National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia / Activities / Activity details

21 November 2024 The participants of the meeting
Thursday, 21 November 2024
Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee Members Meet with Czech Delegation
The Chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee Marijan Risticevic, and the members of the Committee, met in the National Assembly with the Czech delegation, headed by the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Michal Kucera.
Marijan Risticevic stressed that the Czech Republic is an important country for Serbia, with which it has had traditionally had good relations.
He said that, in terms of agricultural policy, the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee advocates for the restoration of Serbia's food sovereignty and the food security of our country. He said that, for the Committee, its control function and supervision over the work of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management is very important.
Risticevic pointed out that the government's incentives for agriculture are increasing, and while 165 million euros were allocated for it in 2012, in the 2025 budget proposal, which the National Assembly should discuss at the next session, on Monday, the amount of money proposed for incentives is seven times higher - one billion and 250 million euros.
Risticevic said that the method of redistribution of these funds is also important and incentives should be used to balance out the needs, which is still not the case. He expressed the view that incentives should be specialized for smaller farms, for certain types of production, which then ensures their income security. He opined that there can be no effects if agricultural production is subsidized, while we lack 1.5 million pigs and over 200 thousand cattle.
The Chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee pointed out that the Government, under the pressure of farmers' protests, makes decisions that are not in the interest of agricultural development.
The Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, Michal Kucera, agreed that Serbia and the Czech Republic have traditionally good relations and emphasised that he supports all forms of future cooperation in the field of agriculture. He said that the Czech Republic can provide support it terms of experience in animal husbandry, as well as in the export of cattle to Serbia, as it is among the largest exporters of cattle in the European Union.
Kucera assessed that there is room for closer cooperation in the import of fruit, vegetables and wine from Serbia. He also said that the two countries’ veterinary authorities have long-standing good relations, especially in issuing certificates for the export of animals.
The meeting was also attended by Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee members Ivana Stamatovic, Jozsef Tobias and Slobodan Nikolic, as well as member of the Czech Senate Josef Bazala, member of the Committee on Agriculture in the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament Josef Kott and Deputy Ambassador of the Czech Republic Petr Smejkal.
The officials exchanged opinions and experiences on attracting young people to stay in rural communities and engage in agriculture, since leaving the village and going to the cities is a common trend in both Serbia and the Czech Republic, as well as in other EU countries. They opined that scientific cooperation and exchange of students from the two countries’ agricultural faculties would be extremely useful.
Marijan Risticevic said that the support of the Czech Republic in liberalising the rules for EU IPARD funds would be tremendous.