National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia / Activities / Activity details
9 December 2013 Participants of the meeting
Monday, 9 December 2013
MPs Vesna Kovac and Veroljub Arsic Talk to IMF Technical Mission Members
The Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending Vesna Kovac and Committee member Veroljub Arsic met today at the National Assembly House with the members of the technical mission of the International Monetary Fund, visiting Serbia from 3 to 17 December 2013 to gain insight into the country’s public finance.
Committee Chairperson Vesna Kovac informed the guests on the budget adoption process at the National Assembly, saying that it lacked a mid-term budget income and expenditure plan and opining that the National Assembly should focus more on controlling budget execution. Committee member Veroljub Arsic pointed out certain deficiencies in the implementation of the Budget System Law and opined that a new law should be passed, a less complicated one and with fewer interventions by the Government.
Sami Ylaoutinen, technical support advisor at the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department, asked about the implementation of the Budget System Law, fiscal strategy and the role of the Fiscal Council. Vesna Kovac opined that the fiscal strategy should be more detailed because it only provides a macroeconomic framework which is prone to frequent change, and Veroljub Arsic opined that a more serious fiscal strategy cannot be expected before 2014.
The meeting also touched on the deliberation on the budget final statement at the Assembly and the National Assembly’s cooperation with the State Audit Institution. Vesna Kovac said that the National Assembly had not adopted the final statements for the period 2002 – 2007 because they have not been revised. She opined that the cooperation with the State Audit Institution was good but it should be developed further.
Arsic opined that the reports of the State Audit Institution are too detailed and that the National Assembly is primarily interested in the legitimacy and justifiability of budgetary expenses.
Activities
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11.00 - sitting of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 2)
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11.00 - sitting of the of the Committee on Education, Science, Technological Development and the Information Society (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 4)
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11.00 - judges elected to judicial office for the first time take the oath of office before the National Assembly Speaker (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Small Hall)
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11.30 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Ukrainian Ambassador (National Assembly Building, 14 Kralja Milana Street)
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12.00 - opening of the exhibition marking 150 years since the birth of Mileva Maric Einstein (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Central Hall)
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12.00 - sitting of the Committee on the Judiciary, Public Administration and Local Self-Government (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 3)
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13.00 - sitting of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Committee (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 3)
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17.00 - sitting of the Committee on Constitutional and Legislative Issues (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, hall 4)
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17.05 - National Assembly Deputy Speaker at the AEPA Association if Lawyers Conference: NO MORE SILENCE – ME AGAIN (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Small Hall)