Parliament ends session without SAA debate

The parliament session in Belgrade today ended without a debate on the announced items of the agenda. This was preceded by a decision to debate laws on international contracts on loans and donations as a single topic. Parliament ends session without SAA debate The proposal was submitted by the DS-led "For a European Serbia" parliamentary group, although the opposition, including the DSS, NS, SRS and LDP, asked for an explanation as to what made about a dozen laws set to confirm international loans and donations mutually connected. But the majority decided to vote in favor of this proposal as the meeting continued after 14:00 CET, with the Radicals lodging complaints pertaining to breaches of the rules of procedure, rather than with the announced debate on the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). In other words, since the agenda was not adopted, the parliament session technically never started today. The DS whip, Nada Kolundzija, earlier on Thursday accused the opposition of in this manner obstructing parliament's work. Instead of the new resolution on Kosovo, the first item on parliament’s agenda was set to be the SAA. The agenda was reordered yesterday morning after the parties failed to reach agreement over the text of the draft resolution on continuing the state policy on Kosovo. Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, SPS, said that consultations with party representatives would continue in the morning. Following the withdrawal of the government’s draft resolution prior to the debate, the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) became the first item of the agenda. Ratification of that agreement in parliament means finally binding Serbia to the EU, explains Tanja Miscevic, the director of the Government Office for Association. “It’s usual for the state that concludes this kind of agreement with the EU to ratify it long before the EU itself does, as it requires ratification by all the member-states. The very act of ratification means the state’s clear determination for the process of European integration and association,“ says Miscevic. She expects party representatives to repeat their already well-known criticism in parliament, above all, concerning the position of Kosovo in the SAA. “I believe that the agreement is an important guarantee of both constitutional provisions, but also the position that Kosovo is a part of Serbia, that it respects Resolution 1244. The second thing that could be the subject of criticism is conditioning the SAA’s entry into force on the completion of full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, especially in view of the latest verdicts there in the cases of [Ramush] Haradinaj and [Naser] Oric,“ says Miscevic. Ratification of the SAA should, judging by what the parties have been saying, pass off without any problems. However, the government was unable yesterday to secure a majority for its draft resolution on Kosovo. The opposition, unhappy that they had not been consulted during the draft’s formulation, has proposed two texts to the government. Even certain parties in the governing coalition were unhappy with the original version’s contents. The League of Vojvodina Social Democrats asked Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic to state why he now supported the resolution, when he had always voted against it during the last government. Consultations followed with the prime minister, and it was agreed to finalize one of the draft resolutions, and for Kosovo to be the last item on the emergency session’s agenda, and not the first, as initially planned. The decision was announced by Djukic-Dejanovic. “This is an attempt to make a joint text, as parliament did before. We’ll do our bit to make the contents of as high a quality as possible,“ she said. Besides ratification of the SAA and the resolution on Kosovo, also on the agenda are the ratification of the energy deal with Russia, as well as a number of agreements on loans for road and bridge reconstruction, including a loan for repairs to the Gazela bridge in Belgrade. The Parliamentary Committee for European Integration gave principle backing last night to draft laws on ratification of the SAA, and ratification of the transitional trade agreement with the EU. Radical and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) members voted against the agreement. MPs seen during the break today (FoNet)

Parliament ends session without SAA debate

The proposal was submitted by the DS-led "For a European Serbia" parliamentary group, although the opposition, including the DSS, NS, SRS and LDP, asked for an explanation as to what made about a dozen laws set to confirm international loans and donations mutually connected.

But the majority decided to vote in favor of this proposal as the meeting continued after 14:00 CET, with the Radicals lodging complaints pertaining to breaches of the rules of procedure, rather than with the announced debate on the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA).

In other words, since the agenda was not adopted, the parliament session technically never started today.

The DS whip, Nada Kolundžija, earlier on Thursday accused the opposition of in this manner obstructing parliament's work.

Instead of the new resolution on Kosovo, the first item on parliament’s agenda was set to be the SAA.

The agenda was reordered yesterday morning after the parties failed to reach agreement over the text of the draft resolution on continuing the state policy on Kosovo. Parliamentary Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović, SPS, said that consultations with party representatives would continue in the morning.

Following the withdrawal of the government’s draft resolution prior to the debate, the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) became the first item of the agenda.

Ratification of that agreement in parliament means finally binding Serbia to the EU, explains Tanja Miščević, the director of the Government Office for Association.

“It’s usual for the state that concludes this kind of agreement with the EU to ratify it long before the EU itself does, as it requires ratification by all the member-states. The very act of ratification means the state’s clear determination for the process of European integration and association,“ says Miščević.

She expects party representatives to repeat their already well-known criticism in parliament, above all, concerning the position of Kosovo in the SAA.

“I believe that the agreement is an important guarantee of both constitutional provisions, but also the position that Kosovo is a part of Serbia, that it respects Resolution 1244. The second thing that could be the subject of criticism is conditioning the SAA’s entry into force on the completion of full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, especially in view of the latest verdicts there in the cases of [Ramush] Haradinaj and [Naser] Orić,“ says Miščević.

Ratification of the SAA should, judging by what the parties have been saying, pass off without any problems.

However, the government was unable yesterday to secure a majority for its draft resolution on Kosovo.

The opposition, unhappy that they had not been consulted during the draft’s formulation, has proposed two texts to the government. Even certain parties in the governing coalition were unhappy with the original version’s contents. The League of Vojvodina Social Democrats asked Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković to state why he now supported the resolution, when he had always voted against it during the last government.

Consultations followed with the prime minister, and it was agreed to finalize one of the draft resolutions, and for Kosovo to be the last item on the emergency session’s agenda, and not the first, as initially planned.

The decision was announced by Đukić-Dejanović.

“This is an attempt to make a joint text, as parliament did before. We’ll do our bit to make the contents of as high a quality as possible,“ she said.

Besides ratification of the SAA and the resolution on Kosovo, also on the agenda are the ratification of the energy deal with Russia, as well as a number of agreements on loans for road and bridge reconstruction, including a loan for repairs to the Gazela bridge in Belgrade.

The Parliamentary Committee for European Integration gave principle backing last night to draft laws on ratification of the SAA, and ratification of the transitional trade agreement with the EU.

Radical and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) members voted against the agreement.