Under the slogan “Books Connecting Europe,” European Union Delegation to Serbia and EU Info Centre take part in Belgrade International Book Fair 25 October-1 November. It is the fourth consecutive year the EU Delegation to Serbia took part in Book Fair, presenting selected EU publications, its history, the way it works and EU-Serbia relations.
This year, the slogan that will mark EU stand and series of its activities in Hall 4, Books Connecting Europe, draws particular attention to European Literature Prize. Our special guest is Edina Szvoren, Hungarian author, one of the 12 laureates of the Prize in 2015. Edina will attend opening ceremony at the EU stand on Monday, 26 October, at 11:30.
At the opening ceremony, visitors will be addressed by Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Ambassador Michael Davenport, Minister without portfolio in charge of European integration Jadranka Joksimovic, Head of Serbian EU Accession Negotiating Team Tanja Miscevic and Director of National Library of Serbia Laslo Blaskovic. Edina Szvoren’s awarded book, There Is None, Nor Let There Be, will be presented the same day in the afternoon, along the debate about the ways in which literature contributed to connecting nations and spreading of European values. Also, participating in the debate are Serbian authors, members of the EU Literature Prize Jury – Vladislava Gordic Petkovic and Mihajlo Pantic.
Within EU’s fourth Belgrade Book Fair “edition” Tuesday is reserved for youth. Visitor will be able to attend the presentation of Erasmus+ Programme, activities and publications of partner organisations (Serbian European Integration Office, Belgrade Open School and European Movement in Serbia). Second amended edition of the brochure, “Negotiating Chapters – 35 Steps to European Union,” published jointly by EU Info Centre and Negotiating Team of the Republic of Serbia for membership negotiations with the EU, will be scrutinised in the debate.
Round Table “Citizens’ Perception of European Union” and presentation of EU assistance for flood relief in Serbia, with participation from Head of Office for Reconstruction and Flood Relief Marko Blagojević i EU Delegation Programme Manager Maja Vucković Krcmar, will take place Wednesday, which is entirely reserved for the topic of EU Support to Serbia. Journalists will attend presentation of selected EU-funded projects, as well as interactive project map comprising nearly 600 EU-supported projects. On Thursday, the award-winning children’s author Uros Petrovic discusses “My First Book” with students from Nis and Obrenovac. Also, the students will attend the presentation of mobile app “Europe to Go” and magazine for promotion of science “Elementi.”
On Friday, librarians from cities across Central Serbia will attend seminar “Libraries as Sources of Quality Information about European Union”. Round table “How to Get Faster and Closer to Information about the EU“, scheduled for Saturday, 31 October, aims at experience exchange among partners dealing with communication, European integration and the EU. TweetUp and debate “Paper vs Screen” should start a discussion about the extent to which e-book is used in Serbia, its advantages and disadvantages, with participants surrounded by classic, paper books and publications.
Throughout the Fair, visitors will have an opportunity familiarise themselves with EU Info Centre Library, web portal EU Bookshop, offering electronic and free hard copy publication about the EU, its institutions and policies, as well as portal Europeana, which is dedicated to European cultural and scientific heritage. Interactive panels will also be displayed, through which the visitors will have a chance at test their knowledge about the EU and find out more about EU-supported project in Serbia. EU publications, available through Digital National Library of Serbia, will also be offered to any visitor, from 25 October-1 November at the EU stand within Hall 4 of Belgrade Fair.
All activities – presentation of publications, discussion with authors and debates – will be twitted under the hash-tag #EUSrBook, and covered on web-sites of EU Delegation (www.europa.rs) i EU Info Centre (www.euinfo.rs).
