the economic Serbia, which terribly suffered because of economic blockade and hyperinflation before …
Directly responsible for all this
are countries in Western Europe and the USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUn-cONTrxk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQPYITT7fvI&feature=related

My mistake, I was not precise enough. I took as an example of my municipality in which 40% of employees lost their jobs in the period 1999-2009. They were employed in the real production sector. While 40% of manufacturing workers lost their jobs, only less than 5% found a job in the administration and thus we have increased public spending. This was done during a democratic and pro-European government.
In the period from 2003 to 2009 Serbia has increased the public sector for an amazing 60% more employees in the various administrations.
The conclusion is clear, the new democratic and pro European government performs vital reforms backward!
Complete Serbian economy can be divided into 2 parts: import lobby (for the whole of Serbia know this term) and wretched remains that actually produce something.
Pro-European and democratic government has helped to increase imports with a series of benefit for the importers, the most important of which is artificially strong dinar exchange rate against the euro. Unlike China, which has artificially weak yuan to the dollar exchange rate and euro and thus stimulate strong exports.
Pro-European policy, “Serbian” government has brought to a huge and uncontrolled borrowing. The NBS report states that the total external debt Serbia in 2008. year reached about $ 30 billion or about 21 billion euros. Then it says that the average interest on the debt is 4.96%.When we have this in mind, we come to the conclusion that, based only on interest to foreign creditors in 2008. year, Serbia paid about 1 billion euros! NBS also states that, in the same period, we paid 2.3 billion euros of debt principal to the foreign creditors. So, Serbia in 2008. year paid a total of approximately 3.3 billion euro to the foreign creditors? This amount is comparable with 40% of the Serbian budget adopted in December 2008! Specifically, the Serbian state, citizens and companies, allocated a sum that is comparable to the 40% Serbian budget, not for their benefit and welfare of their families and the Serbian economy, but to pay interest and debt to the western creditors (or the maintain a economical and social system that exists in the rich members of the European Union and the U.S.). To make this situation even more absurd, the Serbian foreign debt is not reduced in the 2008. On the contrary, the Serbian foreign debt has increased!
All this borrowing and other actions of so-called Serbian authorities are determined to support his statements in the high commissioners of the EU.
They are supported by the party in the elections, even blackmail and direct impact on Serbian voters …
All this time Russia supported the Serbian economy by selling gas to Serbia at the lowest price in Europe, with the exception of Belarus. In this way, the Serbian economy is subsidized with hundreds of millions of euros. Before the “democratic government” (until 2001) Serbia paid the Russian gas and oil in goods, so that the trade balance was much better for Serbia. “Our” pro-European “government has caused direct damage to all inhabitants of Serbia, or what they like to say in the the” west ” – “shot itself in the leg”…
EU member states also understand this creature will prove disastrous for them, as you can see in these two videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj4crMCg-XY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJhsfPGL6To&feature=related

There is no doubt the bombing caused massive destruction to the economy. It is still recovering 10 years later. That said it is but one factor amongst many that has retarded growth, in particular Foreign Direct Investment. Those factors include the unsolved problem of corruption at all levels of government, the slow progress of legal reform, political instability and violence

The foreign trade deficit is indeed directly related to the flood of credit into the economy. Serbs have, like the Western masses before them, been fooled into participating in the great consumer credit swindle. Billions of Euro of loans have been given to people and they have promptly squandered that money on consumer goods. This is global phenomenon (or was, before the crisis) and not the EU’s fault. Blame the banks and the Serbian government for not regulating the consumer credit markets.

The loss of public sector jobs like municipality jobs is a natural consequence of post-Socialist reforms. Serbia, like other socialist countries of the region had (and still has) a massively bloated and unproductive public sector. Overpayment of the public sector is a leading driver of inflation too. Cutting these jobs is politically difficult and seems destructive, but this is a vital reform.

You seem to be saying that Serbia is like some African country that is being strong-armed into free trade agreements that go against its interests and being forced to compete at a disadvantage against European rivals in a deregulated market.

