National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia / Activities / Activity details
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
Fifth Sitting of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending
At the sitting held on 6 September, the members of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending reviewed the State Audit Institution 2015 Activity Report, submitted by the President of the Council of the State Audit Institution (DRI), Radoslav Sretenovic.
Sretenovic presented the organisational structure of the DRI to the Committee members and the realisation of the 2015 financial and audit plans. Presenting the structure of the Report he highlighted as most important the DRI’s recommendations for the amendment and/or adoption of new regulations. Sretenovic reminded the attending that 11,000 public fund beneficiaries are subject to audit, and that every year the institution conducts an audit of the annual statement of accounts of the budget of the Republic of Serbia, social insurance institutions, National Bank of Serbia, local self-government units, and since 2015 of political parties as well.
In 2015 DRI conducted financial report and regulatory audits of 78 entities and audits of financial report components of 80 entities. For the first time it audited financial reports of three political parties – Serbian Progressive Party, Socialist Party of Serbia and the Democratic Party. In 2015 the DRI also audited 16 local self-government units, and conducted three performance audits, amounting to a total of 174 audits last year. Sretenovic said that the DRI had drawn attention to the discrepancies between regulations in more than 60 of its audit reports. Concerning the effects of the audits i.e. recommendations, DRI gave 1,672 recommendations, mostly relating to expenditure. The auditees, mostly in the course of the audit, followed these recommendations, though the DRI also filed 113 charges which, added to the charges filed in 2014, amounts to a total of 358 charges for 347 responsible parties.
The DRI Council President also presented the DRI’s strategic plan for the coming period, and the institution’s readiness to work on Serbia’s negotiating position for Chapter 5.
Following a long discussion the Committee members ascertained the Conclusion Proposal on the reviewed State Audit Institution 2015 Activity Report, by majority vote, and forwarded it to the National Assembly for consideration and ruling.
The Committee members went on to ascertain the Conclusion Proposal on the reviewed Fiscal Council 2015 Activity Report, by majority vote, and forwarded it to the National Assembly for consideration and ruling.
The Committee members granted consent to Committee Chairperson Dr Aleksandra Tomic to sign the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Fiscal Council and the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending, on the Committee’s behalf, and ascertained the principles for the testing of candidates for the election of two members of the Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures. The Committee members decided that the testing is to take place on 16 September 2016 and that candidate Dr Jelena Stojanovic is exempt from the testing i.e. her results from the previous testing are taken as valid.
The Committee also considered the requests of employees of the Public Procurement Office for prior written consent to perform additional paid activity. The Committee granted consent to perform additional paid activity to Danijela Bokan, Svetlana Razic, Danijela Bozovic and Daliborka Sreckov of the Public Procurement Office.
The sitting was attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Radmilo Kostic, Srbislav Filipovic, Zoran Krasic, Veroljub Arsic, Sasa Radulovic, Zoltan Pek, Vojislav Vujic, Goran Kovacevic, Momo Colakovic, Dr Milorad Mijatovic, Goran Ciric, Nikola Jolovic, Dusan Bajatovic, Olivera Pesic and Milan Lapcevic.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Dr Aleksandra Tomic.
In 2015 DRI conducted financial report and regulatory audits of 78 entities and audits of financial report components of 80 entities. For the first time it audited financial reports of three political parties – Serbian Progressive Party, Socialist Party of Serbia and the Democratic Party. In 2015 the DRI also audited 16 local self-government units, and conducted three performance audits, amounting to a total of 174 audits last year. Sretenovic said that the DRI had drawn attention to the discrepancies between regulations in more than 60 of its audit reports. Concerning the effects of the audits i.e. recommendations, DRI gave 1,672 recommendations, mostly relating to expenditure. The auditees, mostly in the course of the audit, followed these recommendations, though the DRI also filed 113 charges which, added to the charges filed in 2014, amounts to a total of 358 charges for 347 responsible parties.
The DRI Council President also presented the DRI’s strategic plan for the coming period, and the institution’s readiness to work on Serbia’s negotiating position for Chapter 5.
Following a long discussion the Committee members ascertained the Conclusion Proposal on the reviewed State Audit Institution 2015 Activity Report, by majority vote, and forwarded it to the National Assembly for consideration and ruling.
The Committee members went on to ascertain the Conclusion Proposal on the reviewed Fiscal Council 2015 Activity Report, by majority vote, and forwarded it to the National Assembly for consideration and ruling.
The Committee members granted consent to Committee Chairperson Dr Aleksandra Tomic to sign the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Fiscal Council and the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending, on the Committee’s behalf, and ascertained the principles for the testing of candidates for the election of two members of the Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures. The Committee members decided that the testing is to take place on 16 September 2016 and that candidate Dr Jelena Stojanovic is exempt from the testing i.e. her results from the previous testing are taken as valid.
The Committee also considered the requests of employees of the Public Procurement Office for prior written consent to perform additional paid activity. The Committee granted consent to perform additional paid activity to Danijela Bokan, Svetlana Razic, Danijela Bozovic and Daliborka Sreckov of the Public Procurement Office.
The sitting was attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Radmilo Kostic, Srbislav Filipovic, Zoran Krasic, Veroljub Arsic, Sasa Radulovic, Zoltan Pek, Vojislav Vujic, Goran Kovacevic, Momo Colakovic, Dr Milorad Mijatovic, Goran Ciric, Nikola Jolovic, Dusan Bajatovic, Olivera Pesic and Milan Lapcevic.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Dr Aleksandra Tomic.