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Rules of Procedure
V. COMMITTEES AND OTHER WORKING
BODIES OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
1. General Provisions
Article 40
Committees shall be established to consider and review issues falling
within the purview of the National Assembly, to propose official
documents, as well as to carry out reviews of policies pursued,
and laws, by-laws and other regulations implemented by the Government
of the Republic of Serbia, to be done by each Committee for the
field that falls within its purview; and also to perform other duties
foreseen by the present Rules of Procedure.
A Committee may appoint its Sub-Committees.
The National Assembly may establish boards of inquiry and commissions.
Article 41
The number of members of a Committee shall be determined by the
present Rules of Procedure, while the number of members of other
working bodies shall be determined by the decision on their establishment.
Deputies who are at the same time Government Ministers may not serve
on any Committee.
Article 42
During the term of office of a member of a Committee, and following
a proposal from the Deputies' Group to which the member belongs,
the National Assembly may relieve of duty the Committee member before
the expiry of his/her term of office and may elect a new Committee
member. The National Assembly shall decide on the dismissal and
election of a new member of the Committee at the first next sitting
following the communication of the appropriate motion from the Deputies'
Group.
In case of termination of office of a Committee member of his/her
own will, or by the will of the Deputies' Group he/she belongs to,
it shall be deemed that the remaining members of the Committee,
pending the election of a new member, represent the full membership
of the Committee, with the provision that their number must be larger
than half of the number of members of the Committee, as foreseen
by the present Rules of Procedure.
2. Standing Committees
Article 43
The following shall be Standing Committees:
1. Constitutional Issues Committee;
2. Legislative Committee;
3. Committee on Defence and Security;
4. Foreign Affairs Committee;
5. Justice and Administration Committee;
6. Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations;
7. Committee on Relations with Serbs Living Outside Serbia;
8. Committee on Development and International Economic Relations;
9. Finance Committee;
10. Industry Committee;
11. Committee on Transportation and Communications;
12. Committee on Urban Planning and Construction;
13. Agriculture Committee;
14. Committee on Trade and Tourism;
15. Privatisation Committee;
16. Committee on Kosovo and Metohia;
17. Committee on Health and the Family;
18. Committee on Environmental Protection;
19. Education Committee;
20. Youth and Sports Committee;
21. Culture and Information Committee;
22. Committee on Science and Technological Development;
23. Committee on Labour, Ex-Servicemen's and Social Issues;
24. Committee on Petitions and Proposals;
25. Economic Reforms Committee;
26. European Integrations Committee;
27. Poverty Reduction Committee;
28. Gender Equality Committee;
29. Local Self-Government Committee;
30. Administrative Committee.
Article 44
The Constitutional Issues Committee shall consider any proposals
to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, proposals to
amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
the Statutes of Autonomous Provinces in the procedure of granting
consent of the National Assembly, as well as proposals for initiating
the procedure of impeachment of the President of the Republic, as
well as any general issues concerning the application of the Constitution.
The Committee shall be chaired by the Chairperson of the National
Assembly.
The Committee shall be made up of twenty-five (25) members.
Article 45
The Legislative Committee shall consider Bills, proposals of other
regulations and by-laws addressed to the National Assembly to assess
compliance with the Constitution and the legal system. The Committee
shall also consider proposals for adoption of authentic interpretations
of laws, other regulations, or by-laws adopted by the National Assembly,
as well as issues of uniform legislative methodology and other issues
of relevance to the uniform legal and technical processing of documents
adopted by the National Assembly.
The Legislative Committee shall also consider reports submitted
by the Constitutional Court on the state and problems of adherence
to the Constitution and laws in the Republic, opinions and advice
of the Constitutional Court about the necessity of adopting and/or
amending laws and/or undertaking other measures to safeguard adherence
to the Constitution and laws, and shall also review proposals and
initiatives for initiating procedures for assessing whether laws,
other regulations, and by-laws adopted by the National Assembly
adhere to the Constitution.
