The Chairperson of the National Assembly’s European Integrations Committee, Suzana Grubjesic, and the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Gordana Comic, met today at Assembly House with members of a European Parliament delegation on a two-day working visit to Serbia – Alain Barreau, head of the European Parliament’s Directorate on Relations with National Parliaments,and Estelle Carrelet de Loisy, in charge of relations with Eastern European countries.

M Barreau presented goals of the Co-Operation and Experience Exchange

Programme between the European Parliament and national parliaments, and suggested that such a programme should be implemented in Serbia this year.

Ms Grubjesic and Ms Comic underlined that EU integration was one of the key aims for Serbia, and one in whose realisation the National Assembly has a role that cannot be overseen. The National Assembly, however, lacks the necessary administrative and professional potential for European integrations, which is why, according to the two chairpersons, co-operation and an exchange of experiences with the European Parliament as early as 2007 was welcome. It was also important to involve the deputies, the media, and the professional public, in addition to services dealing with EU integration, in implementing this programme.

Ms Comic proposed that the issues of parliamentary control of the armed forces, the police, and the security services should be included into priority issues of the European Parliament – Serbian Assembly Co-Operation Programme.

The European Parliament’s delegation also met heads of the National Assembly Support Service and the International Relations Sector.