A delegation of the Environmental Protection Committee of the Assembly of the Czech Republic, visiting Serbia from 19 to 21 November 2008, talked today to the National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gordana Comic, members of the Environmental Protection Committee and members of the Friendship Group with the Czech Republic at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

The Czech Parliament’s delegation was headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee, Vaclav Mencl, and it included the members of the Czech Parliament’s Environmental Protection Committee and representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs and the Environment of the Czech Republic.

The National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gordana Comic briefed the guests on the results achieved by the National Assembly and relevant Committee in the last 8 years in keeping and protecting the environment in Serbia. They also talked about a future partnership of both the two parliaments and the committees in charge of this field. The members of the Czech delegation expressed their readiness to relay their working experience from the field of environmental protection, especially in the area of harmonisation with EU legislature.

Environmental Protection Committee member Nebojsa Ceran informed the Czech delegation on the Committee’s activities and thanked the parliamentary delegation head for inviting the Committee to visit the Czech Parliament to exchange experiences. In addition to the help the Czech Republic lent Serbia in various environmental protection projects, Ceran stressed that Czech experiences in this field were particularly invaluable, adding that one of the Committee’s goals will be to employ the Czech experience and good practices in the protection of the environment in Serbia.

Member of the Friendship Group with the Czech Republic at the National Assembly, Pavel Marcok briefed the members of the Czech delegation on the organisation and work of the Parliament stressing that Serbia aims to achieve the status of candidate country for EU membership the following year, as well as to create conditions for the abolition of the visa regime. Thanking the Czech Republic on its support of Serbia, he pointed out that good cooperation is essential particularly in the upcoming period, since the Czech Republic assumes the six-month chairmanship over the EU from 1 January 2009.

In the talk, also attended by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic Hana Hubackova, both sides expressed their pleasure at the existence of friendship groups in both parliaments, which will contribute to the improvement of overall cooperation of the two parliaments.