Parliament continues statute debate

The Serbian parliament wrapped up initial debates of the law for transferring authorities on Tuesday and began debating the Vojvodina statute. The ruling coalition parties and opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have announced that they would vote in favor of the acts, while all other opposition parties are demanding that the drafts be pulled from parliamentary procedures because they say they would lead to Vojvodina’s secession from Serbia. Parliament continues statute debate Presenting the bill, Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic stated that it should be urgently adopted in order to ensure an undisturbed work of provincial bodies. Djukic-Dejanovic pointed out that, at the session on November 18, the Constitutional Committee of the Serbian parliament formulated the proposal of the decision on granting prior consent to the bill on the Vojvodina statute and submitted it to MPs for discussion and adoption. The bill on the statute was adopted by the Vojvodina assembly on October 14, 2008, and it was presented to the state parliament at the beginning of November. In the meantime, at the request of the provincial parliament, the document was withdrawn from procedure, due to the modifications to the article which refers to the status of Novi Sad. After the modifications, this town was defined as the main administrative center of Vojvodina, rather than as its capital. The bill on the statute further says that the property of Vojvodina and the way it is used is regulated by law, and that the property refers to the facilities used by Vojvodina bodies, institutions and public companies, all of which are founded by the province of Vojvodina. Vojvodina is also in the possession of all other corresponding mobile and immobile assets. The draft also says that Vojvodina is an autonomous province of citizens who live in it, within Serbia's structure, that Vojvodina is a region which nurtures multiculturalism, multi confessional orientation and other European principles and values, and that it is an inseparable part of the Republic of Serbia. With the adoption of the draft laws, the province would receive 150 new authorities, but Vojvodina Finance Secretary Jovica Djukic told B92 that funds that are yet to be set aside are needed for the implementation of these acts. “It is important to mention that we do not have a defined method of financing in our laws and that it should be regulated with special laws. The state, even now in the 2010 budget preparations, is defining the financing of the province for next year,” Djukic said. He added that he hopes that this will be the last time state budget laws will confirm funds for the province and that there will be new financing laws in power soon. “I hope that the new law will be a permanent solution, or at least a long-term one for the question of financing, but also, that it will enable the province to plan with more confidence than it has been able to up until now,” Djukic said.

Parliament continues statute debate

Presenting the bill, Parliament Speaker Slavica Đukic-Dejanović stated that it should be urgently adopted in order to ensure an undisturbed work of provincial bodies.

Đukic-Dejanović pointed out that, at the session on November 18, the Constitutional Committee of the Serbian parliament formulated the proposal of the decision on granting prior consent to the bill on the Vojvodina statute and submitted it to MPs for discussion and adoption.

The bill on the statute was adopted by the Vojvodina assembly on October 14, 2008, and it was presented to the state parliament at the beginning of November.

In the meantime, at the request of the provincial parliament, the document was withdrawn from procedure, due to the modifications to the article which refers to the status of Novi Sad.

After the modifications, this town was defined as the main administrative center of Vojvodina, rather than as its capital.

The bill on the statute further says that the property of Vojvodina and the way it is used is regulated by law, and that the property refers to the facilities used by Vojvodina bodies, institutions and public companies, all of which are founded by the province of Vojvodina. Vojvodina is also in the possession of all other corresponding mobile and immobile assets.

The draft also says that Vojvodina is an autonomous province of citizens who live in it, within Serbia's structure, that Vojvodina is a region which nurtures multiculturalism, multi confessional orientation and other European principles and values, and that it is an inseparable part of the Republic of Serbia.

With the adoption of the draft laws, the province would receive 150 new authorities, but Vojvodina Finance Secretary Jovica Đukić told B92 that funds that are yet to be set aside are needed for the implementation of these acts.

“It is important to mention that we do not have a defined method of financing in our laws and that it should be regulated with special laws. The state, even now in the 2010 budget preparations, is defining the financing of the province for next year,” Đukić said.

He added that he hopes that this will be the last time state budget laws will confirm funds for the province and that there will be new financing laws in power soon.

“I hope that the new law will be a permanent solution, or at least a long-term one for the question of financing, but also, that it will enable the province to plan with more confidence than it has been able to up until now,” Đukić said.