21 May 2015 International conference on “Transparency and Accountability for Effective Oversight: the Role of Parliament”

21 May 2015 International conference on “Transparency and Accountability for Effective Oversight: the Role of Parliament”

Thursday, 21 May 2015

International Conference on “Transparency and Accountability for Effective Oversight: the Role of Parliament”

The international conference on “Transparency and Accountability for Effective Oversight: the Role of Parliament”, focusing on the important role the parliament plays in the promotion of awareness on the fight against corruption, gathered representatives of seven countries.


Opening the conference, the President of the National Branch of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), Olgica Batic, said that corruption is one of the biggest plagues of modern society and a strong parliament is the cornerstone of the fight against corruption.

“Parliamentarians should send the message that they are united in the intention to tackle all challenges and strengthen oversight over the executive”, said Olgica Batic. That is why, she said, it is necessary to take a step further and join efforts in the fight against corruption.

Emphasising the importance of the fight against corruption, Parliament Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending Veroljub Arsic said that every parliament should promote the principle of openness and accountability. Stating that it is the parliament’s task to control public spending and the executive power has to be subject to constant oversight by the parliament and independent bodies, Arsic stressed that boosting transparency should be every parliament’s duty, as well as employing the principle of accountability for a publically spoken word. In support of this he informed the participants that the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection declared the Serbian Assembly the most open state institution.

GOPAC member Zoran Babic said that parliamentarians are firmly committed to the fight against corruption and aware that it is a prerequisite for better life of the citizens, and that the parliament should be the engine driving the fight against this problem in any society.

“It is our job to set a system of values where the “bad guys” are the ones involved in corruption, not the ones drawing attention to it. That is why I would like to remind you that the National Assembly had recently passed the Law on Whistleblowers”, said Babic, the first president of GOPAC.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia Irena Vojackova–Sollorano said the UNDP offers help in the strengthening of the parliament’s oversight role and opening of portals where public spending could be monitored.

On the behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the participants were addressed by Isabel Perich who stressed that a strong parliament is not only the prerequisite of democratic development, but is also vital for the financial control of the executive.

In the continuation of the conference, GOPAC member Dubravka Filipovski presented the activities and results of GOPAC Serbia’s two years of operation, which was followed by panel discussions on the Importance of the parliamentarians’ leading role in the process of promoting awareness on the fight against corruption and the Parliament’s need for transparency, accessibility and parliamentary integrity in the fight against corruption. On the first day of the conference the participants also discussed financial oversight and using innovative approaches to expand the oversight role.

On the second day of the Conference, the participants adopted Conclusions and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.



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thursday, 28 march
  • 9.00 - consultations of representatives of the parliamentary groups about the election of deputy chairpersons of the National Assembly working bodies (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 1)

  • 10.00 - visit of the students of Stevan Dukic Elementary School to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - visit of the students of Drinka Pavlovic Elementary School Student Parliament to the National Assembly House (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square)

  • 11.00 - press conference of the Green-Left Front – Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)оwn Parliamentary Group (National Assembly House 13, Nikola Pasic Square. Central Hall)

  • 13.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

Full event calendar