At the beginning of the meeting, the Chairperson of the Serbian Parliamentary Energy Policy Forum Prof. Dr Aleksandra Tomic briefed the attending guests on the structure and work of the Parliamentary Forum and all the topics it discusses, stressing that the Forum was about include among its priorities the monitoring of topics closely connected to energy.

The reasons for adopting the Bill on Mining and Geological Research were presented on the behalf of the Ministry of Mining and Energy by Assistant Minister Sinisa Tanackovic. On the occasion, Tanackovic stressed that the Bill should be passed to ensure the regulation of geological research and mining, adding that the specificities of different types of mineral raw materials and geological resources were taken into consideration.

The Assistant Minister spoke about the most important innovations in the proposed legislation, stressing that the expropriation procedure for certain mineral resources i.e. raw materials of strategic significance for Serbia, is to be conducted according to special regulations.

Tanackovic also said that the Bill gives the local self-government units the right to issue permits for geological research and mining-related activities.

The Forum also discussed the defining of requirements physical entities need to meet for the performance of activities relating to geological research and mining, as well as the requirements for the issuance of licences in said fields envisaged by the Bill.

In the ensuing debate, the participants of the meeting of the Serbian Parliamentary Energy Policy Forum ascertained three amendments, to articles 3, 4 and 71 of the Bill on Mining and Geological Research.

On the behalf of the Ministry of Mining and Energy the meeting was attended by Assistant Minister Sinisa Tanackovic and associates, on the behalf of the Republic of Serbia Energy Agency by Council President Ljubo Macic, and representatives of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Energy and Mining Association, NIS, EPS, enterprises “Rudnik” and “Teragold”, and “Balkanmagazin” Internet magazine.

In addition to the Chairperson of the Serbian Parliamentary Energy Policy Forum Prof. Dr Aleksandra Tomic, the meeting was also attended by Forum members Zoran Babic, Dr Vladimir Orlic, Vera Paunovic, Milos Tosanic, Dordje Cabarkapa, Goran Ciric, Nada Lazic and MP Milinko Zivkovic.