This ignores the fact that most of Serbia’s economic problems are indigenous (corruption, no effective legal recourse, the consequences of war and sanctions, brain drain, political instability, previous budget deficits etc etc). It also ignores that fact that protectionism is a two way sword that can damage as much as it appears to help. Finally it ignores the fact that reforms expected of all EU applicants are agreed best practices for economic management and governance.

Objections to the EU by Eurosceptics is based on the social and political consequences of membership (the loss of sovereignty) not economic arguments. The economic benefits are so obvious that these are the reasons for staying in the union that even militant Eurosceptics cannot argue with.

Only in the period from 1995 to 2001, the EU and it’s Member States (according the record which leads the WTO (World Trade Organization)) introduced 14,000 new technical regulations and standards. We can only assume how much trade barriers are created by those technical regulations and standards.
Therefore, the new protectionism is built using non-tariff barriers. But possibility for this have only the large and rich. Or, the EU, above all. Poor countries such as Serbia, remain the custom taxes, as the “last line of defense” of domestic production. However, using the phrase “free trade” and the political imposition of a damaging contracts such as the Interim Trade Agreement, and such protection shall be abolished. Which means growing foreign trade deficit in Serbia, as well as unemployment. For these reasons, industrial production may never reach the 1998 level. All this, despite the fact that since 2000 the Serbian regime was in an alleged free trade with the EU. Therefore, there can be no speech about some kind of fair trade between the EU and Serbia, but only on the exploitation of Serbia by Brussels…

In the period 1999-2009 about 40% of employees in my municipality lost their jobs, which is entirely expected because Serbian imports huge quantities of finished products from the EU, and exports far less goods and raw materials and semi products. Lack of foreign exchange is compensated by credits. So Serbia takes the interest money to buy consumer goods from the EU. Our economy becomes more similar to the economy of the African colonies, we have become the raw material base of the developed European countries. But still we have not reached the level of Hungary, which has 200 billion euros of debt and 7 billion interest per year. The EU has not solved the problem in Hungary, but only prolong the agony of new loans. Hungary still does not produce anything, it’s economy is based on the virtual services.
As Bulgaria and Romania, although they have a higher GDP per capita, the average income is still smaller then here. So it is difficult to convince the average citizen of Bulgaria or Romania that they live better than the average population of Serbia. There are Romanians who have moved and work permanently in Belgrade, but also in some smaller places.
The conclusion is that most of the EU countries supported the sanctions, participated in the bombing of the Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia in 1995 and Serbia and Montenegro in 1999. Damage caused In 1999 is over 36 billion euros directly (according to the estimates pro-European parties), and a huge indirect damages as well as human victims. After that EU companies bought, below price, factories that produce goods that are not worth transported: sugar, cement, packaging, milk … And the same goods sold exclusively on the Serbian market, with huge profits, as they allow the state monopoly and allow them to destroy the weaker Serbian companies.
Most EU investments, however relates to the purchase of ownership shares in Serbian banks, so that Serbia during this decade was flooded with a huge consumer credit interest (the biggest in Europe), while it was impossible to get a favorable development loan that would enable development of an enterprise.
If you want we can accurately analyze all German, Austrian and Greek investments to prove that they are not useful for the development of Serbian economy.
By the way, Norway is not a member of the EU …

Hungary’s problems were not caused by the EU, it was saved by the EU.

Bulgaria and Romania both have higher per capita GDP than Serbia .

Bulgaria in particular has benefited massively from EU membership and help. Serbia has hundreds of millions pumped into it by the EU every year too.

The EU is also Serbia’s biggest and most important trading partner.

From 2000-2007. Austrian, Greek, Norwegian and German companies accounted for 2/3 of all inward investments into Serbia.

Sure, Russia is an ally and partner of sorts, but it is low down on the list of friends compared to EU countries.

Funny thing is I am accused by the other side of being a propagandist for the pro-Serb side

I stand corrected about your being mere moaner. Can you not be big enough to admit you are wrong about me too?

I mean, is the man who wrote this anti-Serb?

