Minister of European Integration Prof. Dr Tanja Miscevic presented the Bill saying that its objective is to establish a system to manage and control the implementation of the European Union’s cohesion policy, as well as to determine the procedure for the preparation of relevant documents in accordance with the goals of the cohesion policy and the obligations of the Republic of Serbia, which must be implemented before the end of negotiations on accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union, so that the Republic of Serbia would be ready for the use of cohesion policy funds from the day of its accession to the European Union.

This Bill regulates the goals and principles of the cohesion policy, funds for financing its implementation, the strategic framework and procedure for preparing programmes for the use of cohesion policy funds, system and division of responsibility for the management and control of the implementation of the cohesion policy programme, implementation, monitoring, reporting, evaluation, visibility and informing the public about the results of the cohesion policy programme and other issues of importance for the development of the management and control system for the use of the cohesion policy funds.

Following an exhaustive discussion, the Committee proposed that the National Assembly accept the Bill on the Establishment and Functioning of the System for Cohesion Policy Management, in principle.

The Committee went on to consider the Report on the Republic of Serbia’s EU Accession Negotiations during the presidency of the Kingdom of Belgium (January-June 2024), submitted by the Government. The Minister of European Integration said that in the reporting period, work was done on the preparation of negotiation documents and criteria for opening and closing negotiation chapters. Also, in this period, the Reform Agenda was prepared within the third pillar of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which refers to the acceleration of fundamental reforms. The Republic of Serbia’s Reform Agenda was prepared in accordance with the development priorities and obligations from the process of negotiations on accession to the European Union and will contain four areas: Business environment and development of private sector, Green and digital transition, Human capital and Basics, which was subsequently adopted.

Following a discussion, the Committee adopted the Report on the Republic of Serbia’s EU Accession Negotiations during the presidency of the Kingdom of Belgium and proposed that the National Assembly accept it.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Elvira Kovacs, and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Robert Kozma, Dijana Radovic, Dubravka Filipovski, Sanja Dzajic, Goran Milic, Milan Radin, Dr Tijana Peric Diligenski, Dr Ksenija Markovic, Branislav Josifovic, Dr Aleksandra Tomic and Ana Miljanic.