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June 13th, 2006 Invalids and
European union
 A
publication „EU and persons with disabilities“ of the author Vladimir
Pesic, adviser in Social Affairs Department of the People`s Office of
the Presiddent of the Republic, was promoted in Belgrade. Speaking about
the book the director of the People`s Office, Dragan Djilas, said that
it was necessary to change consciousness of people and the relation of
the state towards invalid persons .“ People`s Office is trying. by its
own exemple. to influence existing relation towards that category of
citizens to change, for we have employed people with different degree of
disability or we have helped them to get emoloyement in other
institutions“ - said Djilas. According to the statement of Gordana
Matkovic from the Center for liberal-democratic studies in Serbia there
are no data about the number of persons with disabilities, about the
degree of their education and employment, what makes their problem
hardly solvable. At the presentation of the book „European Union and
persons with disabilities“ in Tanjug International Press Center ,
Matkovic pointed that remarkable things had been done in resolving
problems of invalids, since 2000, but that it still remained the
field where „the least things had been arranged“. „In Serbia still does
not exist adequate cooperation at local and national level about
integral social security of that category of people“ - concluded Gordana
Matkovic.
 Considering
the fact that strategic aim of Serbia is to join EU, it is necessary to
overpass certain obstacles that could be described as political and
systematic,thinks Zoran Lutovac from Fridrih Ebart fondation, which is
,together with People`s Office, publisher of the book „EU and persons
with disabilities“. According to his opinion, position of the persons
with disabilities in Serbia, is not at an enviable level still, because
there are many fields of social life where these people are not included
enough. Questions of barriers,employment, education , are just some of
the spheres of social life where it`s necessary to make a significant
step ahead – said Lutovac. Darko Ivic, from the Council helping disabled
persons from Vracar municipality, said that after he had read the
publication he was depresive when he realised how far had Europe gone
comparing to our country. He pointed that councils should be formed in
schools where young people invalids, finishing education, could be
advised on which vocation to pay attention.
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In new Law of discrimination of disabled persons is written that if
public institutions are not attainable to invalid persons they can bring
charges against the institution, and the fine is from 50 000,00 to 500
000.00 dinars. „ In regard to it I realise that I could be a millioner
if I start writing complaints“- said Ivic. In Serbia 10% of population
make persons with disabilities. At the same time they make 20% of poor
inhabitants of our country.
September 29th, 2005
Book Promotion “Dialogue with Serbia”
 The
book “Dialogue with Serbia” by Stjepan Gredelj is written on the
basis of the letters that People’s Office of the President of the
Republic received during last year.
According to the author, enormous number of letters, more than 12000, is
catastrophic for local society and country, because it demonstrates a
huge and increasing non-confidence in already existing institutions of
the system. The citizens are convinced, said Gredelj, that the
institutions are ineffective, inert, bureaucratic, arrogant and usually
incapable and unwilling to solve the “common” everyday problems of the
“common” people.
Another conclusion, although it seems a bit optimistic at first sight,
is that “citizens appeal to the one (and only) institution that they
still believe in!”, just strengthens the first impression. If the
President of a country (with objectively limited authority) is the last
straw to grasp at for solving all kinds of problems (sometimes with
unrealistic expectations), what kind of country is that? - says Gredelj.
Poverty, injustice, unemployment, illness, hunger, debt, broken home-
all of that is joined in an insoluble syndrome and “Dialogue with
Serbia” is like a “social history of the present times”.
In the name of the publisher “Media Center”, Nebojsa Spaic said that,
among other things, this book is an immense list of topics for
journalists because every single case (destiny) from cover to cover has
a potential of a first-class story. Director of People’s Office Dragan
Djilas explained that the idea for the book “Dialogue with Serbia”
arose from the need to realize what we are, in order to draw a
conclusion about the way we would like to be.
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