H.E. Ambassador Wolfram Maas congratulated his host Nebojsa Stefanovic on being elected National Assembly Speaker noting, at the end of his term of office, that he had enjoyed exceptional cooperation with the Serbian Parliament from the very beginning. Ambassador Maas said that he was impressed by the plans to make the Parliament’s work and activities “more visible”. He deemed these days very important for Serbia on its way toward developed European democracy, explaining that he was happy to see that in Serbia today, unlike in previous periods, it was possible to invite representatives of the opposition to join the Government, no matter whether that was realised or not. Ambassador Maas also said that the Parliament Speaker’s role was both very important and sensitive at the moment as it should unify both the institutionality and the interest of the parliamentary majority.

Stefanovic added that, in addition to strengthening its traditional role, in the upcoming period the parliament would work hard on opening avenues to economic cooperation. He deems that the improvement of the economic situation is imperative for Serbia. Speaking of the relations between the two parliaments, the National Assembly Speaker mentioned continued cooperation and the importance of parliamentary contacts with the country which is one of the most important members of the European Union and whose parliament, according to the Lisbon Agreement, would play a significant role in assessing Serbia’s progress toward full European Union membership. Stefanovic deemed it possible to expand cooperation on the parliamentary level, hoping for the German Parliament’s assistance based on that institution’s experience.