National Assembly Speaker Dr Nebojsa Stefanovic shared his pleasure at the initiative launched before the French Senate by the Chair of the Committee for European Affairs, Simon Sutour, to pass a resolution in support of Serbia’s Euro-integration, which, he said, would be an encouragement for the ongoing European processes.

Stefanovic opined that the attitude to corruption and crime marks a crucial step forward on that road, informing the French Senate delegation that an anti-corruption platform has been passed which he believes would attract investment and improve the country’s overall image.

Speaking about the Assembly bodies and the Parliament’s work in the context of Euro-integration, Speaker Stefanovic emphasised the work of the European Integration Committee and the imminent creation of the Association and Stabilisation Committee which will have its first meeting with the relevant committee of the European Parliament in mid-November. The Speaker went on to say that one of the Parliament’s most important roles, besides the legislative, is that of control over the executive and oversight of Serbia’s European integration process.

Speaker Stefanovic said how pleased he was with the European Commission’s positive report on Serbia’s progress, which stated that Serbia has reached an adequate level of compliance with the membership criteria, stressing that the report gave the National Assembly’s work a positive assessment and adding that he was grateful for the attitude France has as regards Serbia’s Euro-integration.

The Chair of the French Senate’s Committee for European Affairs, Simon Sutour, representative of the socialist group, presented the delegation members: Michel Billout, Vice-Chair from the communist group, and Sophie Joissains, Committee member from the Union for a Popular Movement. Explaining that the Committee he chairs is in charge of European affairs, Sutour said he expected the Serbian Parliament’s European Integration Committee to soon become the European Affairs Committee, once Serbia becomes part of the European Union. Agreeing that the Assembly’s oversight of the executive is very important, Sutour said that Serbia is a country moving toward the European Union, adding that the French Senate and France itself believe that the Western Balkans should be part of the European Union, and that ,after Slovenia and Croatia, it was now Serbia’s turn to join the EU.

Sutour was especially pleased by the negotiations lead in Brussels under the patronage of Catherine Ashton, explaining that they were followed by an initiative to pass a resolution in support of Serbia’s Euro-integration, which the Senate passed unanimously. He said that the Resolution is an encouragement to the Government and Parliament to continue on the same road, as well as put some pressure on the French Government to continue to support Serbia in the Council of Europe. Sutour explained that the visit of the French delegation is also a sign of support and encouragement to their future European partner.

Senator Sutour commended the decision of the European Union Council of Ministers to open negotiations, saying he expected the process itself to be set in motion very soon. The Chair of the French Senate’s Committee for European Affairs was especially pleased by the fact that Serbia was taking part in all of the European Union’s parliamentary activities as a candidate country. The process has only just begun, said Sutour adding that there is a roadmap that has to be followed, with a special focus on the judiciary. He noted that the requests coming from Europe can help both the Government and Parliament conduct the necessary reforms and concluded that he believed the entire process would go quickly because France believes in Serbia.

Speaker Stefanovic noted that Serbia sometimes misses a stronger participation of France in the processes it is going through, considering the two countries’ friendly relations, and adding that Serbia is ready to put maximum efforts into reforms, first and foremost for the sake of its people, and hoping that they would all be completed by 2020, before joining the European Union.

Stefanovic stressed that judiciary reform sets the groundwork for other reforms. The introduction of zero tolerance for corruption changes the way we used to think, because we have previously been preoccupied with the practice of appointing judges based on political affiliation. Now, continued Stefanovic, one can become a judge only after completion of the judiciary academy.

The National Assembly Speaker opined that Serbia needs investment, especially from European countries, but added that securing a safe investment climate is a pre-condition for attracting foreign investors. In the reform of state administration, continued Stefanovic, we were met with resistance due to the previously set up massive administrative apparatus often formed by political affiliation. Stefanovic highlighted the problem of breaking with the previous practice of subsidizing state-owned companies which used these funds to pay their employees’ salaries. As an example he mentioned the cooperation project with Etihad Airways which turned the erstwhile loss-maker JAT Airways into a new national airline which should be making profit as soon as next year.

Informing the guests about the new income tax on earnings higher than 60 thousand RSD, Stefanovic added that the income gained from it would be used for the economy and infrastructural projects, and not to patch up budgetary losses.