The sounding of the anthems of the Republic of Serbia and the European Union marked the opening of the first Plenary Sitting of the National Convention on European Union in Serbia at Assembly House.

Members of the Presidency of the National Convention, members of working groups, and guests at the opening, were welcomed, on behalf of the organisers, by Zivorad Kovacevic, President of the European Movement in Serbia; the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and member of the Presidency of the National Convention, Predrag Markovic, opened the First Plenary Sitting, underlining that it was ‘the most natural thing for Assembly House, the home of all the people of Serbia, to host all stakeholders of European integrations.’ ‘It is a good day for Serbia’, he went on to add, ‘and we must know what obligations we have undertaken, and what we have reached consensus on. Today we look upon our future – Serbia defined and secured, a state in its own right, with a European future’. He reminded those present of the European Commission’s 2005 report, which had especially underscored the National Assembly’s contribution to the process of European integrations, the Assembly’s legislative activity, as well as the work of its Committees. He reiterated that the Assembly had taken an active role in the Enhanced Permanent Dialogue and formed a special division to harmonise domestic legislation with EU standards. The National Assembly had amended its Rules of Procedure to additionally strengthen its Committees and improve the Serbian Constitution. Stressing the good co-operation between the Assembly and all levels of government and the non-governmental sector, Markovic called for the preservation of what has been done so far, and for co-operation to continue. In the ceremonial part of the programme, the attendees were addressed by Aleksandar Popovic, Minister of Science and Environmental Protection and member of the Presidency of the National Convention, and HE Igor Fundik, Slovak Ambassador to Belgrade.

The National Convention on the European Union in Serbia aims at building capacities for the process of European integrations, and providing a forum for permanent and public debate on Serbia’s European future. The Convention was formed at the initiative of the European Movement of Serbia and the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, and is made up of the Presidency and six working groups: Political Conditions and National Institutions, Regional Co-operation, Justice, Freedoms and Security, Capital and Services, and Goods and Agriculture.