Dragan Sormaz, Head of the National Assembly delegation to the NATO PA, said that Serbia is an important partner to the Euro-Atlantic organization, highlighting the Serbian delegation’s exceptional activity in the NATO PA. Serbia is working on meeting its EU accession obligations, added Sormaz.

The representatives of the three National Assembly committees briefed the delegation on their respective committees’ purview and scope, their electoral, legislative and control role. The Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, State Budget and Control of Public Spending Dr Aleksandra Tomic presented the results of the economic reform and fiscal consolidation in Serbia, stressing that the invested efforts had yielded positive results. The Chairperson of the Committee on the Economy, Regional Development, Trade, Tourism and Energy Snezana Petrovic highlighted the positive economic and GDP growth trend, adding that she expected further economic progress. Defence and Internal Affairs Committee member Jasmina Obradovic informed the guests about the Committee’s oversight of the defence sector, among other things saying that the relevant ministries submit quarterly activity reports.

The NATO PA delegation, headed by the Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Transition and Development Menno Knip asked about the committees’ oversight mechanisms, with a special focus on the control of public spending, and about the cooperation with NGOs. They also exchanged experiences about the operation of parliamentary committees in the region.

The officials underlined the importance of regional cooperation in the fields of economy and defence. The head of the NATO delegation stressed that peace and stability in the Western Balkans are in the interest of the region, as well as the whole Euro-Atlantic territory.