Security Services Control Committee Chairman Momir Stojanovic said that the conference aims to exchange comparative experiences of the countries in the region with the purpose of overcoming the existing challenges of parliamentary supervision of security and intelligence services. He said he was sure the conference would contribute to the stability of the region and initiate new opportunities for cooperation, which is also expected from Serbia’s OSCE chairmanship in 2015.

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Konstantin Arsenovic underlined the importance of the attendance of parliamentary committees in charge of supervising security services from Albania, Macedonia and Croatia, deeming that it confirms how important they consider the cooperation on security and intelligence matters in the region.

The participants of the conference were also greeted by Swiss Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Jean-Daniel Ruch who said that Switzerland wishes to endorse all efforts toward improving regional cooperation. He spoke of the progress Serbia has achieved in the sphere of security services control noted by the European Commission in its 2014 Report, underlining the Ombudsman’s control role as best practice example.

The participants of the conference exchanged information on the experience garnered by their respective parliaments in the supervision of security and intelligence services. In the discussion, they detected the differences in the committees’ mandates, authority and practice, so as to map specific challenges and limitations in the supervision and identify best practice examples.

The conference was attended by representatives of parliamentary committees in charge of supervising security and intelligence services of Albania, Macedonia, Croatia and Serbia, as well as experts for security and intelligence activities, parliamentary supervision and judiciary supervision.

Click here to see the conclusions adopted at the end of the regional conference.