At 10.30 a.m. on Thursday 20 October 2005, the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia opened the Third Session of the Second Regular Sitting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

The National Assembly adopted the following agenda for the session:

- Bill on the Prevention of Use of Illicit Substances in Sports, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Bill on Health and Safety at Work, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- the Bill on the Observance of Days of Public Mourning on the Territory of the Republic of Serbia, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Bill on the Liability of Manufacturers for Faulty Merchandise, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Bill Amending the Act on Fines for Business Criminal Offences and Misdemeanours, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Bill Amending and Modifying the Judges Act, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Ordering of Courts, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Misdemeanours Bill, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Public Roads Bill, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- State Audit Institution Bill, proposed by deputy Radojko Obradovic;
- Foreign Trade Bill, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Tobacco Bill, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Police Bill, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia;
- Report on the Activities of the Securities and Exchange Commission, with its associated Annual Report for 2004 and the Authorised Auditor’s Report, proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Republic of Serbia;
- Articles of Association of the Republic Broadcasting Agency, proposed by the Republic Broadcasting Agency;
- Proposal of the Financial Plan of the Republic Broadcasting Agency for 2005, proposed by the Republic Broadcasting Agency;
- Proposals for the termination of office, dismissal and appointment of judicial officials.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia is to hold a joint discussion in principle on the Bill on the Liability of Manufacturers for Faulty Merchandise, the Bill Amending the Act on Fines for Business Criminal Offences and Misdemeanours, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Judges Act, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Ordering of Courts, and the Misdemeanours Bill, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia is also to hold a joint discussion in principle on the Articles of Association of the Republic Broadcasting Agency and the Proposal of the Financial Plan of the Republic Broadcasting Agency for 2005, proposed by the Republic Broadcasting Agency.

On the first day of the sitting, the National Assembly held a discussion in principle on the Bill on the Prevention of Use of Illicit Substances in Sports, and commenced discussion in principle on the Bill on Health and Safety at Work, proposed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
The Minister of Education in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Slobodan Vuksanovic, presented the Bill on the Prevention of Use of Illicit Substances in Sports to the deputies. Mr Vuksanovic underlined that adoption of the Bill was a very important international obligation of our country in the field of sports, as without its passage Serbia will be unable to take part in large international sporting events or organise international events. Mr Vuksanovic also said that the Bill precisely defines everything of relevance for the prevention of use of illicit substances in sports, as well as that all persons producing or trading in illicit substances would be subject to the Bill’s penalty provisions, with penalties ranging from fines, misdemeanour and criminal charges, to disqualification of athletes in case they use illicit substances.
At the start of the discussion of the Bill on Health and Safety at Work, the deputies were addressed by the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, Slobodan Lalovic, as representative of the proposer. Explaining why it was necessary to pass the Bill on Health and Safety at Work, Mr Lalovic underlined that it was necessary to regulate work safety in accordance with European standards, which would lead to maximum security for workers. Mr Lalovic said that prevention was the fundamental principle of the Bill, as well as that it foresees preventive action by requiring each employer to adopt an official risk assessment for each workplace.

On the second day of the sitting (24 October), the National Assembly concluded debate in principle on the Bill on Health and Safety at Work and, having heard opening remarks by the representative of the proposer, the Minister of Culture in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Dragan Kojadinovic, discussed the Bill on the Observance of Days of Public Mourning on the Territory of the Republic of Serbia in principle.

At the start of the joint debate in principle on the Bill on the Liability of Manufacturers for Faulty Merchandise, the Bill Amending the Act on Fines for Business Criminal Offences and Misdemeanours, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Judges Act, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Ordering of Courts, and the Misdemeanours Bill, the deputies were addressed by the Minister of Justice in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Zoran Stojkovic, who explained the most significant new provisions contained in the Bills. The National Assembly went on to discuss the Bills in principle.

On the third day of the session (25 October), after an introductory address made by the Minister of Capital Investment in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Velimir Ilic, the National Assembly discussed the Public Roads Bill in principle.

Deputy Radojko Obradovic, submitter of the State Audit Institution Bill, then explained the importance of passing this piece of legislation, as well as its most important elements. Until the end of the day’s work, the deputies debated the State Audit Institution Bill, and finally concluded discussion on this item of the agenda.

