The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, set Thursday, 23 April 2009, starting at 10 a.m., as Day to respond to deputies’ questions regarding the current issues: “Economic policy (new taxes, cut in local self-government financing volume etc.) to be pursued by the Government of the Republic of Serbia at the request of the International Monetary Fund under the agreement on new loan arrangement to last until April 2011”, proposed by the Forward Serbia Deputy Group and “Legality of the dissolution of the Municipal Assembly of Zemun and creation of the provisional authority of the Municipality of Zemun”, proposed by the Serbian Radical Party Deputy Group.

The sitting was attended by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic and Minister of Finance Diana Dragutinovic.

At the beginning of work the authorised representatives of the Deputy Groups, deputies Jorgovanka Tabakovic, Dragan Sormaz, Marina Ragus, Konstantin Arsenovic and Aleksandra Jankovic exercised their right under article 235 of the Rules of Procedure, to request information or explanation from the relevant organs or organisations.

The deputies honoured the RTS employees killed in the 1999 bombing, by a minute of silence.

The following deputies posed questions: Tomislav Nikolic, head of the Forward Serbia Deputy Group, proposer of the current issue on economic policy, Marina Ragus, representative of the SRP Deputy Group, Aleksandra Jankovic, representative of the NS Deputy Group, Zoran Nikolic, representative of the DPS-Vojislav Kostunica Deputy Group, and Zlata Djeric, deputy who requested the floor.

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic answered the questions about Serbia’s arrangement with the IMF and the planned budgetary deficit. He specified that 900 million EUR are needed to finance the budgetary deficit, and 500 million EUR to pay off the loan installment. The Prime Minister stressed that developed countries with accumulated reserves or bigger capacities for additional debenture, can afford greater budgetary deficits, while Serbia’s 3% GDP budgetary deficit reflects its debenture capacity.

When asked, at which Government sitting had the IMF negotiations platform on the three billion EUR loan arrangement been adopted, Cvetkovic responded that the platform had been adopted last week, adding that, after the budget rebalance is adopted, the IMF is expected to decide on concluding the arrangement with Serbia on 11 May.

Minister of Finance Diana Dragutinovic noted that the 3% budgetary deficit was not imposed on Serbia by the International Monetary Fund, but is the result of an agreement, as well as the fact that Serbia’s public expenditure is already too high.

Regarding the second issue, the dissolution of Zemun Municipal Assembly, deputy Marina Ragus expressed her disappointment that the topic is discussed with only one SRP deputy in attendance, since 52 deputies had been expelled from the regular session. She believed it inappropriate to discuss the decision on the dissolution of Zemun Municipal Assembly without the presence of Serbian Radical Party deputies.

Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic said that the Government and the Ministry have no grounds to interfere in the current dispute concerning the dissolution of Zemun Municipal Assembly and that it resides in the purview of the Serbian Constitutional Court.