SERBIAN PARLIAMENT TAKES SMALL STEP TOWARD EFFICIENCY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000157 DEPT FOR EUR/SCE (P. PETERSON) SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SR SUBJECT: SERBIAN PARLIAMENT TAKES SMALL STEP TOWARD EFFICIENCY REF: A) BELGRADE 75, B) BELGRADE 149 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The ruling majority approved changes to Parliament's Rules of Procedure on February 17 that will limit the opposition's ability to block the legislative process by capping debate time and otherwise restricting members' ability to diverge from the agenda. Members of Parliament from President Tadic's Democratic Party see the changes as helpful, but believe that more work is needed to rationalize the committee structure and establish dialogue with the opposition. Parliament must also resolve the question of live television broadcasts, possibly by establishing a dedicated cable channel. End Summary. New Rules of Procedure -------------- ¶2. (U) On February 17 the Serbian Parliament approved changes to its Rules of Procedure that are intended to increase the efficiency of the legislative process (Ref A). The changes limited the time for debate on legislation to five hours of general debate and five hours of debate on amendments, making it theoretically possible to pass a law in two working days. Members may now report violations of the Rules of Procedure only once, immediately after the incident, rather than multiple times for unlimited periods; previously, opposition MPs used this provision to take the floor and speak at length on topics unrelated to the agenda. MPs will now be able to submit questions only in writing, and the Prime Minister and members of the cabinet will come to Parliament once a month to answer MPs' questions directly. ¶3. (U) All ruling coalition parties voted in favor of the changes, which passed by a vote of 127 in favor and one against (independent MP Vladan Batic). The opposition boycotted the session; Cedomir Jovanovic's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) considered the changes cosmetic and ineffectual, while the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS),the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS),and the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) opposed the effort to limit obstruction. (Rather than attend the session, the latter groups traveled to Zvecan to mark the one-year anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of independence; Ref B.) The impact of the new rules will be seen when the regular spring session of Parliament begins on March 2. More Changes on Horizon -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Parliamentary leaders have told us frankly that these relatively limited changes to the Rules of Procedure are only an interim measure, intended to close the most glaring loopholes and limit the opposition's ability to obstruct the work of Parliament. Democratic Party (DS) deputy speaker Gordana Comic told us on February 17 that the changes would limit the opposition's room to maneuver but would not be sufficient to bring order to the work of Parliament, because the opposition would "find new ways" to obstruct the agenda. ¶5. (SBU) Comic emphasized that the Rules of Procedure were only part of the problem - the governing coalition also had to establish real dialogue with the opposition. She said that she was working with Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic (SPS) to establish regular consultations with all party whips on the administrative aspects of Parliament's work. Comic also told us that, as part of the new Law on Parliament and more comprehensive rewrite of the Rules of Procedure which would be proposed in the coming months, she favored instituting multiple readings of bills in order to give the opposition greater input into legislation while it was still in draft form. ¶6. (SBU) Konstantin Samofalov, a DS member of the Committee for Defense and Security, told us on February 17 that the next wave of changes also would include a reorganization of Parliament' 30 committees, some of which cover a broad range of issues and some of which are quite narrowly focused. His committee covers intelligence issues in addition to defense and security, which Samofalov said was too broad a set of issues for one committee to handle effectively; as a result there is a proposal to split it into two or three separate bodies. (Comment: This would be a positive step for bilateral relations and Euro-Atlantic integration if it removed the defense portfolio from the control of current committee chair Dragan Todorovic, acting head of the SRS. End Comment.) Television Remains a Sticking Point -------------- BELGRADE 00000157 002 OF 002 ¶7. (U) The issue of live broadcasts of parliamentary sessions (Ref A) came to a head in January, when Serbian Radio and Television (RTS) declined on several occasions to broadcast Parliament due to RTS' obligation to air important world sports events for which it had purchased the rights and sold advertising. The Parliament chose to suspend its work rather than continue without live broadcasts, prompting a reaction from the Serbian public. ¶8. (SBU) At the February 8 meeting of the working group created by Speaker Djukic-Dejanovic to address the issue, RTS General Manager Aleksandar Tijanic proposed establishing a dedicated cable channel to broadcast the work of Parliament. Tijanic said that RTS would provide technical support, while Parliament would be responsible for the program and financing. He proposed launching it on October 1, the start of the regular fall session. Goran Karadzic, Deputy President of the Serbian Broadcasting Agency (RRA),told us that it was realistic to launch the new channel by the end of the year; he noted that the current cable network covers 70% of Serbia and is expanding rapidly, but will not reach remote villages in the near future. (The SRS, whose voters live primarily in rural areas, is opposed to any change in the way parliamentary sessions are broadcast.) Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) While these changes to the Rules of Procedure are superficial, they could increase efficiency incrementally, particularly if they are accompanied by sincere efforts by parliamentary leadership to establish dialogue with the opposition and change the tone of discourse. Success in this effort is crucial for the Serbian government to make progress on European integration. End Comment. MUNTER