National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia

Veljko Odalovic, Bachelor of Laws

Contact telephone: 011/3026-163; 3026-243

e-mail: sekretar@parlament.rs

Veljko Odalovic was born in 1956 in the village of Vrelo, MA Lipljan, AP Kosovo-Metohija. He finished primary and secondary school in Kosovo Polje, and the Faculty of Law of the University of Pristina.

From 1987 to 1989, at the newly-formed municipality of Kosovo Polje, he performed the duty of secretary of the municipal commission for the prevention of displacement and return of the displaced from MA Kosovo Polje. In the period from 1989 to 1990 he was an advisor at the Executive Council of the Republic of Serbia, and from 1990 to 1992 advisor at the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

In 1990, after the enactment of the “Constitution of Kacanik”, the Municipal Assembly of Kacanik was dissolved and a Provisional Municipal Council was appointed of which he was the Chairman until 1992.

After the new organisation of public administration in the Republic of Serbia and the introduction of Districts as special organizational forms, from 1992 to 1995 he worked as Assistant Prefect on the formation and organization of the Kosovo District.

He performed the duty of Deputy Prefect of Kosovo District in the period from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to April 2001 he was the Prefect of Kosovo District.

In the period from 1997 to 2001 he also performed the following state functions: Chairman of the Governing Board of Pristina Student Centre, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Provincial Health Protection Institute, member of the Pristina University Council.

In the Transitional Government of the Republic of Serbia from 25 October 2000 to 25 January 2001 he performed the function of Minister of Local Self-Government.

At the 2000 election he was elected MP to the Federal Assembly’s Council of Citizens and remained at the function until 2003 when the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was formed.

He continued to perform the duty of MP in the period from 2003 to 2006 when the state union broke apart. In both mandates he was the Deputy Head of the Socialist Party of Serbia Parliamentary Group, he was also a member of several working bodies and assembly committees and in the period from 2003 to 2006 he was also the Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Kosovo-Metohija.

In March 2005, when the Working Group for Missing Persons from Kosovo-Metohija resumed its operation within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, he was appointed head of the same which is a duty he continues to perform.

In September 2006 the Government of the Republic of Serbia appointed him Chairman of the Commission on Missing Persons of the Government of the Republic of Serbia which is a function he still holds.

In October 2006, at the proposal of the Socialist Party of Serbia, the National Assembly appointed him deputy member of the Republic Electoral Commission, and since 2007 he has been a member of the Republic Electoral Commission.

He has been performing the function of Republic Electoral Commission Secretary since 2009.

He has been the Secretary General of the National Assembly since 2008.

He has been a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia since its foundation in 1990. He has held numerous responsible positions in the party: member of the SPS Main Board, member of the SPS Executive Board, member of the SPS Kosovo-Metohija Provincial Board and in two mandates President of the Statutory Commission of the Socialist Party of Serbia.

Married, father of two sons.

As an employee of the National Assembly Service took part in the work of the following working groups:

• for the drafting of the Law on the National Assembly;
  

• for the drafting of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly;

• for the drafting of the Uniform Methodological Rules for Legislative Drafting;

• for the drafting of the Instructions for the Preparation of Informative Reviews (for the needs of the National Assembly working bodies);

• for the drafting of the Rulebook on the request procedure for research and drafting of research papers of the National Assembly Library;

• for the construction of the new internet presentation of the National Assembly;

• for the drafting of the Long-term development plan of the Service for the period 2011 – 2015 and the 2011 annual activity plan of the Service;

• for the drafting of the National Assembly Service communication strategies.

• for the drafting of the Long-term communication development plan of the National Assembly Service for the period 2011 – 2015;

• for the drafting of the Long-term education plan of the employees of the National Assembly Service for the period 2011 – 2015;

• On November 5, 2010, by decree of the Director of the Serbian Government’s European Integration Office named member of the sector Working Group for public administration reform.
  

• Cooperates with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in projects aimed at strengthening the National Assembly’s legislative and control function and improving the National Assembly’s communication with the public.
  
  
• Cooperates with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Separation of Powers Program in the project aimed at promoting the development of the National Assembly’s organizational capacities, transparency and financial dealings.
  
  
• Cooperates with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) in the project aimed at improving the legislative, control, research and human resources management and development capacities of the National Assembly Service.
  
  
• Cooperates with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on the project aimed at strengthening the capacities of the National Assembly and National Assembly Service in the spheres of legislation, European integration and promotion of the work of the Service.

• Chairman of the Working Group for the implementation of project “Strengthening the overall capacities of the National Assembly” with which the National Assembly applied for the expert assistance the European Union offers to countries in the accession process (Twinning);
  
  
• Along with his colleagues from the Service took part in the preparation of the project aimed at improving the legislative, control, research and human resources management and development capacities of the National Assembly Service currently realised in cooperation with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD)

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