The Committee on Defence and Security held its twenty-fourth sitting on 16 June. The sitting was convened and opened by the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Markovic; the sitting proper was chaired by deputy Djordje Mamula.

The Minister of the Interior, Dragan Jocic, took part in the sitting. He presented the Activity Report of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia for the period December 2005 – May 2006. Mr Jocic informed the Committee of activities taken by the Ministry to ensure full security for Serbia’s citizens and their property, as well as the Ministry’s measures against corruption, terrorism, and organised crime, and on suppressing drug and human trafficking. Special attention was paid to the National Integrated Frontier Administration System and reforms at the Ministry designed to rationalise staffing and improve personnel training. Mr Jocic emphasised that great progress had been made in relations between foreign bodies and the Ministry, which, in his words, ‘has become a desirable partner’.

The Committee went on to discuss and endorse, in principle, the Identity Card Bill. Fourteen amendments submitted to the bill were not endorsed, while the Committee drafted another five amendments to be submitted to the National Assembly for discussion.