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/kosovo_and_the_myth_of_serbian/

-Sava Lukich Vladislavich Raguzinsky (1664-1738, Diplomatist)

In the service of Imperial Russia, circa 18th Century:

-Georgije Bogdanov, Major General
-Ivan Božić-Srbin, Brigadier General
-Stefan Vitković, Brigadier General
-Maksim Zorić, Lieutenant General
-Simeon Zorić Count and Major General
-Teodor Janković, Brigadier General
-Konstantin Janković, Brigadier General
-Konstantin Nikolajević Juzbasa Brigadier General
-Konstantin Lalos, Major general
-Mihail Andrejević Miloradović, General, 1771-1821
-Petar Miloradović, Major General
-David Neranšić, Major General
-Simeon Piščević, Major General
-Rodion Stefanović Plemenac, Brigadier General
-Baron Georgije Petrović Podgoričanin, Major General
-Ivan Petrović Podgoričanin, Lieutenant General
-Aleksej Preradović, Brigadier General
-Georgije Preradović, Brigadier General-
-Ivan Rodionović Preradović, Major General
-Rajko Rodion Preradović, Lieutenant General
-Mihajlo Ivana Stojanov, Major General
-Antonije Stratimirović, Brigadier General
-Petar Tekelija, General-in-Chief, achieved the highest rank among the Serbs who served in the Imperial Russian Army
-Georgije Ivanović Horvat, Brigadier General
-Ivan Dimitrijević Horvat, Major General
-Ivan Sanojlović Horvat, Lieutenant General
-Josif Horvat, Lieutenant General
-Nikolaj Corba Major General
-Fedor Arsenijev Corba, Lieutenant General
-Fedor Černojević, Major General
-Georgije Šević, Lieutenant General
-Ivan Đorđević Šević, Lieutenant General
-Ivan Sterić, Lieutenant General
-Serdar Vukotić, General, 1757-61
-Matija Zmajević, Admiral of the Baltic fleet
In the service of Tsar Alexander I in the Patriotic War of 1812:
-Nikolaj Ivanovich DePreradovich (1767-1843),
-Mikhail Andreyevich Miloradovich (1771-1825)
-Georgi Emmanuel
-Count Ilya Ducca or Ilya Duka (1768-1836)
-Ivan Shevich

In the service of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia during the Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829):
-Jovan Riznić (1793-1861)

In the service of Tsar Nicholas II during the Russian Revolution of 1917:

-Andrei Stepanovich Bakich (1878-1922)
-Stevan Hadžić
-Mihailo Živković (1856-1930)
-Milan Lukuc

Serbs consider Russia for a motherland not just a friendly country…
And to add to your claim that Russia is a power in decline, it is a nonsense. A classical propaganda spread in declining powers such as Great Britannia.

Secondly I am on record deploring the bombing and what happened (and is happening) in Kosovo.

Where were your “fuck your mother” comments when I posted these articles on this blog:

Serbia’s triumph over EU double standards
http://www.belgradefvc.com/serbias-triumph-over-eu-double-standards

A great week for plucky Serbia
http://www.belgradefvc.com/a-great-week-for-plucky-serbia

Territorial integrity
http://www.belgradefvc.com/territorial-integrity

EU and Kosovo: The Honeymoon is Over?
http://www.belgradefvc.com/eu-and-kosovo-the-honeymoon-is-over

Rewarding terrorism, deception in Kosovo
http://www.belgradefvc.com/rewarding-terrorism-deception-in-kosovo

Hague won’t investigate war crimes against Serbs…
http://www.belgradefvc.com/hague-wont-investigate-war-crimes-against-serbs

Letter to the Editor of The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
http://www.belgradefvc.com/letter-to-the-editor-of-the-daily-star-bangladesh

And that is just a sample from this one blog. There are dozens more published in other places where I defend Serbs and Serbia against slander and lies.

When have you ever spoken up for anything except yourself and your own country?

Where are you publishing articles in defence of Serbia, or even better, another country you have no direct links with but you love?

Let us compare Konstantin. Post links to your articles and tell me what you do for Serbia. Lets see who has done more for your beloved country: an Irishman, or you, the great Serbian patriot.

