The Committee members accepted the proposal of Committee Chairman Veroljub Arsic to add one more item on the agenda: organising a public hearing on the “Presentation of the Republic of Serbia 2024 Budget Bill and the Bill on the Republic of Serbia 2022 Budget Final Financial Statement”.

For the sitting, the Committee members adopted the following agenda: 1. presentation of audit reports of public funds beneficiaries - Municipality of Majdanpek: Regularity Audit Report of the Municipality of Majdanpek in the part related to public procurement for 2019 and 2020 and grants to non-governmental organisations for 2020, for direct budget fund beneficiaries, Business Expediency Audit Report - "Management of National Parks in the Republic of Serbia" for 2021 and Audit Report on the 2018 Financial Statement of the Public Utility Company for the Production and Distribution of Thermal Energy "Majdanpek", Majdanpek; 2. consideration of the Consolidated Regularity and Business Expediency Audit Reports - "Regularity and efficiency of public procurement procedures in student standard institutions", 3. review of the Report of the Subcommittee for the Consideration of Reports on Audits Conducted by the State Audit Institution on 2022 sector report for Sector 3 by the State Audit Institution and recommendation for changes to applicable laws based on information obtained during the audit process, 4. review of the Report of the Subcommittee for the Consideration of Reports on Audits Conducted by the State Audit Institution on 2022 sector report for Sector 4 by the State Audit Institution and recommendation for changes to applicable laws based on information obtained during the audit process and 5. organising a public hearing on the “Presentation of the Republic of Serbia 2024 Budget Bill and the Bill on the Republic of Serbia 2022 Budget Final Financial Statement”.

At the proposal of the Committee Chairman, the Committee members decided to complete a joint single debate on items 3 and 4 on the agenda.

At the beginning of the sitting, Committee members were welcomed by the President of the Municipality of Majdanpek, Dragan Popovic.

The Committee members were then presented the audit reports of public funds beneficiaries - Municipality of Majdanpek: Regularity Audit Report of the Municipality of Majdanpek in the part related to public procurement for 2019 and 2020 and grants to non-governmental organisations for 2020, for direct budget fund beneficiaries, Business Expediency Audit Report - "Management of National Parks in the Republic of Serbia" for 2021 and Audit Report on the 2018 Financial Statement of the Public Utility Company for the Production and Distribution of Thermal Energy "Majdanpek", Majdanpek, by President of the Council of the State Audit Institution (DRI) and State Auditor-General Dr Dusko Pejovic.

The Committee went on to discuss the Consolidated Regularity and Business Expediency Audit Reports - "Regularity and efficiency of public procurement procedures in student standard institutions", presented by state auditor Mira Otovic.

The committee will continue the sitting on Tuesday, 17 October 2023, with a joint single debate on items 3 and 4 and a discussion on item 5 of the agenda.

The sitting was attended by members of Majdanpek Municipal Administration, State Audit Institution and representatives of UNDP.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Veroljub Arsic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Ana Beloica Martac, Miroslav Kondic, MA Svetlana Milijic, Nikola Radosavljevic, Tijana Davidovac, Zoran Stojanovic, Dr Nenad Mitrovic, Vojislav Vujic, Dragan M. Markovic and Rozalia Okresz.

The second day of the Committee sitting, 17 October 2023, began with the third sitting of the Subcommittee for the Consideration of Reports on Audits Conducted by the State Audit Institution, chaired by Rozalia Okresz. The Subcommittee reviewed the State Audit Institution 2022 sector reports for Sector 3 and Sector 4, presented by state auditors Zeljko Motic and Dragan Golubovic. As the Subcommittee lacked a decision-making quorum the sitting was held in line with Article 72 of the National Assembly Rules of Procedure, while the ruling on the reviewed reports will be done by the Committee.

Following the Subcommittee sitting, the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending continued its own witting with a joint single debate on items 3 and 4 on the agenda. As the sitting of the Subcommittee for the Consideration of Reports on Audits Conducted by the State Audit Institution lacked a decision-making quorum, in line with Article 80 of the National Assembly Rules of Procedure, the Committee unanimously accepted the 2022 sector report for Sector 3 by the State Audit Institution and recommendation for changes to applicable laws based on information obtained during the audit process and the 2022 sector report for Sector 4 by the State Audit Institution and recommendation for changes to applicable laws based on information obtained during the audit process.

In line with Article 84 of the National Assembly Rules of Procedure, the Committee members unanimously passed the Decision to organise a public hearing on the “Presentation of the Republic of Serbia 2024 Budget Bill and the Bill on the Republic of Serbia 2022 Budget Final Financial Statement”, on Friday, 20 October 2023, in the Small Hall of the National Assembly House, starting at noon. To the public hearing, the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending invited the heads of the parliamentary groups, committee chairpersons, representatives of the Government and competent ministries, National Bank of Serbia, Fiscal Council, as well as other institutions and organisations, and representatives of the expert public and civil society.

The continuation of the sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Veroljub Arsic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members Miroslav Kondic, MA Svetlana Milijic, Zoran Stojanovic, Dr Nenad Mitrovic, Dejan Manic, Dragan M. Markovic, Rozalia Okresz and Tijana Davidovac.

The Committee sitting outside of the National Assembly seat was supported by project “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy and Inclusive Political Dialogue”, conducted by UNDP with the support of Switzerland.