At the sitting held on 21 October, the members of the Committee on Trade and Tourism accepted, in principle, the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Tourism, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the Bills on the Confirmation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on cooperation in the sphere of tourism and on the Confirmation of the Agreement on cooperation in the sphere of tourism between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, also submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The representative of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development stressed that the amendments and modifications to the Law on Tourism had been initiated by the unit for comprehensive regulatory reform (SRP) and not the Ministry itself. The Bill removes the technical flaws perceived during the year the Law on Tourism has been implemented and there are no more important alterations as regards substance and meaning.

Representatives of associations of spa and climatic resorts in Serbia and specialised rehabilitation hospitals took part in the debate on the Bill, and along with the Committee members pointed out the need to amend article 60 of the Bill by extending the expiration date for services rendered to a third party from one to three years, as well as enabling equal treatment of private and state owned specialised hospitals. Some of the Committee members announced that they will submit amendments to the article. They also discussed the issue of privatisation of rehabilitation centres and spa health treatment centres in Serbia with a special focus on the position of the local authorities of Nis regarding the privatisation of the Nis Spa.

Following the debate, the Committee members accepted the Bill in principle by a majority of votes, as well as the Bills on the Confirmation of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on cooperation in the sphere of tourism and on the Confirmation of the Agreement on cooperation in the sphere of tourism between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, with no special presentation or debate.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Dejan Nikolic.