The Speaker of the National Assembly, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic received today the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Rapporteurs Charles Gorens and Andreas Gross with whom she spoke of the political situation in Serbia, and particularly the National Assembly’s work.

The purpose of the visit was to become acquainted with the fulfillment of the obligations Serbia undertook by its accession to the Council of Europe, in order to complete a report for the PACE autumn session. Considering the significance of the parliament as one of the most important state institutions, the Council of Europe PA observers were interested in a possible improvement of its work efficiency. They showed a readiness to help in the preparation of the new Assembly’s Rules of Procedure, taking into consideration the experiences gathered from the work of parliaments of other states.

Speaker Djukic-Dejanovic stated that the standstill in the National Assembly’s work was caused by a small parliamentary majority and discrepancies in certain provisions of the Rules of Procedure. She stressed that passing the Law on the National Assembly, which is Serbia’s constitutional obligation, will allow the parliament a greater independence compared to other state institutions.

The Speaker of the National Assembly also informed the rapporteurs that a new delegation of the National Assembly to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly will be elected in the shortest possible time.