The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, convened the Third Sitting of the Second Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2009, for Friday, 30 October 2009, starting at 11 a.m.

The National Assembly adopted the following agenda:

1. The Bill on the Confirmation of the Loan Agreement (Corridor 10 Motorway Project) between the Republic of Serbia and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development,

2. The Bill on the Confirmation of the Agreement on economic and technical cooperation in the field of infrastructure between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the People’s Republic of China, and

3. The Bill on the Confirmation of Cooperation Agreement between the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and amendments to the Cooperation Agreement between the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, submitted by the Government, under urgent procedure.

At the beginning of the proceedings, National Assembly Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic informed the deputies of an attack on deputy Biljana Hasanovic-Korac and denounced all types of violence.

The National Assembly did not accept the proposal made by Democratic Party of Serbia–Vojislav Kostunica Deputy Group that the Bill on establishing the jurisdiction of AP Vojvodina, submitted by a group of deputies of the Democratic Party of Serbia and New Serbia, be included into the agenda.

The National Assembly accepted the proposal to conduct a joint unified discussion on all the items on the adopted agenda.

The Bills confirming international agreements were elaborated by Minister of Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic. He said that the agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the construction of part of Corridor 10, envisages a loan of 127 million EUR, adding that it is a 20-year loan with an 8-year grace period. The agreement was signed in July this year and shall come into force 120 days after the signing, i.e. on 9 November. Corridor 10 Company, founded by PC Serbian Roads shall be in charge of the construction work.

Presenting the Bill on the Confirmation of the Agreement on economic and technical cooperation in the field of infrastructure between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the People’s Republic of China, Minister Mrkonjic said that it sets the groundwork for future cooperation agreements with China in the spheres of infrastructure, energy and telecommunications. He also pointed out the importance of confirming the Cooperation Agreement between the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and amendments to the Cooperation Agreement between the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which shall contribute to obtaining better operational data on the weather.

Opposition deputies pointed out how important investment and loans are for infrastructural projects, but also objected that the agreements do not specify the manner of spending the funds, adding that the Government forwarded these documents to the National Assembly for ratification at the last moment. In addition, they pointed out the danger of the country’s speedy descent into debt.

Concluding the joint unified discussion on the items on the agenda for the Third Sitting of the Second Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2009, the National Assembly Speaker, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, scheduled Voting Day for 30 October, starting at 3,44 p.m.

On Voting Day, the National Assembly adopted the Bill on the Confirmation of the Loan Agreement (Corridor 10 Motorway Project) between the Republic of Serbia and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Bill on the Confirmation of the Agreement on economic and technical cooperation in the field of infrastructure between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the People’s Republic of China and Bill on the Confirmation of Cooperation Agreement between the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and amendments to the Cooperation Agreement between the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in their entirety.

Since the National Assembly had completed the discussion on all the items on the agenda and ruled on them, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, concluded the Third Sitting of the Second Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2009.