On 16 December 2013, Voting Day of the Sixth Sitting of the Second Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in 2013, the National Assembly adopted the Resolution on the Role of the National Assembly and Principles in the Negotiations on the Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union. 158 MPs, representatives of all the parties except the Democratic Party of Serbia, voted in favour of the Resolution. The draft version of the Resolution was prepared by a Working Group comprising the members of the European Integration Committee, with the help of the National Assembly Support Service. In the course of the drafting of the Resolution the Working Group consulted representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Office for European Integration and members of civil society.
By the Resolution the National Assembly confirms the strategic goal of the Republic of Serbia to become a full member of the European Union and actively contribute to the successful conduction and completion of the negotiations. The Resolution underlines the importance of cooperation between the National Assembly and the Government, in charge of leading and coordinating the negotiations on the accession to the European Union, so that all political, economic, legislative and institutional EU membership criteria could be fulfilled in the quickest possible time.
The adoption of the Resolution achieves a political and social consensus on the structure and dynamics of the negotiations on the accession of Serbia to the European Union. Parallel to the negotiations, Serbia continues to align the national legislation with the EU acquis and stimulate economic growth to achieve economic and social security and well-being of all the citizens.
The Resolution stresses that the National Assembly committees in charge of issues from the relevant negotiating positions join the process following the negotiations, while the European Integration Committee will play the central role in coordinating all the activities.
Prior to determining a negotiating position for each chapter, the Government submits its proposed negotiating position to the European Integration Committee which passes an opinion and/or adopts recommendations which are then taken into consideration by the Government when adopting the negotiating position of which the relevant National Assembly Committee is informed. The Resolution states that the Government shall submit to the National Assembly a report on the process of negotiations on the accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union twice a year, i.e. every six months when the Presidency of the Council of the European Union rotates, and the report shall be considered at the session of the National Assembly. The Resolution also stipulates that the Head of the Negotiating Team shall submit a report to the European Integration Committee every three months or more frequently. The Government shall also report to the European Integration Committee the results of the bilateral screening for each negotiating chapter.
The National Assembly Support Service also prepared a Draft decision regulating the procedure for consideration of the proposed negotiating position at the sitting of the European Integration Committee and a committee within whose purview a matter concerning the negotiating position falls, the adoption of which is imminent.
By adopting the Resolution the National Assembly strengthens its control role in the negotiations and accession process and its readiness to ensure participation in all the stages of the negotiations on the accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union by cooperating with the civil society, experts and other stakeholders. At the same the public is kept informed, timely and continuously, on the course of the accession talks and the results achieved.

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