The Chairman of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending Veroljub Arsic talked today with the representatives of the IMF Technical Mission for Fiscal Transparency Evaluation about the role of the National Assembly, or rather, the relevant committee, in the process of proposing and adopting the budget.

Chairman Arsic informed the IMF representatives about the processes carried out by the National Assembly and its Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending in the budget adoption procedure, as well as the specific activities aimed at improving this process. He announced that the National Assembly would strive, in the coming period, to re-establish mechanisms that were, as projects in the previous period, exceptionally helpful to MPs in the parliamentary control function. First of all, these are the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Public Spending Supervision Portal. Arsic also informed the guests about the institute of public hearings, in particular public hearings organised by the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending in the budget adoption procedure, attended, in addition to the members of the Committee and MPs, by interested relevant professional public, representatives of financial organisations, independent bodies and representatives of the executive branch.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the procedure for reviewing the final budget statement, as well as the quality, timeliness and transparency of information on the state's fiscal operations available to MPs and the public and the time MPs have available for discussion at sessions of the relevant committee and in the plenary. They also discussed the relationship between the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending with the Fiscal Council and the State Audit Institution.

The meeting between Chairman Arsic and the IMF representatives was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Finance, who announced the establishment of a portal that will enable the public to participate more actively in budget planning and adoption.

The IMF Technical Mission for Fiscal Transparency Evaluation, headed by Maximilien Queyranne, is engaged in improving fiscal governance and transparency, that is, building technical capacities for improving public finances at the international level.