For example:

One person is asking:

Talking ’bout 90’s. I wonder who sell american weapons to Croats and Muslims? Russians? Or who bombed Serbs? Again Russians? And sanctions? It was good for economy, isn’t they?

And the journalist very quick with very incorrect and stupid answer:

But it was 10 years ago! Lets move on.

What a shit move on? People died and suffer and mostly because of USA and NATO Serbia in that kind of shitty situation and that man just saying let’s move on!!!!! How many Russian volunteers died in that war? How much costs the life of one Russian soldier or Serbian? Can he calculate? One ambulance car? May be two and half?

“As a European foreigner in Serbia I continue to be amazed at the persistence of the myth that Russia is Serbia’s “friend”; that they are reliable Slavic brothers allied with Serbs against the US and EU oppressors.”

I hope I will be able to explain some of the reasons for this, perhaps more deeply than other commenters.

“Serbia even has a pro-Russian party, the only such party outside of the former Soviet Union.”

Not sure who you mean: the SRS and DSS who are meraly pro-Russian, or the newly formed “My Russia” that calls for Serbia to fully enter the
Russian Federation?

“The loan was initially supposed to be a billion euros. Then it was downgraded to a billion US dollars. Finally it was downgraded to “to be determined” (a billion Dinars? A billion pesos?).”

This is not uncommon with West too. For example, before Milosevic was toppled there were promises of huge amounts of aid to come to Serbia, of which little materialized.

“All we know is that the 200 million will be given to the Serbian government and the rest will be used to hire Russian companies to carry out projects in Serbia. It is a sort of stimulus package for Russian
companies disguised as “kindness” to Serbia.”

This kind of thing is also commonly done by Western countries. For example, I recall some loans for bridge building with conditions that excluded any but Western companies from building them. You can find similar examples around the world in Chomsky’s “What Uncle Sam Really
Wants”.

“NIS was valued at €2.2 billion and sold to Russia’s Gazprom for €1.2 billion. Now we can see where the Russians gor the 1 billion for their “loan”!”

This isn’t true at all. NIS wasn’t sold whole, but only 51% of NIS was sold, and so Gazprom has control over NIS, but only half of its income. So, it was bought at the fair price (if these numbers are correct, because there are various NIS value estimates floating around).

This could be compared with the Serbia’s biggest exporter (exports more than half billion € per year), SARTID a.k.a. US Steel Serbia, bought by US Steel for 23 million €.

“The European Union would donate a total of one billion euros (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) to Serbia over the next five years, the EU representative in Serbia said on Wednesday.”

This is nice, but it pales in comparison to everything the EU has destroyed in Serbia. Damages from NATO bombing alone are some 30 billion €, and that is not counting economic damages from EU sanctions before that, UN sanctions (brought to you by Western countries) before that, damages done to Serbs abroad, entire breakup of Yugoslavia sponsored by the EU, and that’s just the last two decades.

If you would have two neigbhors, one who torches down your house and then gives you a tent to sleep in, and another who does mostly nothing to you, who would you prefer?

“Regarding the bombing you can read on this blog that I am as outraged as any about the brutality and injustice of it. But it was 10 years ago! Lets move on.”

We can’t move on. It’s not just that NATO bombed us, it’s that it
continues with the same politics as it had when it bombed us. For
example, had our army entered Kosovo in order to stop March 2004
pogroms, NATO would bomb us. Had our army appropriately respond to Albanian terrorists in Presevo-Bujanovac-Medvedja region, NATO would bomb us. So, we can’t move on.

Sure, if NATO would admit that the bombing was a bad idea, apologize for it, fix everything it destroyed, promised to never do it again, and give us means to ensure that the promise will be respected, then maybe we could do move on. I don’t see it happening.

“As for Kosovo, it comes with 1.5 million Albanians. Are you really
ready to live in a country where 21% of the population are Albanian?
Every Serb I have asked this questions has said “No”. Or are you one of those people that wants Kosovo, but with the Albanians gone?”

