Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

New system of territorial autonomy and local self-government to be introduced

Vrsac, 28 December 2006

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said that the Serbian government has passed a Bill on territorial organisation of the Republic of Serbia at its session today in Vrsac, which will grant the status of city to some other settlements in the country.

Vojislav Kostunica

The Prime Minister announced that three strategies have been adopted which are important not only for the present but also for the future.

Namely, they are the Strategy on development of professional education, the Strategy on improving the position of the disabled in Serbia and the Strategy on adult education, he said.

Kostunica also said that the government decided today to settle the debt towards Serbian agriculture workers and pensioners before the due date, specifying that a quarter of the debt due to be regulated by 2010 towards farmers will be paid out on January 15 whereas pensioners will be paid one sixth of their debt on January 10, 2007.

The Prime Minister said that cooperation of Vrsac municipality and the Serbian government is a good form of cooperation and added that the Vrsac border crossing for international air traffic for this area represents an upsurge in growth for the region.

Zoran Loncar

Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Zoran Loncar said that the Bill on territorial organisation of the Republic of Serbia will grant the status of city to 12 more cities.

Namely, the cities will be Vranje, Zrenjanin, Krusevac, Kraljevo, Leskovac, Pancevo, Smederevo, Sremska Mitrovica, Subotica, Uzice, Cacak and Sabac he said and also recalled that currently only Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Kragujevac and Pristina hold this status.

According to Loncar, the government was guided by two principles in drafting this bill – decentralisation of power and equal regional development.

He also said that in the near future some other municipalities could become cities if they fulfill technical and developmental criteria.

The bill also creates conditions for calling elections for authorities in Vojvodina and local self-government units in Serbia, Loncar explained.

He also said that it is necessary to adopt a law on local self-government and a law on local elections.

Velimir Ilic

Serbian Minister of Capital Investment Velimir Ilic affirmed that the government invested RSD 1 billion in road infrastructure in Vrsac in the past two years and announced further investment in infrastructure in the next period.

According to Ilic, the government will finance a roundabout around Vrsac and the reconstruction of Vrsac airport.

Slobodan Vuksanovic

Serbian Minister of Education and Sport Slobodan Vuksanovic said that rectors of state universities in Serbia accepted his invitation to a working meeting at which the list of expenses of higher education institutions will be determined. He said he expects the contract on financing these institutions to be signed early next year.

Vuksanovic stated that the first portion of Christmas awards for education employees, amounting to RSD 2,000 per person, has been paid out adding that the second portion of RSD 3,000 per person will be paid out on the first working day following the New Year's holidays.

Slobodan Lalovic

Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy Slobodan Lalovic stressed that the government has seen to it that pensions are regularly paid out and ensured that they get increased and the debt towards pensioners settled.

He explained that the Strategy for Improving the Position of the Disabled will not regard the issue of the disabled as a social policy issue, but as one related to the respect of human rights and equal opportunities for these people.

The Prime Minister added that the government invited Kragujevac weapon makers to halt the protest since the damage is only being increased that way.

Predrag Bubalo

Serbian Minister of Economy Predrag Bubalo said that the government will not negotiate with Kragujevac-based Zastava employees for as long as they are protesting.

What was contestable cannot be refunded, and the contract on exports is contestable, stressed Bubalo. He also recalled that in the past four years the government has helped Zastava Oruzje with over €50 million.

Bubalo added that since 2002 a lot has been done concerning the factory's financial and organisational consolidation, as well as support in terms of loans.

He specified that RSD 2.74 million was invested in financial consolidation of Zastava Oruzje.

According to Bubalo, the government invested RSD 571 million in the factory's organisational consolidation which has been used to bring the number of employees down to a reasonable level and help link their years of service.

Bubalo said that as for the loan support, the factory got RSD 200 million this year, which greatly exceeds the sum mentioned by protesters.

Zoran Stankovic

Serbian Minister of defence Zoran Stankovic stated that the government decided to sign a contract on debt conversion tomorrow related to the debt of the military industry towards this Ministry.

Stankovic specified that six companies owe around RSD 2.26 billion to the Ministry and added that this decision shows how the government has strove to solve problems in the military industry.