At its twenty-third session, held on 27 October, the European Integrations Committee discussed the State Audit Institution Bill and the Foreign Trade Bill. The session was attended by the Minister of International Economic Relations, Milan Parivodic, with his associates from the Ministry, as well as by officials of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Finance Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. The Committee discussed the two Bills without a decision-making quorum.
Presenting the State Audit Institution Bill, Finance Committee member Istvan Takacs said that opinions of foreign experts were taken into account when the Bill was drafted. Suggestions made by Canadian and Slovenian experts, based on their experiences in implementing similar legislation in their countries, proved to be the most useful ones. Mr Takacs underlined the importance of overseeing the use of public funds, both for Serbia’s legal system and for the EU accession process.
The participants agreed that the Government of the Republic of Serbia had endorsed the Bill, and that any further suggestions, particularly with regard to harmonising auditors’ status with professional qualifications obtained to date, as well as harmonising individual provisions with the Act on the Budget System, would receive backing from the Government. Special attention was paid to overseeing use of funds by the non-governmental sector.
Mr Parivodic presented the Foreign Trade Bill, and underlined that it foresaw the liberalisation of the foreign trade system, a key precondition for Serbia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation and the process of EU integration. Such a law would facilitate business for all entities interested in foreign trade, in accordance with their means; protective measures have also been foreseen, in accordance with international regulations.