The Committee shall monitor the development of the legal system
and report thereon to the National Assembly.
The Committee shall be made up of twenty-one (21) members.
Article 46
The Committee on Defence and Security shall consider Bills, and
proposals of other regulations and by-laws from the fields of public
and national security, activity reports on the security situation
in the Republic of Serbia submitted by the Ministry of the Interior
to the National Assembly upon its request; and shall exercise control
over security services and monitor other issues in the field of
security, in accordance with law.
The Committee shall be made up of seventeen (17) members.
Article 47
The Foreign Affairs Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws, as well as other issues in the
field of foreign policy, review major issues in the field of international
relations of particular interest to the Republic of Serbia, monitor
and consider the status of immigrants and migrant workers abroad,
examine appropriate documents so as to give its opinion to the National
Assembly on whether the National Assembly should grant its consent
for the conclusion of international agreements, propose to the National
Assembly aims and objectives for National Assembly delegations in
establishing co-operation with relevant representative bodies of
other nations, and review reports on visits made.
The Committee shall be made up of seventeen (17) members.
Article 48
The Justice and Administration Committee shall consider Bills, proposals
of other regulations and by-laws, as well as other issues in the
field of organisation of judicial authorities and actions taken
by such authorities and magistrates, enforcement of sentences, international
legal aid, organisation and work of government agencies and performance
of public duties, organisation of administrative bodies, the electoral
system, and the association of citizens into bodies.
The Committee shall provide its opinion on the appointment of presiding
judges of courts, of public prosecutors and assistant public prosecutors,
and of other judicial and administrative officials foreseen by law,
and shall propose decisions on the termination of their office,
or dismissal.
The Committee shall be made up of seventeen (17) members.
Article 49
The Committee on Inter-Ethnic Relations shall consider Bills, other
regulations and by-laws and other issues from the point of view
of the exercise of rights of ethnic communities and interethnic
relations in the Republic.
The Committee shall be made up of twenty-one (21) members.
Article 50
The Committee on Relations with Serbs Living Outside Serbia shall
consider issues from within the purview of the National Assembly
relating to the establishment and maintenance of relations, and
fostering relations with Serbs living outside the Republic of Serbia,
in order to contribute to their struggle for defending their national
identity.
The Committee shall be made up of twenty-five (25) members.
Article 51
The Committee on Development and International Economic Relations
shall consider development plans and programmes; economic development
and the financial and banking systems; foreign economic relations,
chambers of commerce and industry, public utility systems, the health
care system and developments in the fields of health care, social
security, ex-servicemen's and disability insurance, social care
for children and youth, education, culture and protection of cultural
heritage, physical culture, policy and measures for directing and
promoting development, including development of underdeveloped regions,
as well as issues of supply reserves.
The Committee shall be made up of seventeen (17) members.
Article 52
The Finance Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals of other
regulations and by-laws, as well as other issues in the fields of
the system of financing state functions, taxes, fees and other levies,
the Republic budget and annual balance, loans, guarantees, lotteries,
insurance, property rights and commercial and other relations, expropriation,
as well as other issues in the field of finance.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 53
The Industry Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals of other
regulations and by-laws and other issues in the field of industry,
excepting food industry, and the development and production of all
energy sources, as well as in the fields of mining, geological,
and seismological research.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 54
The Committee on Transportation and Communications shall consider
Bills, other regulations and by-laws and other issues in the field
of road transportation, railway transportation, transportation by
inland waterways and maritime transportation, air transportation,
postal traffic, and telecommunications.
The Committee shall be made up of eleven (11) members.
Article 55
The Committee on Urban Planning and Construction shall consider
Bills, proposals of other regulations and by-laws, and other issues
in the field of urban planning and zoning, housing and utilities,
construction, landscape architecture and use of urban land for development,
and land measurement and cadastral registry.
The Committee shall be made up of eleven (11) members.
