Today at the National Assembly House, a delegation of the Norwegian Parliament, visiting Serbia from 2-5 march 2009, talked to the Chairmen and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Finance Committee and Administrative Committee.

The Norwegian parliamentary delegation comprised the members of the of the Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Issues, headed by the Committee Chairman Lodve Solholm, as well as second deputy chairman Svein Roald Hansen, Norwegian Parliament Deputy Speaker Carl I. Hagen, secretariat members, political advisers and a representative of the Norwegian Auditor General’s Office.

In the meeting with the Norwegian parliamentary delegation, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Dr Dragoljub Micunovic briefed the parliamentarians on the activities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, current events on the Serbian political scene, reasons behind the blockade on the Parliament’s work and main goals of the Parliament’s further work which will be more efficient since the adoption of the new Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. Chairman Micunovic informed the delegation that a Bill on the National Assembly is being drafted, which will, together with the new Rules of Procedure, contribute to a more rational functioning of the Parliament.

Chairman Micunovic pointed out that a majority of Serbian citizens advocate joining the European Union, that the Parliament is pro-European, and that its goals are the construction of a modern democratic state, strengthening of institutions and the rule of law.

They also talked about future parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. The Norwegian parliamentarians expressed their readiness to share their work experience, inviting the deputies to visit the Norwegian Parliament, as well as to continue the cooperation through deputy friendship groups in both parliaments.

The Norwegian parliamentary delegation also met with the members of the Finance Committee with whom they talked about issues within the purview of the Committee, the cooperation between the Committee and the State Audit Institution, as well as strengthening the Parliament’s control role over the executive government.

The members of the Finance Committee deemed the exchange of experiences with their Norwegian counterparts very useful, above all in the area of strengthening the Parliament’s control role and the analysis of the audit of the budgetary end-or year balance account. The Committee members briefed the Norwegian delegation on the duties the Committee fulfilled so that the State Audit Institution could start work, expressing an expectation that the Committee will be able to analyse the first SAI reports on the budgetary end-of-year balance accounts, as soon as this year.

The representatives of the Norwegian Parliament outlined their Committee’s activities offering the Finance Committee assistance in strengthening parliamentary control over the executive government.

Branka Ljiljak, Finance Committee Deputy Chairperson and Committee members Balint Pasztor, Radojko Obradovic, Jorgovanka Tabakovic and Branislav Jovanovic took part in the meeting with the Norwegian colleagues.

The delegation of the of the Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Issues, headed by the Committee Chairman Lodve Solholm also met a delegation of the Administrative Committee of the National Assembly, headed by its Chairman Nenad Konstantinovic. On the occasion, the two working bodies exchanged experiences.

Konstantinovic briefed the guests on the Administrative Committee’s competencies and role in regulating the position, rights and duties of the deputies. He said that the new National Assembly Act will regulate the relationship between the Parliament and the Government, particularly the relationship between the Parliament and the new independent regulatory bodies, the State Audit Institution, Ombudsman and Commissioner for Information of Public Importance who will have to submit annual activity reports to the National Assembly. Another new development in the National Assembly’s operations is that it will receive its own budget and thus gain necessary financial independence.

The Committee Chairman said that the new National Assembly Act will be harmonised with the Serbian Constitution and that new Rules of Procedure will be drafted in line with it.

The Norwegian parliamentarians pointed out the importance of the parliament’s control role, as well as the important role the Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Issues plays in achieving it. They stressed that three independent institutions, Auditor General, Ombudsman and Committee for Monitoring of Intelligence, Surveillance and Security Services, submit activity reports and reports on the expenditure of budgetary means to this working body, which are then discussed at plenary parliamentary sessions.

Administrative Committee members Milos Aligrudic, Milena Milosevic and Vuk Dincic participated in the meeting.