In the meeting with the National Assembly delegation comprising the members of three assembly committees – on education, science and technological development and culture and information, headed by Education Committee Chairman Prof. Dr Zoran Sami, the Czech parliamentarians exchanged opinions on the conditions in the sphere of education and science in Serbia and the Czech Republic.
The Czech Senate Committee Chairman said that the education system in the Czech Republic was currently under reform and the funds for the field had been cut as part of the savings measures. Education Committee Chairman Zoran Sami said the Serbia needs a reform of higher education institutions so as to raise the quality of educational and scientific efforts particularly at the private universities and enable as many young people as possible to study at university.

Milan Zivanovic, Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technological Development emphasised the importance of Serbia’s Science and Technological Development Strategy from 2009 to 2014 for the development of these areas and listed the measures implemented to cut the brain-drain of young scientists. Pavel Marcok, President of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with the Czech Republic briefed the guests on the priorities listed in the strategy.

Delegation member Olena Papuga briefed the Czech parliamentarians on Serbia’s good practice in education in ethnic minority languages, and Gorica Mojovic reminded that the two countries share the closest relations in the sphere of culture, and the art of filmmaking in particular. She declared the cooperation between towns and municipalities, and especially capital cities, very useful and initiated the events of Belgrade Days in Prague and Prague Days in Belgrade.

Culture and Information Committee member Nenad Prokic drew attention to the crisis in Serbia’s education system and the fact that the high cost of education prevents young people from continuing their education.

The members of the two delegations agreed that the two countries’ parliaments should cooperate more closely as that opens up possibilities for cooperation in all other spheres.

The Czech Senate Delegation also met with the members of three National Assembly committees – on inter-ethnic relations, petitions and proposals and gender equality, headed by Inter-Ethnic Relations Committee Chairman Miletic Mihajlovic.

Mihajlovic greeted the Czech parliamentarians on the behalf of the deputies, saying that meetings such as this one can contribute to better understanding and exchange of opinions on issues of interest for both parliaments. He briefed the guests on the scope of work of the Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations and reminded that Serbia boasts 20 ethnic minorities and has in the past few years adopted several very important laws regulating the issues relating to their rights. He also stressed that the National Assembly has a Minorities Parliamentary Group.

Sasa Dujovic, Chairman of the Committee on Petitions and Proposals, informed the Czech parliamentarians on the scope of work of the Committee which receives about 1000 petitions a year. He stressed that the Committee is apolitical because the citizen and his/her need to have an issue resolved come first.

Gender Equality Committee Deputy Chairperson Bojana Stanojevic spoke about the adopted laws from the sphere of gender equality, emphasising the importance of the parliament’s control role which should focus more on the implementation of the laws passed in this sphere.

The deputies were most interested in the electoral system in the Czech Republic, and the guests briefed their counterparts in detail on their experiences in the election of representatives for the Upper and Lower House. The Czech electoral model, as well as all other European experiences, would be taken into consideration in the future amendments to the electoral system in Serbia, it was said.

Deputies Dusanka Plecevic, Viorel Zura, Olena Papuga and Branka Ljiljak took part in the meetings.