I hear this often, but it is a complete non-argument. Suppose that
tomorrow Serbia recognizes Kosovo as a fully independent country. What will stop the Albanians from continuing to spread from Kosovo into Serbia, especially when both countries are in the EU? If nothing
changes, 21% of the population of Serbia will eventually be Albanian,
one way or another.

“It’s amazing how much Serbs allow historical sentimentality to inform
their opinions on current affairs.”

This is also commonly heard, but I really don’t see the point. How are
you going to predict future events without having knowledge of past
events? People who are asking others to forget history are the ones who would like to reshape future to their liking.

“I am not asking you to forget about the bombing, I am just pointing out that the situation 10 years ago was very different than it is today.”

Today NATO is supporting Albanian terrorists to a much greater extent
than during the bombing. We see this not only in Serbia but also in
Macedonia.

“People seem to have forgotten what it was like to live under Russian
domination. If Serbs had lived the communist years like East Germans
this idea would be unthinkable. Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Bulgarians and
Romanians would rather die than return to Russian domination.”

Note however that Serbia was never under Russian domination like these countries were. We seem to be far enought from Russia to escape any direct physical domination, yet close enough to receive some benefit from Russia. Also, do Kosovo Serbs live better or worse under NATO domination than eastern Europeans under Russian domination?

“Russia is a spent power. We will see 10 years of aggression and
expansion as it claws back its buffer zone (ex-Soviet union) then as its
population collapses and its natural resources decline, it will implode
again, like 1989.”

Since we won’t be entering the EU in 10 years anyway, we can just wait and see.

“Russia, despite its recent resurgence, is waning. Its population is
collapsing. It is rapidly using up its only real strength – energy
reserves – just as its biggest customer (the EU) is rapidly shrinking
its dependence on Russian energy.”

You repeat this several times, but I don’t see it as true. I see that
Western economies are declining and the Asian economies are rising.
Russia seems to be well-placed to gain advantage of this.

“2. Join the rising power of the EU that will soon surround you on all
sides, represents the vat majority of your trade partnerships and where you will have fully equal power with every other member state.”

I don’t think Serbia will have equal power in the EU. All the major international agreements that Serbia had with EU countries are constantly being disrespected by them, always to Serbian detriment. I don’t see why would things be any different inside of the EU.

Also, this “join the rising power of the EU” strikes me as sounding a bit… evil.

I was very upset reading your articles and your comments. It looks like that you are very stubborn person trying to convince my Serbian countrymen that ‘bad’ is actually ‘good’ for them. The only plausible option is that you are very mean person – otherwise I would think that you are not very smart.

We, Serbians are now undet the state of occupation – similar to the period of Nedic government. We are aware of that, we are ashamed, but we wait for the better time to come. It is simply not fair from you to play your game convincing us how nice it is now. Yes, we like Russians. We like them very, very much. We like their language, their religion, their life attitude, their feelings, their poetry, their books, their movies, their heroes. I get drunk hearing Russian songs. I never get drunk hearing your songs.

What upset me even more is that we liked you too once upon the time. Now I see it was much better to like Germans than your liberating nations. With Germans, it is much easier. They are honest people and if they want to make some pain to you they will call it with the proper name. If Germans do not like you, they will never try to act as your friend.

I would recommend you to move to Pristina to join your friends over there. With your opinion, you would have a great life among your real friends.

Even if Russia were a true friend of the Serbs (which I do not believe), it is a spent power. Within 20 years it will be as weak as it was in the 90s when it was able to do nothing to help you as the US and NATO illegally and immorally bombed this country.

It has set itself up as the energy dealer to the European energy junkie, but within 20 years that dependency will be over and Russia’s population collapse will have extinguished its recent attempts to reassert power.

Serbia’s rightful place (on my opinion) is as the leader of the Balkans within the EU.

You (Serbs) have a choice:

1. Align yourself with an unstable declining power 1000Km away that is rapidly returning to Stalinism or;
2. Join the rising power of the EU that will soon surround you on all sides, represents the vat majority of your trade partnerships and where you will have fully equal power with every other member state.

I know what you personally want and I respect that, I just hope that you are a minority in Serbia because I want Serbia in the EU where I think its future is vastly better.

