At the beginning of the sitting, Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic said that the sitting is being held at the initiative of the newly-elected Minister of Culture and Media whom she then proceeded to brief on the problems in the field, listing as the most severe those troubling cinematography, insufficient cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Media and the other ministries, the need to address staffing and strategic matters at the Ministry and adoption of a set of media laws in the process of Serbia’s approach to the European Union.
Presenting his activity plan and programme to the Committee members, Minister Tasovac said that his priorities would be addressing the staffing problems at the Ministry of Culture and Media, improving the operation of national cultural institutions and adhering to the principle of transparency in the law-making process.
The Committee members had many questions for the Minister, at the same time drawing his attention to the problems which have remained unaddressed for years. Committee member Gorica Mojovic had a question about the Culture Development Strategy and suggested putting the preliminary Strategy to public debate as soon as possible. She also asked about the work of the Cultural Development Study Centre and the adoption of the Law on Archival Records, also pointing out the need to amend and modify the Public Procurement Law. Gorica Mojovic said that laws on theatres, museums and cultural heritage should be passed as soon as possible and the legal status of regional institutes for the protection of cultural monuments should be resolved. The Labour Law also needs to be amended in the segment relating to copyright contracts.
Addressing the Minister of Culture and Media, MPs Vesna Milekic, Milorad Stosic, Srdjan Sajn, Aleksandar Cotric and Maja Videnovic, among other things, broached the issue of the natural history museum and the Ministry of Culture and Media funding, saying that next year’s budgetary allocations should be raised. The spheres that deserve more attention, the MPs said, are also equal funding and demetropolization of cultural events, introducing media programmes in the Roma language, revitalizing houses of culture and intensifying the Ministry’s cooperation with the diaspora.

The sitting was chaired by Vesna Marjanovic, Committee Chairperson.