Wednesday, 17 March 2021

Ninth Sitting of the Culture and Information Committee

At the sitting held on 19 March 2021, the members of the Culture and Information Committee reviewed the Ministry of Culture and Information Activity Information for the period November 2020 – January 2021.


The Activity Information was presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Maja Gojkovic, who stressed that in the reporting period the Ministry had performed tasks concerning the public information system and monitoring the enforcement of related laws, monitoring the work of public companies and institutions in the field of public information, monitoring the activities of foreign information institutions and keeping national minorities informed.

Minister Gojkovic presented the five most important projects of the Ministry of Culture and Information in the first 100 days of the Government and the Ministry, namely:

  1. Higher budget for culture in 2021,
  2. Draft Law on Museum Activity,
  3. Strategic priorities for the development of culture from 2021 to 2025 in 20 points,
  4. Decision on allocating the space of the old Railway Station to the History Museum of Serbia and
  5. 2020-2022 Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2020-2025.
Maja Gojkovic said that, despite the difficult circumstances cause by the pandemic, the Ministry of Culture and Information provided a larger budget for culture than in the previous period, higher by 10.67%. The share of the national budget allocated to culture is 0.9%, making it 1.10% in total with the addition of the allocation for information. With this in mind, she pointed out that if we increase the budget in the coming years, we will reach the European average i.e. 1% of the total budget of the Republic of Serbia.

The Minister mentioned project "Cities in Focus" as one of the most significant ones, which required a significant increase in budgetary funds set aside for its completion viz. 349.5 million RSD. She stressed that culture does not live in only two cities, Novi Sad and Belgrade, so it is vital to delve deep into decentralisation of cultural life and make sure culture is represented in all local self-governments.

Gojkovic pointed out that the budget was increased in two areas - protection of cultural heritage and contemporary creativity.

She informed the Committee members that 300 million RSD were set aside for the reconstruction of Podgradje and Petrovaradin Fortress and 50 million RSD for the final works on the construction of the National Theatre in Subotica.

Speaking of normative activities, Gojkovic said that the Bill on Museum Activity, which had gone through a constructive public debate, is in parliamentary procedure, and that amendments to the Law on Culture and to the Law on the Museum of Genocide are expected.

Speaking of information, the Minister said that the 2020-2022 Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2020-2025 had been passed. The goal of the Development Strategy is to improve the public information system, which guarantees freedom of expression, freedom of the media, journalists’ safety and a empowered journalistic profession. Two working groups were set up - for the security and protection of journalists and for the implementation of the Action Plan.

In the course of the sitting Gojkovic highlighted the importance of introducing culture into primary and secondary schools through the curriculum, as well as the need for children to get in the habit of going to theatres, cinemas, concert halls and museums.

She also pointed out the need to strengthen cultural diplomacy, continue digitalisation in culture, develop cultural tourism and improve the position of independent artists.

Following a constructive debate with Committee Chairperson Sandra Bozic and Committee members of Zeljko Tomic, Prof. Dr Marko Atlagic, Vuk Mircetic, Zoran Tomic, Aleksandar Jovanovic and Jelena Mihailovic, the Committee members unanimously adopted the Ministry of Culture and Information Activity Information for the period November 2020 – January 2021.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Sandra Bozic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Zeljko Tomic, Vuk Mircetic, Jelena Mihailovic, Prof. Dr Marko Atlagic, Ana Miljanic, Milica Obradovic, Aleksandar Cotric, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Predrag Rajic, Milos Terzic, Ivan Tasovac, Justina Pupin Koscal and Zoran Tomic.


Committees related to this activity



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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