A delegation of the Chamber of Representatives of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Belgium, headed by its Speaker Patrick Dewael, met today at the National Assembly House with the members of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations and European Integrations Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

At a joint meeting with the members of the Constitutional Issues Committee and Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations, the Belgian delegation was welcomed by the National Assembly Speaker and Chairperson of the Constitutional Issues Committee, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and the Chairman of the Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations, Miletic Mihajlovic. The talks focused on issues from the two committees’ spheres of work, realisation of human rights and minority rights in Serbia, active involvement of the Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations in drafting the Law on National Councils of National Minorities, implementation of the Decade of Roma in Serbia, as well as realisation of gender equality in society. They also mentioned granting consent to the AP Vojvodina Statute which would, according to Assembly Speaker Djukic-Dejanovic, be on the agenda for the next National Assembly sitting, along with the Bill on establishing the jurisdiction of AP Vojvodina, currently in the final drafting stage.

The delegation of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives also talked to the members of the European Integrations Committee. Committee Chairman Laszlo Varga briefed the delegation on the National Assembly and Government’s efforts aimed at Serbia’s integration into the European Union. He stressed that the European Commission’s last report on Serbia’s progress towards the European Union was positive adding that Serbia has been unilaterally implementing the trade agreement with the European Union and is fully cooperating with the Hague Tribunal. In the meeting with their Belgian colleagues, the Committee members repeated that Serbia is strongly determined to join the European Union and observe international law both regarding its territorial integrity and cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. They also discussed Euroscepticism in both Serbia and the European Union itself, regional cooperation, efforts to increase National Assembly’s institutional capacities to draft and pass laws necessary for the country’s accession to the European Union, and visa liberalisation for Serbian citizens expected to come into effect at the beginning of next year.