As part of the programme of supporting young people and acquainting them with parliamentary procedure, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, in co-operation with the Parliamentary Debate Development Centre NGO (CRPD), organised a mock parliamentary debate for the CRPD’s activists in the National Assembly’s Plenary Hall. Over 90 participants and guests of the CRPD’s Young Leaders programme, from nine regional and European countries (Albania, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Germany, and Norway) debated the preamble of the proposed new Serbian constitution, with the debate being titled ‘Serbia’s new constitution – civic- or national-oriented’.

Opening the debate, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Predrag Markovic, emphasised that the adoption, by the National Assembly, of the 5 June 2006 Decision meant that Serbia had succeeded Serbia-Montenegro, thereby continuing all of the former State Union’s obligations, and assuming all of its powers – ensuring the assumption of both powers and obligations towards international organisations. The National Assembly has fulfilled its obligations and, by passing the necessary laws, made it possible to begin negotiations with the European Union; still, in Mr Markovic’s words, in order to successfully finish the negotiation process, Serbia needs a new constitution. Mr Markovic underlined that the choice of the debate’s topic came at the right time, as Serbia was working towards adopting a new constitution. He reiterated that he hoped that the preamble to Serbia’s new constitution would contain both civic and democratic elements – to show the majority nation’s clear determination – as that was the only way to enshrine real minority right guarantees in Serbia’s supreme piece of legislation.

In addition to Mr Markovic, the participants were addressed by Ambassador Branko Milinkovic, Serbia’s special envoy to NATO, Dr Ralf Brauskiepe, member of the German Bundestag, and Dusan Vukanovic, CRPD executive director. In the spirit of the old making way for the young, Mr Markovic gave the chair to CRPD activist Dejan Pavicevic. The debate was conducted under CRPD debating rules, and aimed at fostering parliamentary debating skills under European standards.