Yes, there were other countries that helped Serbia from time to time, but ONLY ONE country was always on our side and thats Russia.

You say that “masses of Europeans and Americans opposed the bombing”…Yes, but their democraticly elected governments supported it, while Russia opposed it as a country and its people as well.

Russia is our one and only friend, I ask all brothers and sisters Serbs to remember that, you know its true, its in our blood that we have our beloved mother Russia that is always there for us…It was there for our great-great-great-grandfathers and it is there for us. Without Russia we are doomed and we will lose Kosovo(officially).

Dont trust those tho bombed us… Its Bush and Obama trying to take Kosovo from us, not Medvedev and Putin!!!

They consider Kosovo as a country ONLY because of pressures from outside and because of pressures from blackmailing albanian minority. They celebrate successes of Serbia as their own (especially sports events – Serbian reporter was informed that in 2002 when Yugoslavia won world basketball gold Skopje celebrated as if Macedonia won).

About the Russians… Where are they on Kosovo, in KFOR? They could’ve helped much more about many more things. SERBIA IS TOO SMALL TO BE OF A LARGER INTEREST TO THEM.

1876-1878 – Thousands of Russians are coming to support Serbia in wars against Turkey (Dostoyevski and Tolstoy wrote about this) [Czarist Russia, over 130 years ago]

1878 – Russia helps Serbia become independent in Berlin Congress [Czarist, Russia, over 130 years ago].

1914 – Austria declares war on Serbia, the next day Russia declares war on Austria. [95 years ago. So did France, Belgium and Britain]

1944 – Russian soliders liberate Serbia [65 years ago]

1945 to 1989 – Russia undermining Yugoslavia throughout the cold war.

1999 – Russia opposes bombing [10 years ago. So did masses of Europeans and Americans].

2008 – Russia do not recognize Kosovo [Neither did 130 other countries].

2008 – Russia undermines Serbia by recognizing the unilateral independence of breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia .

2009 – Russia repeats the large scale theft of state assets belonging to the Serbian people in 1999 by forcing credit desperate Serbia to give it massive state companies for half-price. Serbian people thank the overlords for the theft……

1876-1878 – Thousands of Russians are coming to support Serbia in wars against Turkey (Dostoyevski and Tolstoy wrote about this)

1878 – Russia helps Serbia become independent in Berlin Congress

1914 – Austria declares war on Serbia, the next day Russia declares war on Austria

1944 – Russian soliders liberate Serbia

1999 – Russia opposes bombing

2008 – Russia do not recognize Kosovo

So, history proved that Serbia only has one friend and thats RUSSIA. We are not and can not be friends with those that bombed us with depleted uranium!

Russia is in our heart and we are in their heart, Medvedev and Putin will not forget about us!

We all know the Russians want a presence ion Serbia so they can project influence into the Balkans but the question is “Does that do any good to the people of Serbia?”

The short answer is “No”.

You would end up a Russian vassal state surrounded on every side by NATO and EU countries all enjoying free trade, free travel and mutual security protection.

You would be hooking yourself up to a declining power. Russia, despite its recent resurgence, is waning. Its population is collapsing. It is rapidly using up its only real strength – energy reserves – just as its biggest customer (the EU) is rapidly shrinking its dependence on Russian energy.

Stop dwelling on the past and think of the future. The only real justice Serbia will get over the bombing and Kosovo will be achieved from within the EU as a member state with full powers.

@your friendly neighbhor
Kad su nas bombardovali,i vi ste dobili svoju porciju osiromašenog uranijuma.
I još ste aplaudirali NATOu zbog toga.

STRATFOR on Russian base in Serbia:

STRATFOR Global intelligence

Serbia: Russia’s Eyes on the Balkans

SERBIAN INTERIOR MINISTER IVICA DACIC and Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu signed a deal on Wednesday to set up by 2012 a humanitarian center for emergencies in Nis, a city in southeastern Serbia. At a press conference, the ministers said the center would be a regional hub for emergency relief in southeastern Europe, and that it will include a mine-clearance center.

More… http://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical_diary/20091021_10_21_09