The conference was organised as part of the European Union Twinning project – Strengthening the Capacities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the EU Integration Process, realised in cooperation with the Hellenic Parliament.
The conference was opened by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Konstantin Arsenovic who underlined the importance of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Serbia coming into force, the implementation of which is one of the standards for following Serbia’s progress in the talks for European Union membership. Arsenovic emphasised the National Assembly’s role in the European integration process - control of the implementation of the adopted laws harmonised with European legislation. The National Assembly Deputy Speaker also pointed out the efforts invested into strengthening the National Assembly’s representative role, modelled on the increased influence given to the national parliaments of European Union member states and the European Parliament under the Treaty of Lisbon, so that the citizens may be given their rightful place in the system of modern governance.
In their introductory speeches, National Assembly Deputy Secretary General Mladen Mladenovic and Athanasios Papaioannou, Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament, spoke of the Twinning project – Strengthening the Capacities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the EU Integration Process. Mladenovic presented the project’s five components, all aimed at boosting the National Assembly’s efficiency, accountability and transparency, as well as improving the National Assembly’s administrative and expert capacities. The Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament underlined the importance of the Twinning project for both parliaments adding, however, that there are no ready pre-prepared solutions to the challenges the National Assembly will face in the European Union membership talks.
Luca Bianconi, representative of the European Union Delegation to Serbia, spoke of the European Union roadmap and prospects. Bianconi listed the challenges Serbia will face in the European integration process, stressing that the National Assembly is one of the chief actors in the process.
European Integration Committee Chairperson Natasa Vuckovic analysed the role the National Assembly and its competent Committee play in the EU membership talks. Based on the experience and best practice of former candidate countries, the main areas of parliamentary activity in the EU accession process are legislative harmonisation, supervision and monitoring of the Euro-integration process, interparliamentary cooperation and informative activities, said the Committee Chairperson. Vuckovic said that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement coming into force will result in the establishment of a joint parliamentary committee with the European Parliament.
Tanja Miscevic, Professor at the Belgrade Faculty of Political Science and Chief Negotiator in the Republic of Serbia’s membership talks with the European Union, spoke of some experiences and recommendations as regards the role of the national parliament in the European Union accession process, with a special focus on the experiences of the countries in the region. Miscevic said that there is no one model, only basic principles for the talks for each individual country.
Vasilios Svolopoulos, Twinning Project Leader, spoke of the Greek experts’ proposal about the role of the National Assembly in the EU negotiations process.
Minister without portfolio in charge of European Integration Branko Ruzic pointed out the political aspects of the EU talks.
The conference also dealt with the relationship between the parliament and civil society.
Oliver Antic, Professor at the Belgrade Faculty of Law and legal advisor to the President of Serbia, presented the global function of the Parliament, relations between the unicameral and bicameral system, especially focusing on the role of the Senate and the rule of the law.
Sonja Licht, representative of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, spoke about the need for reciprocal reinforcement between the parliament and civil society, adding that the National Assembly and civil organisations should to take part in the EU membership talks.
Despina Anagnostopoulou, Assistant Professor at the Department of International and European Studies - University of Macedonia, Greece, spoke about the role of national parliaments in drafting nondiscrimination policies and reviewing their implementation, while Asterios Pliakos, Director of the Scientific Service of the Hellenic Parliament, spoke of the role of national parliaments in the EU and the principle of the protection of national identity.
In a special session, the participants of the conference also discussed the parliaments in a changing Europe. In the course of the discussion, Alain Delcamp, Former Secretary General of the French Senate, briefed the participants on the need for a reappraisal of the parliamentary role in advanced democracies and the European Union experience. Damir Davidovic, Secretary General of the Parliament of Montenegro, spoke of the parliamentary control in the Montenegrin Parliament, while Roeland Jansoone, advisor on EU Affairs in the Belgian House of Representatives, shared the experiences of the Belgian House of Representatives and the Benelux Parliament. Athanassios Papaioannou, Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament, informed the participants of the conference about the so called “democratic deficit” in the EU and the prospect of enlargement, and Francois Duluc of the French National Assembly spoke about interparliamentary communication and cooperation strategies within the EU. Ursula Zore Tavcar of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia shared Slovenia’s experience of the negotiation process.
On the second day of the conference, the participants discussed how to bring citizens closer to governance. The lecturer, Sonja Stiegelbauer, former Austrian Minister and MP, gave a brief presentation of the UK and Austrian Parliament within the EU context. Miodrag Popovic, Advisor for international relations of the National Assembly Speaker, discussed the communication between National Assembly and the citizens, the innovations introduced onto the National Assembly website in order to open up the National Assembly to the public, student internship options in the National Assembly Support Service, citizens’ visits to the National Assembly, as well as the opening of constituency offices. Alex Koutsogiannis of the Hellenic Parliament spoke of empowering the representative function of parliaments, while Jan Deltour of the Belgian House of Representatives explained how citizens can influence legislation and parliamentary oversight by submitting complaints independent state bodies.
In the working part of the conference, the participants also discussed parliaments and models of modern citizenship. Elina Paliou, Attorney-at-Law and PhD in European Law, Helen Xanthaki, representative of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies of the University of London, and Athanasia Dionisopoulou of the Hellenic Parliament had presentations on the topic.
Mattias Reuss of the German Bundestag, Günther Schefbeck of the Austrian Parliament, and Kalliopi Staga of the Supreme Council for Civil Personnel Selection of Greece, spoke about the research and knowledge in the legislative branch from the viewpoint of transparency, accountability and modernization.
The participants of the conference were also addressed by Panos Kouanis, Georgia Makropoulou and Nikos Papathanasiou of the Hellenic Parliament, who spoke about parliamentary broadcasting practices, parliamentary control procedures by ensuring reflection of civil society's interests and organization and operation of the support services of the parliaments of EU member states after the economic crisis.
The conference was attended by MPs, representatives of international organisations and civil society organisations and representatives of the expert public. In the course of the panellists’ presentations and ensuing debates the participants of the conference had the opportunity to exchange opinions on and learn about modern parliamentary tendencies, as well as discuss how to improve parliamentary presentation by strengthening the ties with the citizens.