25.04.2018.
Serbian Assembly discusses the set of laws on defence
The Fourth Sitting of the First Regular Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia is being held today at the Grand Hall of the National Assembly House.
At today's session, Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin presented the package of laws to the parliamentarians and, explaining the laws in the field of defence, he urged MPs to support the efforts of the Government and the Ministry of Defence to further improve the defence system in all its segments by adopting the laws.
In his introductory statement, Minister Vulin pointed out that the engagement of members of the Serbian Armed Forces and other defence forces in multinational operations of the UN and the EU is an important element of foreign policy and that our country's participation in multinational operations shows that it is an active factor in preserving international peace and security thus strengthening its reputation in the international environment. In this way, the Serbian Armed Forces strengthens its own defence capabilities and protects the national security. He also added that the Proposal of the Annual Plan for the Engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces and Other Defence Forces in Multinational Operations in 2018 provides for maintaining the achieved level of engagement.
According to him, the Ministry of Defence planned in 2018, in line with the available capacities and material and financial resources, to continue engagement in five United Nations peacekeeping operations in Congo, Cyprus, Lebanon, the Middle East and the Central African Republic, and in four multinational operations of the European Union - two in Somalia (ATALANTA and EUTM Somalia), one in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA) and one in Mali (EUTM Mali).
The Minister of Defence also emphasized that the Proposal of the Annual Plan for the Engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces and Other Defence Forces in Multinational Operations in 2018 contains an EU crisis management operation, in which the Serbian Armed Forces did not take part so far, that is the operation in the Mediterranean, which was launched with the aim of mitigating the consequences and solving the migrant crisis in Europe.
Pointing out to its importance, Minister Vulin assessed that, having in mind that Serbia is on one of the main routes of the great wave of migrants, through the potential participation in the mentioned operation, we will continue to act as a responsible member of the international community and monitor the current developments in the wider region and plans of the international community aimed at solving, or mitigating the effects of the migrant crisis in Europe.
Continuing his presentation, the Minister of Defence added that the Proposal of the Annual Plan also expressed the readiness of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces to engage their members in humanitarian operations if needed, and engaging in a specific mission would depend on the invitation of an international organization, a regional initiative where the Republic of Serbia is a member or a state affected by a natural disaster, technical and technological and other catastrophic events, but also on the available resources of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
Minister Vulin recalled that currently, in total of nine UN- and EU-led multinational operations, 328 of our members have been engaged, and that in 20 multinational operations of the United Nations and the European Union in 2018, it has been planned to have engagement at the same level as in the previous year.
Speaking about financial resources, Minister Vulin pointed out that the necessary funds for the implementation of the Proposal of the Annual Plan for the Engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces and Other Defence Forces in Multinational Operations in 2018 amounted to RSD 2.337.072.000,00, and the requirements for the participation of the members of he Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces account for RSD 2.270.813.000,00. According to him, the Ministry of Defence provided 1,755,339,000.00 dinars, and the difference of 515,474,000.00 dinars will be provided by reimbursements that the UN will pay to the Ministry of Defence for the purpose of participation in multinational operations in 2018.
Speaking about the Bill on Military Education, Minster Vulin pointed out that it is of great importance to the defence system, because, as he added, the way we educate our future officers, non-commissioned officers, that is how our army will be.
As he pointed out, the Law on Military Schools and Military Scientific Research Institutions, enacted in 1994, is currently applied to the field of military education, and therefore a law on military education is needed as the adoption of this regulation that regulates the specific nature of military education would complete the process of harmonization of regulations and military educational institutions of the military system could become an integral part of the educational system of our country.
Speaking about the Law relating to the functioning of the Security and Information Agency, Minister Vulin pointed out that this law is necessary for the purpose of preserving the existing working rights status of the members of the Agency and for the purpose of harmonization with the adopted new laws.
Explaining the Bill amending the Law on Defence and Bill amending the Law on Serbian Armed Forces, Minister Vulin pointed out that they are the result of previous analyses in the implementation of the Law on Defence and the Law on the Serbian Armed Forces, adopted at the end of 2007 with amendments adopted in 2009 and 2015. He added that the adoption of these laws would ensure more efficient functioning of the defence system and the performance of the functions and tasks of the Serbian Armed Forces. He added that special attention was paid to the provisions related to improving the material position of professional members of the Armed Forces and raising their standards.
In his speech on the Bill on the Production and Trade of Arms and Military Equipment, the minister pointed out that this is one of the laws which is of crucial importance because the current law in this area was adopted in 1996 and regulates the production and trade of arms and military equipment in the country as an activity of general interest. The main reasons for the adoption of the new law are, as Minister Vulin pointed out, the establishment of a stable control mechanism in the production and trade of weapons and military equipment, as well as defining the condition and the way of forming groups of the Serbian defence industry, which is of strategic importance to our society.
Ministers of the Serbian Government, representatives of BIA, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, are attending today's session.
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