Delta vice president resigns from Serbia promotion council

Milka Forcan has officially resigned from the Council for Promotion of Serbia Thursday. Forcan, Delta Holding vice-president, submitted her resignation to Trade and Services Minister Predrag Bubalo (DSS). Delta vice president resigns from Serbia promotion council She cited a negative campaign led by some media and individuals to discredit her company as the reason behind her decision. "The best I can do for the Council to perform well at this time is to ask you to appoint another person as its chair," Forcan said. She also expressed her readiness to respect the Conflict of Interest Committee findings published earlier today, but added they contained "many illogical points". The Committee reacted to proposed changes at the Council for Promotion of Serbia. In a statement, the Committee said its powers would be curtailed as a result. The Committee said that, by amending the decision concerning the Council’s formation, the institution’s powers would be changed, as the Council would become an advisory body, and not a government body. They added that evaluation of potential clashes of interest would now be made by the body that appoints its members, namely the government. “These changes mean that the Council can no longer be considered a government body, but an advisory body, and that consequently the Law on Preventing Conflicts of Interest no longer applies to people appointed to such bodies, as they were not appointed within a body of the Republic,“ said the Committee in a statement. However, the Committee said that one had to be mindful of the principles of not giving priority to private interests above public, and preventing the existence of a dependency relationship. The Committee voiced its opinion, formulated three days ago, on the proposed amendments to the decision on the Council’s formation, at the request of the Trade and Services Ministry. The statement adds that the proposals envisage changes to Council members’ mandates, earlier limited to four years, but now to be without a time limit, given that the Council’s existence depends on the efficacy of its work. Predrag Bubalo had earlier proposed amendments to the Council’s powers to avoid any mention of a conflict of interests among its members, above all Delta Vice-President Milka Forcan. NIN journalist Ruza Curkovic said that she did not know exactly what Bubalo had meant, but that he would probably change something within the Council’s status. “I’m guessing now, but it means that Bubalo is preparing to sidestep the law regulating conflicts of interest, which is, I think, one of the things Serbian politicians are renowned for, and is also, more or less, one of the reasons they have a bad reputation, precisely one of the things we would like to change,“ she said. Curkovic feels that that council is being lent too much importance, and that in order to create a brand, it is necessary to hire operatives in semi-confidential operations, and that by publicly revealing the identities of Council members, their job was rendered “virtually mission impossible.“ Bubalo said yesterday that the changes proposed at today’s government session would solve the problem. However, he added that "Milka Forcan would remain at the Council’s head," despite the fact that the Committee had earlier pointed to her position as Delta Vice-President as potentially leading to a conflict of interests. Delta Holding is Serbia's largest private company, often accused of having a monopoly position in the domestic retail market. Its lawyers recently filed a criminal complaint against the chairwoman of an anti-corruption body, Verica Barac, for alleged abuse of position. Barac is a vocal critic of the company's policy concerning competition and its share in the market. Miroslav Miskovic, Delta CEO, left, and his deputy Forcan, right (FoNet, archive)

Delta vice president resigns from Serbia promotion council

She cited a negative campaign led by some media and individuals to discredit her company as the reason behind her decision.

"The best I can do for the Council to perform well at this time is to ask you to appoint another person as its chair," Forcan said.

She also expressed her readiness to respect the Conflict of Interest Committee findings published earlier today, but added they contained "many illogical points".

The Committee reacted to proposed changes at the Council for Promotion of Serbia.

In a statement, the Committee said its powers would be curtailed as a result.

The Committee said that, by amending the decision concerning the Council’s formation, the institution’s powers would be changed, as the Council would become an advisory body, and not a government body.

They added that evaluation of potential clashes of interest would now be made by the body that appoints its members, namely the government.

“These changes mean that the Council can no longer be considered a government body, but an advisory body, and that consequently the Law on Preventing Conflicts of Interest no longer applies to people appointed to such bodies, as they were not appointed within a body of the Republic,“ said the Committee in a statement.

However, the Committee said that one had to be mindful of the principles of not giving priority to private interests above public, and preventing the existence of a dependency relationship.

The Committee voiced its opinion, formulated three days ago, on the proposed amendments to the decision on the Council’s formation, at the request of the Trade and Services Ministry.

The statement adds that the proposals envisage changes to Council members’ mandates, earlier limited to four years, but now to be without a time limit, given that the Council’s existence depends on the efficacy of its work.

Predrag Bubalo had earlier proposed amendments to the Council’s powers to avoid any mention of a conflict of interests among its members, above all Delta Vice-President Milka Forcan.

NIN journalist Ruža Ćurković said that she did not know exactly what Bubalo had meant, but that he would probably change something within the Council’s status.

“I’m guessing now, but it means that Bubalo is preparing to sidestep the law regulating conflicts of interest, which is, I think, one of the things Serbian politicians are renowned for, and is also, more or less, one of the reasons they have a bad reputation, precisely one of the things we would like to change,“ she said.

Ćurković feels that that council is being lent too much importance, and that in order to create a brand, it is necessary to hire operatives in semi-confidential operations, and that by publicly revealing the identities of Council members, their job was rendered “virtually mission impossible.“

Bubalo said yesterday that the changes proposed at today’s government session would solve the problem.

However, he added that "Milka Forcan would remain at the Council’s head," despite the fact that the Committee had earlier pointed to her position as Delta Vice-President as potentially leading to a conflict of interests.

Delta Holding is Serbia's largest private company, often accused of having a monopoly position in the domestic retail market.

Its lawyers recently filed a criminal complaint against the chairwoman of an anti-corruption body, Verica Barać, for alleged abuse of position. Barać is a vocal critic of the company's policy concerning competition and its share in the market.