Šefu Delegacije Evropske unije u Srbiji, gospodinu Vensanu Dežeru,
Specijalnom izaslaniku Evropskog parlamenta za Balkan, gospodinu Jelku Kacinu,
Poslanicima Evropskog parlamenta
Poštovana gospodo,
Zrenjaninska fabrika lekova „Jugoremedija“, i fabrika za proizvodnju penicilina „Penpharm“, koju „Jugoremedija“ gradi zajedno sa grupom svojih radnika-akcionara, već godinu ipo dana su pod snažnim pritiskom političkih struktura, finansijskih moćnika i medija u Srbiji. Iako je Evropska unija u junu ove godine naložila Srbiji da preispita 24 sporne privatizacije, među kojima je i nezakonita prodaja akcija „Jugoremedije“ 2002. godine, vlasti u Srbiji užurbano preduzimaju korake potpuno suprotne zahtevima Brisela.
Radnici i mali akcionari „Jugoremedije“ su upornom višegodišnjom borbom 2007. godine uspeli da pred sudovima u Srbiji dokažu da su država i privatni investitor Jovica Stefanović prekršili zakone o privatizaciji i ugovor o kupoprodaji 42% akcija „Jugoremedije“. Rezultat ove borba bio je raskid ugovora između države i Stefanovića, nakon čega su mali akcionari preuzeli upravu nad fabrikom. Međutim, država do danas nije ništa preduzela da ispravi greške napravljene u privatizaciji „Jugoremedije“. Nisu pokrenuti krivični postupci ni protiv Stefanovića, ni protiv odgovornih lica u državnim organima nadležnim za privatizaciju, a otklanjanje štete nanete fabrici spalo je isključivo na radnike i male akcionare. Nova uprava je od nezakonite privatizacije nasledila gubitke i dugove u ukupnom iznosu od preko 30 miliona evra. Bez ikakve podrške države, koja je sa 42% kapitala suvlasnik i najveći pojedinačni akcionar „Jugoremedije“, fabrika je uz velike napore radnika-akcionara pokrila nasleđene gubitke, vratila dugove i investirala 11 miliona evra u modernizaciju proizvodnih pogona radi njihovog usklađivanja sa evropskim standardima Dobre proizvođačke prakse. Krajem prošle godine, „Jugoremedija“ je zajedno sa grupom svojih radnika-akcionara ušla u zajedničku izgradnju fabrike penicilinskih preparata „Penpharm“.
Vlast, finansijski moćnici i mediji koji su pod njihovom kontrolom izbegavaju da govore o greškama u privatizaciji u Srbiji. Kada se ove teme i otvore u javnosti, to se čini na način koji građanima sugeriše da je pljačkaška mašinerija svemoćna, i da je borba za zakonitost uzaludna. Posledice ovakve propagande vidljive su u relevantnim istraživanjima – istovremeno dok, prema nalazima Transparency International, indeks percepcije korupcije u Srbiji iz godine u godinu raste, istraživanje koje je nedavno realizovala Ambasada Holandije u Beogradu govori da je prijavljivanje korupcije u Srbiji od 2004. godine u konstantnom padu.
Rezultati višegodišnjih napora radnika-akcionara „Jugoremedije“ govore sasvim suprotno od onoga što propagiraju politička vlast, finansijski oligarsi i kontrolisani mediji. Zbog toga se na „Jugoremediju“ već godinu ipo dana vrši konstantan pritisak. Policija sprovodi istragu o navodnim zloupotrebama, koja još uvek nije dovela nidokakvih rezultata, ali publicitet koji prati ovu istragu stvara uverenje da se u fabrici dešava „nešto nezakonito“. Glasine i konstantni policijski pritisci dovode do toga da partneri i poslovne banke odustaju od saradnje sa „Jugoremedijom“, delom zbog sumnji izazvanih policijskom i medijskom hajkom, a delom i zbog straha da bi i sami mogli postati predmet hajke.
Jasno je da vlast nastoji da potpuno izoluje „Jugoremediju“, da bi je potom uništila.
Vlasti u Srbiji ne samo da ignorišu nalog Evropske unije da se utvrdi istina o 24 sporna slučaja privatizacije, među kojima je i „Jugoremedija“, već zloupotrebom policije i medija nastoje da unište i one primere koji ukazuju da se istina može utvrditi, i da se greške mogu ispraviti. Pritom, tužilaštvo odbija zahteve da javnosti stavi na uvid pismo Evropske unije, pod izgovorom da bi objavljivanje ovog dokumenta ugrozilo istragu, a novinari velikih medija dobijaju dojave „iz neimenovanih izvora bliskih Vladi“ da pismo EU zapravo i ne postoji.
