Parliament debating Schengen laws

Parliament has continued its session with a debate on laws needed for the liberalization of Serbia’s visa regime with the EU. MPs began the day citing breaches of the Code of Procedure, debating the financial crisis, exchanging criticisms, thus delaying the start of the joint debate on two laws vital for visa abolishment—the draft laws on foreigners and state frontiers. Parliament debating Schengen laws Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, outlining the draft laws, called on all parliamentary parties to set aside their political differences and approve the laws that will enable the abolishment of visas. He told parliament that the citizens could expect visas to be abolished for travel to EU countries, and called on them to apply for the new personal ID cards and travel documents that would be necessary. Outlining the draft laws on foreigners and state frontiers, Dacic stressed that these regulations would bring Serbia closer to the White Schengen List and to the adoption of European standards. The purpose of the law on state frontiers was to guarantee the integrity of state borders, prevent the spread of trans-border crime, improve health care and the environment, and prevent the illegal crossing of state borders and illegal immigration, said the minister. He emphasized that the law, which would replace its predecessors passed in 1979, would establish an effective system of frontier protection, high control standards and govern cooperation between all organs involved in that process. Adoption of the laws would meet the criteria for achieving the principle of integrated border management, and that is an open border for the free circulation of people and goods, and a closed border for all forms of criminal and other illegal activities, Dacic explained. The minister added that border protection would be dimilitarized and taken over from the army, and that these jobs would be performed by border police, working within MUP, on the basis of specific police powers defined by law. He explained that the law on foreigners would replace its predecessor enacted in 1980, and that Serbia would, for the first time as an independent country, monitor the issue of the entry, movements and stay of foreigners on its territory. The provisions of that law were compatible with Schengen Agreement standards on the entry and movements of foreigns in the EU, Dacic said. The minister said that the law would contain a lot of new features, such as different forms of visas—air transit A and B, short stay C, and temporary stay D. Last night, MPs ended the debate on international financial agreements that would enable access to loans worth EUR 186mn to be used for large infrastructure projects in Serbia. Earlier, parliament ended a joint discussion on a set of anti-corruption laws.

Parliament debating Schengen laws

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, outlining the draft laws, called on all parliamentary parties to set aside their political differences and approve the laws that will enable the abolishment of visas.

He told parliament that the citizens could expect visas to be abolished for travel to EU countries, and called on them to apply for the new personal ID cards and travel documents that would be necessary.

Outlining the draft laws on foreigners and state frontiers, Dačić stressed that these regulations would bring Serbia closer to the White Schengen List and to the adoption of European standards.

The purpose of the law on state frontiers was to guarantee the integrity of state borders, prevent the spread of trans-border crime, improve health care and the environment, and prevent the illegal crossing of state borders and illegal immigration, said the minister.

He emphasized that the law, which would replace its predecessors passed in 1979, would establish an effective system of frontier protection, high control standards and govern cooperation between all organs involved in that process.

Adoption of the laws would meet the criteria for achieving the principle of integrated border management, and that is an open border for the free circulation of people and goods, and a closed border for all forms of criminal and other illegal activities, Dačić explained.

The minister added that border protection would be dimilitarized and taken over from the army, and that these jobs would be performed by border police, working within MUP, on the basis of specific police powers defined by law.

He explained that the law on foreigners would replace its predecessor enacted in 1980, and that Serbia would, for the first time as an independent country, monitor the issue of the entry, movements and stay of foreigners on its territory.

The provisions of that law were compatible with Schengen Agreement standards on the entry and movements of foreigns in the EU, Dačić said.

The minister said that the law would contain a lot of new features, such as different forms of visas—air transit A and B, short stay C, and temporary stay D.

Last night, MPs ended the debate on international financial agreements that would enable access to loans worth EUR 186mn to be used for large infrastructure projects in Serbia.

Earlier, parliament ended a joint discussion on a set of anti-corruption laws.