Article 56
The Agriculture Committee shall consider Bills, proposals of other
regulations and by-laws and other issues in the field of agriculture,
food industry, water management, veterinary medicine, agricultural
co-operatives and rural development.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 57
The Committee on Trade and Tourism shall consider Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws and other issues in the field of
trade, catering and tourism, arts and crafts and other services.
The Committee shall be made up of eleven (11) members.
Article 58
The Privatisation Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws and other issues in the field of
privatisation, and shall discuss monthly reports from the Ministry
charged with privatisation on the state of the privatization process,
signed sale and purchase contracts for capital or property, privatisation
proceedings initiated, as well as on actions undertaken by privatisation
authorities and shall communicate to the National Assembly its opinions
and proposals in relation to such issues.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 59
The Committee on Kosovo and Metohia shall consider issues relating
to this province, primarily considering Serbian national and state
interests, propose appropriate decisions, declarations, resolutions
to the National Assembly, and monitor their implementation or realisation
by the appropriate bodies and institutions.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 60
The Committee on Health and the Family shall consider Bills, and
proposals of other regulations and by-laws, and other issues in
the fields of health care, the health care system and organisation
of health care activities, and demographic policy and family care.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 61
The Committee on Environmental Protection shall consider Bills,
and proposals of other regulations and by-laws and other issues
relating to environmental protection and improvement, preservation
and development of natural and man-made resources, sustainable use,
prevention and elimination of pollution of natural resources, as
well as other types and sources of threats to the environment, in
the fields of forestry, hunting, fishing, and climate science.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 62
The Education Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals of other
regulations and by-laws and other issues in the field of pre-school,
elementary and secondary education, and college and university education.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 63
The Youth and Sports Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws in the field of sports and physical
culture, as well as other issues from the point of view of the status
of young people.
The Committee shall be made up of eleven (11) members.
Article 64
The Culture and Information Committee shall consider Bills, and
proposals of other regulations and by-laws and other issues in the
fields of culture and public information.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 65
The Committee on Science and Technological Development shall consider
Bills, and proposals of other regulations and by-laws and other
issues in the fields of science and research, development of science,
and application of research at universities and research institutes,
as well as its corporate applications, and the development of new
technologies and their application.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 66
The Committee on Labour, Ex-Servicemen's and Social Issues shall
consider Bills, and proposals of other regulations and by-laws and
other issues in the fields of labour, safety at work, employment,
social welfare, social care for families and children, pension and
disability insurance, care for ex-servicemen who served in wars
of liberation, and disabled ex-servicemen and their family members,
care for victims of fascist terror and civilian victims of wars,
as well as other forms of social welfare.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 67
The Committee on Petitions and Proposals shall consider petitions
and proposals addressed to the National Assembly, propose to the
National Assembly and to appropriate bodies measures for the settlement
of issues contained therein, and inform the petitioners accordingly
if so requested.
The Committee shall submit a report to the National Assembly about
its observations concerning petitions and proposals at least once
during every regular sitting.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 68
The Economic Reforms Committee shall consider plans and programmes
of economic development, as well as Bills, and proposals of other
regulations and by-laws, and other issues from the fields of the
economic system and economic policy, and shall analyse and monitor
the implementation of economic reforms.
The Committee shall be made up of twenty-one (21) members, of which
12 shall be delegated from the following National Assembly Committees:
the Legislative Committee, the Committee on Development and International
Economic Co-operation, the Finance Committee, the Industry Committee,
the Committee on Urban Planning and Construction, the Agriculture
Committee, the Committee on Trade and Tourism, the Privatisation
Committee, the Environmental Protection Committee, the Committee
on Science and Technological Development, and the Committee on Labour,
Ex-Servicemen's and Social Issues. The remaining nine (9) members
shall be elected in the manner foreseen by provisions of Article
24 of the present Rules of Procedure.
