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AN OVERVIEW OF GENERAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION IN SERBIA
two examples. The so-called “Rally for Kosovo”, to which the than governing coalition
invited all citizens to come and express their discontent with the declaration of Kosovo’s
independence ended with the demolition of downtown Belgrade, robberies and putting
foreign embassies on fire. The police did not react at all and one young man lost his life 15 .
In September 2009, a group of so-called football fans attacked and beat to death one
young man from France 16 in downtown Belgrade. This happened during the preparations
for gay pride which was forbidden, i.e. canceled one day before its date, because the police
stated that they could not guarantee participants’ safety. At that time, there were several
violent incidents directed at foreigners. The death of Brice Taton raised the question of
banning hooligan and extreme right wing groups, but this has not happened yet nor have
any efficient measures been taken to prevent their actions.
§ 11. The organizers of the gay pride tried to ensure broader political support for the next
year so that the parade planned for the autumn of 2010 took place with enormous police
security. Although the participants – around one thousand – were safe, unrests raged on
several points in the city, caused by well-organized hooligans and “patriotic” groups. On
that occasion 124 policemen got hurt and 249 hooligans were arrested. On that day and
in the days to come, the entire leadership of extreme right-wing organization “Obraz”
and members of “Naši 1389” ended up in prison. 17
§ 12. Nine years after the October 5 changes, Serbia is classified as “flawed democracy”
according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2010 Index of Democracy 18 published on
the website of British Economist magazine. For the past ten years a lot has been done,
but it is not sufficient in terms of the building of a functional economic and social system
and environment. It must be observed that enormous efforts which are being put in the
contesting of the status of Kosovo are often used as an excuse for the lack of action in
the field of institutional and economic development and for justifying some economic
political decisions. Another excuse for doing nothing is a global economic crisis.
§ 13. Gross domestic product in 2010 recorded an increase in real terms of 1.2% after the
fall that was present throughout 2009 19 . Industrial production also saw slight recovery of
2.9% in 2010 after a dramatic fall one year earlier 20 . On the other hand, the average wage
paid out in January-December 2010 was nominally up by 7.6%, i.e. 0.7% in real terms
year-to-year. On the list of the most corrupt economies of the World Economic Forum,
Serbia ranked 96 th in 2010 21 (93 rd in 2009).
15
http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2008&mm=02&dd=22&nav_category=640&nav_id=285912
16
http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2009&mm=09&dd=17&nav_category=16&nav_id=382022
17
Human Rights in Serbia 2010 – Legal Provisions and Practice Compared to International Human Rights Standards, Belgrade Center for Human Rights,
Belgrade, 2011.
18
Democracy Index 2010: Democracy in retreat, A Report by Economist Intelligence Unit. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2010.
19
Statistical Office of Serbia.
20
At an expert meeting in May 2011, Stojan Stamenković said that the Statistical Office of Serbia significantly corrected downwards GDP growth
rates for 2007, 2008 and 2009 compared to those presented in public. http://rs.seebiz.eu/skandalozna-greska-statisticara-pad-bdp-a-62-
umesto-31/ar-2812/
21
World Economic Forum, Global Competitiveness Report http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2010-11.pdf
HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA - Report for the period 2000-2010 17