Monday, 5 March 2018

33rd Sitting of the European Integration Committee

At the sitting held on 5 March 2018, the European Integration Committee considered, in principle, a number of bills proposed for the agenda of the First Sitting of the First Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2018.


The Bill on Foreigners, Bill on Asylum and Temporary Protection, Bill on Border Control, Bill on Records and Data Processing in the Field of Internal Affairs, Bill on National DNA Registry, and the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Road Traffic Safety were presented by representatives of the submitter, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Milica Catic and associates.

The Bill on Foreigners should remedy the problems noted in the existing Law passed in 2008. It adjusts the subject matter to EU standards, especially as regards legal and irregular migration, said Milica Catic.
Zora Vulic of the Ministry of the Interior Foreigners Department said that the Bill is harmonized with a number of EU directives incorporated into the national legislation and adjusted to additional European directives. Among the new provisions is the refusal of entry – the foreigner will no longer be denied entry into the country by a statement, but will be served a written document that their entry is denied, and there is also a series of rights concerning visas, certificates of return, new types of stay and introduction of the Security Information Agency into the process of reviewing visa, stay or residence submissions, said Vulic.

The Bill on Asylum and Temporary Protection was presented by Emilija Joksic, Head of the Asylum Office, who said that the existing Law was passed in 2007 and the present Bill is harmonized with a number of EU directives and that the harmonization is just phase one while phase two is to follow two years before Serbia’s EU accession and concerns harmonization with the Dublin Regulation. The Bill provides a clear definition of certain terms, improves the efficiency of the asylum procedure, eliminates the legal loopholes that allow for abuse of the asylum procedure, defines the interview procedure of asylum-seekers and defines the rights and duties of asylum-seekers and persons who had been granted asylum.

The Bill on Border Control was presented by Zoran Vaskovic, assistant head of the Border Police Department, who said that the existing Law is to a great degree harmonized with EU directives however directive 399 passed in 2016 and the action plan for Chapter 24 require additional harmonization. The Bill introduces border surveillance and security, border checks and risk analyses. Vaskovic said that the Bill introduces two lines of control, management of border crossings and regulates border crossings by minors.

State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Milica Catic said that most of the Bill on Records and Data Processing in the Field of Internal Affairs concerns the Ministry’s records containing personal data. The Bill should provide personal data protection for the purpose of exercising the right to privacy and other rights and freedoms.

The Bill on National DNA Registry was presented by Marko Milivojevic, Head of the Forensic Centre of the Criminal Police Directorate. He said that the Bill stipulates the establishment of a DNA database to be used in criminal investigations, trials, establishment of the identity of missing persons, etc. It is harmonized with the Criminal Procedure Code and the Law on Police and will help in the identification of offenders and others alike.

Vladan Nikolic, assistant head of the Traffic Police, presented the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Road Traffic Safety which he said was adjusted to five EU directives and one decision. The Bill also contains measures aimed to ensure the safety of human lives and provide legal security in order to raise public awareness and influence the behaviour of drivers on Serbian roads.

Following a debate the Committee members accepted all the bills in principle.

The Committee members also considered a proposal to have public hearing on the working draft of the amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia put forward by Natasa Vuckovic and Gordana Comic. The Committee members discussed the proposal and decided not to accept it.

The Committee went on to appoint Mladen Grujic and Dragan Sormaz to attend the Conference “Use of IPARD Funds” organized with the help of the European Parliament at the National Assembly on 13 April 2018.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Nenad Canak, and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Olivera Pesic, Dubravka Filipovski, Haji Milorad Stosic, Dusica Stojkovic, Gordana Comic, Krsto Janjusevic, MA Aleksandra Jerkov, Zvonimir Djokic, Mladen Grujic, Natasa Vuckovic, Vesna Markovic, Aleksandar Stevanovic, Dragan Sormaz, Dr Muamer Bacevac and Milimir Vujadinovic.


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