Article 69
The European Integrations Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws from the point of view of their
degree of harmonisation with European Union and Council of Europe
legislation.
The Committee shall consider plans, programmes, reports and information
on the process of stabilisation and association with the European
Union, monitor the implementation of the accession strategy, initiate
proposals for accelerating implementation of the accession strategy,
inasmuch as they fall within the purview of the National Assembly,
propose measures for establishing general national consensus on
the strategy of accession to European integrations, and foster international
co-operation with parliamentary committees of other nations with
the aim of improving the understanding of processes of integration
and accession to the European Union.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 70
The Poverty Reduction Committee shall define the manner of National
Assembly participation in implementing the national poverty reduction
strategy, consider Bills, and proposals of other regulations and
by-laws, and other issues from the point of view of implementing
the poverty reduction strategy, monitor the process of adopting
the budget and allocating assets in relation to implementing the
strategy, provide suggestions, views, and assessments of implementing
the strategy, and strives to institutionalise the decision-making
process relating to the strategy, as well as to ensure civic participation
in it.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 71
The Gender Equality Committee shall consider Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws from the point of view of ensuring
gender equality (equality of sexes).
The Committee shall monitor implementation of policies, Bills, other
regulations and by-laws by the Government of the Republic of Serbia
and other bodies and officials reporting to the National Assembly
from the point of view of respecting gender equality.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 72
The Local Self-Government Committee considers Bills, and proposals
of other regulations and by-laws, and other issues relating to the
territorial organisation of the Republic of Serbia and the ordering,
election, powers, financing and manner of operation of local self-government
units' bodies and services.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
Article 73
The Administrative Committee shall:
- Prepare and propose regulations governing the issues of exercise
of the rights and duties of Deputies;
- Adopt individual documents on status-related issues concerning
Deputies and officials elected or appointed by the National Assembly
unless otherwise foreseen by law;
- Formulate proposals for the allocation of funds in the Republic
budget for the work of the National Assembly, see to the appropriate
use of such funds, and submit a report thereon to the National Assembly;
- Prepare and propose official documents on the organisation and
work of the National Assembly Support Service, and appoint and establish
salaries of Service employees;
- Adopt documents on handling materials considered state, official
or military secret and on storing such materials at the National
Assembly, as well as documents on internal order in the National
Assembly building, as well as other by-laws on the manner of exercise
of particular rights and duties of Deputies and employees of the
National Assembly Support Service, in accordance with law;
- Determine Deputies' seating arrangements in the Assembly chamber,
by Deputies' Groups;
- Decide whether to approve the remand in custody of a judge or
public prosecutor, in accordance with the Constitution;
- Also perform other duties foreseen by by-laws of the National
Assembly and/or required by the National Assembly.
The Committee shall consider:
- Reasons for the termination of office of particular Deputies,
submitting thereof reports to the National Assembly, along with
a proposal for the assignment of the newly-available mandate to
another Deputy in the manner foreseen by law;
- Reports from the Republic Electoral Commission and certificate
attesting to the election of Deputies, submitting to the National
Assembly its own reports with the proposal to verify the mandate
of such Deputies;
- Issues of application or denial of immunity to Deputies and other
officials, in cases foreseen by the Constitution;
- Other issues relating to Deputies' rights concerning their mandates
and immunity.
The Committee shall monitor the implementation of the present Rules
of Procedure, review and make proposals for amendments thereto,
and give opinions to the National Assembly at its request on the
application of particular provisions thereof.
The Committee shall be made up of fifteen (15) members.
3. Boards of Inquiry and Commissions
Article 74
Boards of inquiry and commissions shall be set up to carry out special
tasks foreseen in the decision on their establishment.
Article 75
The National Assembly may establish, from among the Deputies, boards
of inquiry in order to review the situation in a particular field
and establish facts about certain issues and/or events.
The decision to establish a board of inquiry shall define the composition
and terms of reference of the board of inquiry.
