A delegation of the European Integrations Committee headed by the Committee Chairman Laszlo Varga talked to the European Parliament Rapporteur on Serbia, Jelko Kacin, at the National Assembly House today.

Varga informed Kacin on the recent adoption of the Law on the National Assembly which ensured its independence from the executive government, but left the issue of deputies’ terms of office unresolved. He added that the adoption of new National Assembly Rules of Procedure would resolve some issues, first and foremost a more efficient and quicker adoption of laws important for European integration.

The Committee Chairman also said that Serbia has begun preparing to fill in the European Commission questionnaire so as to be able to answer it as quickly as possible once it arrives.

The European Parliament Rapporteur stressed that the most important work for Serbia starts after the adoption of the report on Serbia’s progress to the EU expected in June. He repeated that a positive evaluation from the Tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor is conditional on full cooperation with The Hague Tribunal.

Kacin pointed out that the political parties in Serbia need to achieve the widest possible consensus regarding the importance and advantages of European integration in order to properly carry out the process of amendment and adaptation of domestic regulations to EU regulations. He stressed that Serbian institutions alone decide on the dynamics of the accession to the European Union adding that all progress in that area would be monitored.

Laszlo Varga remarked on the improvement of cooperation among all the deputy groups in the National Assembly, which is important not only for passing laws, but adopting them under the National Assembly’s full capacity as well.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gordana Comic proposed the formation of a temporary working body to monitor the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. The body, comprising parliamentarians of the Serbian and European Parliament, should have a consultative character and also stimulate parliamentary dialogue, particularly with parliaments of South-Eastern Europe. According to Deputy Speaker Comic, the European Integrations Committee would soon vote on the proposal and then it would be forwarded to the European Parliament.

The delegation members also briefed Kacin on some of the concrete steps Serbia has taken in the sphere of regional cooperation which are an important requirement of EU accession and stability in the region.