The President of the Council of the State Audit Institution (DRI) Radoslav Sretenovic elaborated the State Audit Institution 2016 Financial Plan, with projections for 2017 and 2018. He said that the DRI had submitted the Proposal of the Decision on the State Audit Institution 2016 Financial Plan, with projections for 2017 and 2018, to the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending as scheduled, but the funds allocated to the DRI in the Budget Law are 90 million RSD less than what was proposed. He opined that this would reflect on the number of audits in 2016 and the number of employees at the DRI. This will also have an impact on the 2017 and 2018 projections, added Sretenovic.

In the ensuing debate, the participants stressed that the DRI is one of the most important independent institutions in charge of the legitimate use of budget funds, but in the process of passing the 2016 budget it was determined that, due to austerity measures, the funds the DRI proposed cannot be secured. Nevertheless, DRI has to have the capacities to adequately respond to the new tasks it needs to tackle in the coming period.

Following the debate, the Committee members unanimously accepted the proposal that the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending to grant consent to the DRI financial plan, within the amount allocated to it in the 2016 Budget Law.

Fiscal Council member Vladimir Vuckovic provided the rationale on the Proposal of the Decision on the Fiscal Council 2016 Financial Plan, accompanied by the Fiscal Council 2016 HR Plan Proposal. He said that the Proposal had been discussed with the Ministry of Finance and it amounts to 38 million RSD, 32 million of which go to compensations and wages, and the rest to running expenses. He also added that the Fiscal Council had taken into consideration the suggestion of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending regarding the plan’s clarity.

Following a debate, the Committee members unanimously granted consent to the Proposal of the Decision on the Fiscal Council 2016 Financial Plan, accompanied by the Fiscal Council 2016 HR Plan Proposal.

The Committee members also reviewed the resignation tendered to the post of member of the Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures by Ristivoje Djokic, for personal reasons, on 23 December 2015. The Committee members unanimously ascertained the Proposal of the Decision on the termination of office of member of the Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures and decided to forward it to the National Assembly for ruling under urgent procedure.

The Committee proceeded to unanimously decide to launch the appropriate procedure to formulate the proposal for the election of two members of the Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures.

The Committee also unanimously decided to grant prior written consent to perform additional paid activity to Svetlana Razic, Head of the Group for Monitoring Public Procurement Procedures at the Public Procurement Office.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Veroljub Arsic and attended by Committee members and deputy members Olivera Pesic, Milorad Mijatovic, Dragoljub Zindovic, Suzana Sarac, Zoran Bojanic, Momo Colakovic, Milos Tosanic and Goran Kovacevic.