The Chairman of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending Veroljub Arsic briefed the Chief of the EU Delegation to Serbia European Integration Sector on the Committee’s planned activities as regards the amendment of the Law on Public Procurement. Two years have passed since the beginning of the implementation of the Law on Public Procurement and the flaws noted in this period make it necessary to amend the Law. The existing Law on Public Procurement also needs to be amended so that it could be adjusted to EU directives in the field of public procurement. The bulk of the work on the drafting of the amendments and modifications to the Law on Public Procurement will be carried out by the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending, i.e. the Working Group comprised of Committee members which is to be assisted by representatives of the Ministry of Finance, National Bank of Serbia, Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures, Public Procurement Administration, State Audit Institution and other institutions which can contribute to the quality of the law. The work on the draft law is expected to be completed by mid-August when a public debate will be organised, after which, in the second half of October, the Bill amending and modifying the Law on Public Procurement will be formulated and sent to the National Assembly with the proposal that it be passed by regular procedure.

Veroljub Arsic said he hoped the EU Delegation to the Republic of Serbia would support the Working Group’s activities on the amendments and modifications to the Law on Public Procurement and offer expert assistance like it did in 2012 when the existing Law on Public Procurement was drafted.

Freek Janmaat applauded all the activities the Committee plans to undertake and commended its intention to engage representatives of other institutions whose knowledge of public procurement matters can greatly contribute to the quality of the draft law. He also said that the EU Delegation to the Republic of Serbia stands ready to support and assist the Committee, i.e. its Working Group by recruiting experts and in any other way that would make the drafting of the law more successful and efficient.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Republic Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures and the National Bank of Serbia.