At the meeting held on 3 February 2010, at 2 p.m. at the National Assembly House, the National Assembly Speaker Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and the representatives of the Deputy Groups discussed the Draft version of the Law on the National Assembly. The NARS Speaker stated that the final version of the Bill would be completed next week and the document was expected to be adopted by 1 March at the latest i.e. before the regular spring session.

After the meeting with the representatives of the deputy clubs, Djukic-Dejanovic said that the final text would address the most important issues concerning the Parliament’s status and functioning. The Serbian Assembly Speaker specified that this law would not regulate the issue of deputies’ salaries and pensions, that the deputies’ terms of office were regulated by the Law on Election of Deputies, and that the issue of their immunity was regulated according to the Constitution and the law.

“The Law on the Assembly will be passed for the first time, which is a constitutional duty, as well as the duty of the deputies to regulate the representative house legally in order to allow it its position, reputation and dignity”, the Assembly Speaker said.

According to the Draft version of the Law, the funds for the Parliament’s work would be allocated in the Serbian budget, and the Parliament would have its own account and dispose of the funds independently. The Draft version stipulated that the Parliamentary Secretary prepare the parliamentary budget proposal and forward it for adoption to the competent committee which would adopt it and forward it in turn to the minister in charge. Once consensus is reached, the proposed assembly budget is included in the draft of the republican budget, and in case there is no consensus –the Government is obliged to include the proposed assembly budget adopted by the competent assembly committee into the Serbian budget bill. Internal control of the disposal of the assembly budget is conducted by an internal auditor answerable to the Assembly’s Secretary General, who submits quarterly reports on the usage and disposal of the funds to the competent committee. The Serbian Government cannot suspend the discharge of the assembly budget without the consent of the Serbian Assembly.

Some on the innovations include the deputies taking an oath before the citizens and the regular sessions being opened and closed by the national anthem and a guard of honour.