"Vojvodina assembly will harmonize statute and bill"

Bojan Pajtic says he believes the Vojvodina assembly would accept conclusions on harmonizing the province's statute with the bill on defining its authorities. The president of the Executive Council of Vojvodina spoke on Thursday after the government adopted the draft bill. "Vojvodina assembly will harmonize statute and bill" The Executive Council has drafted the conclusions, and the assembly will meet on November 7, when, Pajtic believes, they will gain support in the form of "at least a two third majority". "We have resisted the pressures to make some fundamental changes to the statute for more than a year. We did not accept to erase a whole series of institutions that had been declared problematic in public, but which are important for a better life for Vojvodina's citizens," Pajtic stated. The conclusions pertain to legal and technical harmonization of the Vojvodina statute draft with the bill on jurisdiction. Both documents should then be sent to the Serbian parliament. The harmonization in the Vojvodina assembly and their adoption by the Serbian parliament will allow for the province to receive more than 150 new authorities, form institutions, such a development bank, open its own office of representation in Brussels, and take over public enterprises on its territory. Meanwhile, ruling United Serbia (JS) leader Dragan Markovic says MPs from his party will not approve the present text of the Vojvodina statute, "since it creates a state within a state". "The present text of the Vojvodina statute is unconstitutional and will not improve the lives of its people, but only give more power to politicians," he said. JS will not allow the creation of a state within a state, Markovic continued. Some articles of the statute envisage opening of offices in Vienna, Brussels, Paris and Moscow and conclusion of international agreements, he said, adding that the offices "might become diplomatic missions in the future". JS wants economic, not territorial decentralization of Vojvodina, he concluded.

"Vojvodina assembly will harmonize statute and bill"

The Executive Council has drafted the conclusions, and the assembly will meet on November 7, when, Pajtić believes, they will gain support in the form of "at least a two third majority".

"We have resisted the pressures to make some fundamental changes to the statute for more than a year. We did not accept to erase a whole series of institutions that had been declared problematic in public, but which are important for a better life for Vojvodina's citizens," Pajtić stated.

The conclusions pertain to legal and technical harmonization of the Vojvodina statute draft with the bill on jurisdiction. Both documents should then be sent to the Serbian parliament.

The harmonization in the Vojvodina assembly and their adoption by the Serbian parliament will allow for the province to receive more than 150 new authorities, form institutions, such a development bank, open its own office of representation in Brussels, and take over public enterprises on its territory.

Meanwhile, ruling United Serbia (JS) leader Dragan Marković says MPs from his party will not approve the present text of the Vojvodina statute, "since it creates a state within a state".

"The present text of the Vojvodina statute is unconstitutional and will not improve the lives of its people, but only give more power to politicians," he said.

JS will not allow the creation of a state within a state, Marković continued.

Some articles of the statute envisage opening of offices in Vienna, Brussels, Paris and Moscow and conclusion of international agreements, he said, adding that the offices "might become diplomatic missions in the future".

JS wants economic, not territorial decentralization of Vojvodina, he concluded.