European Parliament Rapporteur on Serbia Jelko Kacin met today at the National Assembly House with the representatives of the Deputy Groups in the National Assembly with whom he spoke about the current situation in Serbia and Serbia’s further process of accession to the European Union.

Kacin had separate meetings with the head of the Minorities Deputy Group Balint Pasztor, deputies Donka Banovic and Nikola Lazic from the Democratic Party of Serbia – Vojislav Kostunica Deputy Group and Velimir Ilic, head of the New Serbia Deputy Group.

In the meeting with the head of the Minorities Deputy Group Balint Pasztor, Jelko Kacin highlighted that Hungary’s chairmanship over the EU in the first half of 2010 would provide Serbia with a significant opportunity to realise its goal and speed up European integration. President of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians Istvan Pasztor who took part in the meeting, briefed Kacin on the AVH’s view on the position of ethnic minorities, the upcoming elections for the Hungarian National Council to be held in June this year, and he also talked about the need to pass a law on public property and the implementation of the Law on establishing the jurisdiction of AP Vojvodina. Balint Pasztor pointed out the insufficient representation of ethnic minority members in administration, which Jelko Kacin agreed with stressing that their presence in public institutions was important for achieving ethnic minority rights stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia.

The meeting between deputies Donka Banovic and Nikola Lazic from the Democratic Party of Serbia – Vojislav Kostunica Deputy Group and European Parliament Rapporteur Kacin mostly focused on the National Assembly’s role in bringing Serbia closer to the European Union. They stressed the importance of the parliament and its contribution in creating the widest possible social consensus on the importance of Serbia’s accession to the EU, adding that over 80% of the deputies supported the process.

Banovic and Lazic pointed out that the National Assembly would have achieved even better results if the parliament had accepted to consider at least part of the proposals and initiatives coming from deputy groups that are not involved in governance.

Deputies Donka Banovic and Nikola Lazic also talked about the problems concerning the re-election of judges, as well as the consequences of the implementation of the Information Law. They pointed out the need to open dialogue with the European Union regarding the problems arising from the fact that a number of EU countries had recognised the independence of Kosovo-Metohija. They also stressed that in the previous two terms of office key matters of state were adjusted in the parliament, which should be done during this convocation as well.

Kacin repeated that a positive Report from the European Commission on Serbia’s progress in approaching the EU in June was conditional on full cooperation with The Hague Tribunal.

Head of the New Serbia Deputy Group Velimir Ilic briefed Kacin on the economic situation in Serbia. He listed the consequences of the badly implemented privatisation such as increased unemployment and decreased production, as well as instances of corruption and money laundry in the privatisation process. Ilic also talked about the state’s high expenses and budgetary deficit that was being covered by new foreign debts which threatened to plunge the country into over-indebtedness.