Chairperson of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia convened the Fifth Session of the Second Regular Sitting in 2002 for 10 December, beginning at 10 am.

Before setting the agenda of the session, the National Assembly adopted a motion to discuss, using emergency procedure, the Bill on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the year 2000, the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2002, the Bill on the Volume of Assets and the Participation of Municipalities and Cities in the Salaries Tax and the Turnover Tax in 2003, all of which had been submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the Proposal of a Decision to Nominate the Chairman and Members of the Board for the Reconstruction and Development of Sremski Karlovci, submitted by Deputy Ivan Andric.

The National Assembly did not adopt the motion to discuss the Telecommunications Bill, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, using emergency procedure.

The National Assembly adopted the following agenda:

1. Bill on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2000, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,

2. Bill on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2001, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,

3. Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2002, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,

4. Bill on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2003, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,

5. Bill on the Volume of Assets and the Participation of Municipalities and Cities in the Salaries Tax and the Turnover Tax in 2003, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,

6. Bill Amending and Modifying the Budgetary System Act, submitted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,

7. Proposal of a Decision to Nominate the Chairman and Members of the Board for the Reconstruction and Development of Sremski Karlovci, submitted by Deputy Ivan Andric.

The Minister of Finance and the Economy in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Bozidar Djelic, provided the introductory notes for the Bill on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2000. When work resumed, the Deputies discussed the Bill in principle and in particular.

During the afternoon part of the session, at the beginning of the debate in principle on the Bill on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2001, the Deputies were addressed by the Minister of Finance and the Economy, Bozidar Djelic, and the Minister for Foreign Economic Relations Goran Pitic.

On the second day of work (11 December), the National Assembly completed the debate in principle and in particular on the Bill on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2001.

The Deputies were then addressed, on the subject of the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2002, by the Minister of Finance and the Economy Bozidar Djelic, and, when work resumed, debate in principle on this Bill began.

During the morning part of the third day of work (12 December), the Deputies debated the Bill in principle and discussed amendments submitted to it.

In the afternoon part of the day's work, the National Assembly commenced to debate in principle the Bill on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2003.

As the debate began, the Deputies were addressed by the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Dr Zoran Djindjic, while other speakers included the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Bozidar Djelic, Minister of Social Affairs Gordana Matkovic, Minister of Science, Technology and Development Dragan Domazet, Minister of Education and Sports Gaso Knezevic, Minister of the Economy and Privatisation Aleksandar Vlahovic, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resources Dragan Veselinov, Minister of Environmental Protection Andjelka Mihajlov, Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic, Minister of Religious Affairs Vojislav Milovanovic and Minister of Justice Vladan Batic.

In the late evening, the National Assembly concluded debate in principle on the Bill on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2003.

On the fourth day of work (13 December), the National Assembly went on to debate amendments submitted to the Bill on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2003. Late in the day, having concluded debate on the particulars of the Bill, the Assembly adopted as a whole the Bill Amending and Modifying the Act on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2002 and the Bill on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Year 2003.

The National Assembly continued work on Tuesday 17 December by discussing in principle the Bill on the Volume of Assets and the Participation of Municipalities and Cities in the Salaries Tax and the Turnover Tax in 2003. The Deputies were addressed by the Minister of Finance and the Economy Bozidar Djelic and the Minister of Local Self-government Rodoljub Sabic. In the afternoon part of the session, the Deputies concluded debate in principle on this Bill, as well as on amendments submitted to it, and commenced debate in principle on the Bill Amending and Modifying the Budgetary System Act.

During the morning part of the session, on the sixth day of work (18 December), the National Assembly dealt with the Bill Amending and Modifying the Budgetary System Act, discussing it in principle and then going on to discuss amendments submitted to it. The assembly then held a joint debate on the Proposal of a Decision to Nominate the Chairman and Members of the Board for the Reconstruction and Development of Sremski Karlovci.

The National Assembly noted the confirmation of mandates for Deputies Ana Tasic and Dragica Radulovic, elected on the Party of Serb Unity - Borislav Pelevic electoral list.

The afternoon part of the session was set aside for voting on previously discussed Bills. The National Assembly first adopted as wholes the Bills on the End-of-Year Balance of the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for the Years 2000 and 2001, and then went on to adopt the Bill on the Volume of Assets and the Participation of Municipalities and Cities in the Salaries Tax and the Turnover Tax in 2003 and the Bill Amending and Modifying the Budgetary System Act.

With the adoption of the the Proposal of a Decision to Nominate the Chairman and Members of the Board for the Reconstruction and Development of Sremski Karlovci, the National Assembly concluded the Fifth Session of its Second Regular Sitting in 2002.