At the start of the fourth day of the session (26 October), the Minister of International Economic Relations, Dr Milan Parivodic, presented solutions contained in the Foreign Trade Bill, underlining that it was being harmonised with WTO principles and EU law, so as to enable Serbia to be counted as one of the world’s modern economies. Such a systemic law aims at striking the right measure between the freedom of entrepreneurship and more efficient, and legitimate, protection of Serbia’s economy.

The National Assembly then went on to discuss the Foreign Trade Bill in principle.

In the afternoon part of the session, the National Assembly discussed the Tobacco Bill in principle. In his address, the Minister of Finance in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Mladjan Dinkic, paid special attention to the Bill’s fiscal aspects, but not without mentioning its other aims, the regulation of growing, processing and trading in tobacco, as well as the effects on the health of the public, that will be achieved with the adoption of the Bill.

At the start of work on the fifth day of the session (31 October), the Minister of the Interior in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Dragan Jocic, presented the Police Bill to the National Assembly. He underlined that the Bill was a modern one, as well as that it was in full harmony with European standards of police conduct. The Bill, according to Mr Jocic, aimed at meeting two needs – a high level of protection for human and civic rights and freedoms in the exercise of police powers, and a high level of efficiency in suppressing security challenges and risks that the police face. Mr Jocic also explained some of the most important provisions contained in the Bill.

The deputies finished debating the Police Bill in principle by the end of the working day.

On the sixth day of the session (1 November), the National Assembly held joint discussion in principle on the Report on the Activities of the Securities and Exchange Commission, with its associated 2004 Annual Report and the Authorised Auditor’s Report, as well as joint discussion in principle on the Articles of Association of the Republic Broadcasting Agency and the Proposal of the Financial Plan of the Republic Broadcasting Agency for 2005.

On the seventh day of the session (2 November), the National Assembly discussed proposals of decisions on the termination of office, dismissal and appointment of judicial officials. At the beginning and end of discussion the deputies were addressed by the Minister of Justice in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Zoran Stojkovic, and the Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court of Serbia, Vida Petrovic-Skero.

The deputies then went on to discuss the particulars of the Bill on the Prevention of Use of Illicit Substances in Sports and the Bill on the Observance of Days of Public Mourning on the Territory of the Republic of Serbia.

On the eighth day of the session (3 November), the National Assembly discussed the particulars of the Bill on the Liability of Manufacturers for Faulty Merchandise, the Bill Amending the Act on Fines for Business Criminal Offences and Misdemeanours, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Judges Act, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Ordering of Courts, the Misdemeanours Bill, and the Public Roads Bill.

On 7 November, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Predrag Markovic, adjourned the session for the next working day, having established, via the electronic registration system, that one-third of the deputies were not present, and that conditions were therefore not met for the day’s session to commence.

On the ninth day of the session (8 November), the National Assembly concluded discussing the particulars of the State Audit Institution Bill and commenced discussion in principle on the Foreign Trade Bill.

On the eleventh day of the session (10 November), the National Assembly concluded discussing the particulars of the Police Bill that had taken up the entire day’s session.

As the National Assembly has discussed all items from the agenda, the Chairman of the National Assembly, Predrag Markovic, called a Voting Day session for all items from the agenda of the Third Session of the Second Regular Sitting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2005 for 10 a.m. on Monday 14 November.

On Voting Day (14 November), the National Assembly adopted, in their entirety, the Bill on the Prevention of Use of Illicit Substances in Sports, the Bill on Health and Safety at Work, the Bill on the Observance of Days of Public Mourning on the Territory of the Republic of Serbia, and the Bill on the Liability of Manufacturers for Faulty Merchandise.

The National Assembly went on to adopt, in their entirety, the Bill Amending the Act on Fines for Business Criminal Offences and Misdemeanours, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Judges Act, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Ordering of Courts, and the Misdemeanours Bill.

The National Assembly also adopted the Public Roads Bill, the State Audit Institution Bill, the Foreign Trade Bill, the Tobacco Bill, and the Police Bill, in their entirety.

The deputies also adopted the Proposal of the Decision Approving the Report on the Activities of the Securities and Exchange Commission, with its associated Annual Report for 2004 and the Authorised Auditor’s Report, proposals of Decisions granting consent to the Articles of Association and 2005 Financial Plan of the Republic Broadcasting Agency, as well as proposals of decisions on the termination of office, dismissal and appointment of judicial officials.

As the National Assembly had discussed and voted on all items from the agenda, the acting chairman, Vojislav Mihailovic, vice-chairman of the National Assembly, concluded the Third Session of the Second Regular Sitting of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2005.