Tomic informed the delegation on the scope of the Committee she heads and its tasks which involve reviewing reports submitted by competent ministries and independent state bodies, authorities and organisation. She also added that as part of its control function the Committee had set up the Subcommittee for the Consideration of Reports on Audits Conducted by the State Audit Institution. The Committee also introduced the Public Finance Supervision Portal, with the help of the UN Development Programme, and the Parliamentary Budget Office, in cooperation with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, to analyse budget proposals and laws concerning fiscal policy, said Tomic.

The rapporteurs had questions about the process of budget drafting and whether the funds for the local self-governments are proportionally allocated. They also asked about the independence of local self-governments and cooperation between local self-governments and state institutions.

Aleksandra Tomic briefed the delegation members on the Constitution, the status of local self-government units and how they are financed. She spoke about the inefficient public finance management by the local self-government units, their lacking personnel and technology and the efforts of the National Assembly, State Audit Institution, Government and the ministries to assist the local self-government units through different projects, as well as in the preparation and implementation of regulations and control of public fund management. In cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, state authorities, civil society and many other relevant institutions, the Committee had organized a number of public hearings and sittings outside of the Assembly seat, in the local self-government units, to give voice to the representatives of the local self-governments, local media and local associations and be able to identify the problems at the local level and seek possible solutions.

She also informed the delegation members about the informal parliamentary groups set up in the National Assembly such as GOPAC, Women’s Parliamentary Network, Green Parliamentary Group, Serbian Parliamentary Energy Policy Forum and the Economic Caucus, which contribute to the resolution of problems in the local self-governments.