Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic today presented the bill on regional development before the national council for decentralisation. The bill was forwarded to parliament as urgent procedure.

In a statement to the press Dinkic said that the law on regional development will further decentralise Serbia and make equal regional development possible.

The bill on regional development envisages the formation of seven statistical regions – Belgrade, Vojvodina, Kosovo, western, eastern, central and southern regions, said Dinkic, adding that these regions will plan their development independently.

He stressed that the new law will not introduce administrative division of Serbia, but the region will be a unit where economic development strategies will be outlined and implemented and where citizens will take part in making important decisions.

According to him, a national agency for regional development will be formed.

The law is in line with the Constitution and EU regulations, Dinkic stressed, adding that regional development will be financed to the amount of 1% of the state budget as well as from EU funds, donations and local budgets.

Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Bozidar Djelic said that the adoption of the law on regional development will be an important step on Serbia’s road to the EU.

Djelic said that once it becomes an EU candidate, Serbia will receive several million euros for regional development and between €600 and €700 million after accession.

Minister for Public Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic stressed that under the given circumstances the proposed solutions are the most suitable for regional development and decentralisation.

Markovic said that setting up statistical regions should not be confused with the debate over Vojvodina’s new statute and the Law on the transfer of jurisdictions.