A board of inquiry may not carry out investigative or other judicial
activities.
A board of inquiry shall be entitled to request from government
agencies and other organisations data, documents and information,
as well as to interview individuals, if required.
Representatives of government agencies and organisations, as well
as members of the public, shall be obliged to make truthful statements,
and provide truthful data, documents and information to a board
of inquiry.
Upon completion of its work, the board of inquiry shall submit to
the National Assembly a report detailing proposed measures to be
taken.
The board of inquiry shall cease its operations on the date when
its report is voted on at a National Assembly sitting.
Article 76
The Chairperson of the National Assembly, at the proposal of a Committee,
board of inquiry, or commission, may contract research or professional
institutions, as well as individual scholars or professionals, in
order to study particular issues from within the purview of the
National Assembly.
4. Committee Sittings
Article 77
A sitting of a Committee shall be convened by its chairperson.
The chairperson of a Committee shall be obliged to convene a sitting
of the Committee at the request of at least one third of the total
number of its members, i.e. a third of the full membership of the
Committee, pursuant to Articles 25 and 43 of the present Rules of
Procedure, as well as at the request of the Chairperson of the National
Assembly. If the chairperson of the Committee should fail to do
so by the requested deadline, the sitting of the Committee shall
be convened by its vice-chairperson, or by the Chairperson of the
National Assembly.
A Committee shall deliberate in sitting regardless of the number
of Committee members present.
Information about the date and agenda of a Committee sitting shall
be communicated to all Deputies, Deputies' Groups and the Government
at least five (5) days prior to the holding of the Committee sitting.
Exceptionally, information about the date and the agenda may also
be communicated within a shorter period, but with the provision
that the Committee's Chairperson shall be obliged to explain reasons
for doing so at the Committee sitting.
Article 78
A Deputy who is not a member of the Committee may attend a Committee
sitting and take part in it, without, however, having the right
to vote.
When a Committee sitting is considering Bills and/or amendments
to Bills, the proposers of such Bills, or their authorised representatives,
shall be invited to attend the sitting.
Representatives of the Government and its agents may take part in
Committee sittings.
If invited, professionals and scholars may also take part in Committee
sittings.
When carrying out tasks within its purview, the Committee may, through
its chairperson, request from Ministries and other Republic agencies
data and information of relevance to activities of the Committee.
Article 79
A Committee shall adopt decisions by a majority of votes of its
members present if the sitting is attended by a majority of its
members.
Bills shall first be discussed in principle, and then in particular.
Articles of Bills to which amendments have been submitted, as well
as amendments proposing the introduction of new provisions, shall
be subjected to discussion in particular; the following may take
part in the discussion: Committee members, proposers of Bills and
their representatives, Government representatives if the Government
is not the proposer, proposers of amendments, and any Deputies attending
the Committee sitting.
After the discussion finishes, the Committee shall submit to the
National Assembly a report containing its opinion and proposals.
The Committee shall designate its Rapporteur who shall, if necessary,
present the report of the Committee report at a National Assembly
sitting.
At the request of a particular Committee member, his/her personal
opinion presented at the Committee sitting, if different from that
of the other members, shall feature separately in the report of
the Committee. He/she shall be entitled to present it at the outset
of the debate on the proposal of the document at the sitting of
the National Assembly.
Article 80
Minutes shall be kept at each Committee sitting.
The minutes shall include the names of present and absent Committee
members and names of other participants in the sitting, proposals
presented in verbal and written form, opinions of the Committee,
the outcome of every vote taken, each personal opinion differing
from that of the other members, as well as names of Rapporteurs
designated by the Committee.
The proceedings of each sitting of the Legislative Committee as
well as of the sittings of other Committees, if so requested by
the Committee in question, shall be noted down in shorthand or audio-taped.
Article 81
The provisions of the present Rules of Procedure on activities of
Committees shall apply accordingly to activities of the boards of
inquiry and commissions.
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Rules
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