Zato apelujemo na Vas da preduzmete sve što je u Vašoj moći da se sprovede nalog Evropske unije dat vlastima u Srbiji za preispitivanje 24 sporna slučaja privatizacije, i da se zaštite rezultati postignuti u „Jugoremediji“. Ukoliko „Jugoremedija“ i „Penpharma“ nestanu, nestaće jedan od retkih primera koji građanima Srbije i dalje ulivaju nadu da borba za poštovanje zakona ima smisla, i da se napravljene greške mogu ispraviti.
S poštovanjem,
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In order to support the Jugoremedija workers’ struggle, please sign this e-mail below and send it to the following 5 addresses:
delegation-serbia@eeas.europa.eu,
president@europarl.europa.eu,
jelko.kacin@europarl.europa.eu,
info@pokret.net,
pismo@freedomfight.net
Protect the Law – Save Jugoremedija
To the head of EU Delegation to Serbia, mister Vincent Degert,
To the European Parliament Special Envoy for the Balkans, mister Jelko Kacin,
To the deputies of the European Parliament,
Dear sirs,
For almost a year and a half, Jugoremedija, pharmaceutical factory from Zrenjanin, and Penpharm, penicillin production plant – which has been being built by „Jugoremedija“ and a group of its worker-shareholders – have been under severe pressure from political structures, financial magnates, and Serbian media. Although in June this year EU ordered Serbia to investigate 24 contestable privatizations, among which was the illegal sale of Jugoremedija’s shares in 2002, Serbian authorities waste no time in taking steps directly opposite to the Brussels’ demands.
In 2007 Jugoremedija’s workers and small shareholders succeeded, after a persistent, several years long struggle, to prove before Serbian courts that both the state and private investor Jovica Stefanović broke privatization laws and violated the sales contract concerning 42% of Jugoremedija’s shares. The result of this struggle was the eventual breaking of the contract between the state and Stefanović, after which small shareholders took over the administration of the factory. However, till this very day the state hasn’t done anything to correct the errors made during the privatization of Jugoremedija. There’s been no criminal proceedings instituted against Stefanović, or against any responsible official from state institutions in charge of privatization. Workers and small shareholders have been left on their own to compensate for the damage caused to their factory. From the illegal privatization new management has inherited debts and losses in total amount of more than 30 million euros. With no support from the state – which now holds 42% of the share capital and is the effective co-owner and the biggest individual shareholder of Jugoremedija – the factory has nevertheless managed, with great efforts of its workers-shareholders, to cover its losses, repay its debts, and invest 11 million euros in modernization of manufacturing plants so they’d be in compliance with European Good Manufacture Practices (GMP) standards. Finally, at the end of last year, Jugoremedija together with a group of its worker-shareholders started construction of Penpharm, a factory producing penicillin preparations.
Authorities, financial magnates, and media under their control avoid discussion about errors in Serbian privatization. When in spite of that these issues happen to come up in public, they are handled in a way that suggests to citizens that theft machinery is all-powerful, and that fighting for legality is futile and useless. The consequences of that propaganda can be seen in relevant studies – at the same time when, according to findings of Transparency International, index of corruption perception in Serbia rises from year to year, a study recently conducted by Holland Embassy in Belgrade shows that since 2004 corruption reports in Serbia are in constant decline.
The results of many-yeared efforts of Jugoremedija’s worker-shareholders testify to quite the opposite from what the political elites, financial oligarhs and controlled media want to convince us of. That’s why Jugoremedija’s been constantly pressured for about a year and a half now. Police is conducting investigation into some alleged abuses, still without any result, but with enough accompanying publicity to create the impression that „something illegal“ is going on in the factory. The rumors and constant police pressure are forcing partners and commercial banks to eventually give up all cooperation with Jugoremedija, partly because of suspicions induced by police and media persecution, and partly because they fear they might become object of such persecution themselves.
It’s clear that the authorities are attempting to completely isolate Jugoremedija so they could easily destroy it later.
Not only are Serbian authorities ignoring EU demand to establish the truth about 24 contestable privatization cases – including Jugoremedija – but they also strive, by abusing police and media power, to abolish those very examples which prove that truth can be established, and errors rectified. Furthermore, the state Prosecutor’s Office refuses requests to make EU letter public, hiding behind the claim that releasing the document could endanger the whole investigation – while journalists of big newspapers get tips „from unnamed sources close to the government“ that this EU letter doesn’t even exist.
Therefore we appeal to you to take every measure possible and by every means in your power to force Serbian authorities to fulfill EU demand for investigating 24 contestable cases of privatization – in order to help us protect the results acheived in Jugoremedija. For if Jugoremedija and Penpharm disappear, that would be the disappearance of one of the rarest things for Serbian people – hope that struggle for the rule of law may still have meaning, and that wrongs can still be righted.
Respectfully yours,