Public discussions about the Draft Law on State Aid Control

Within the project „Strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations for active participation in the EU accession negotiations through selected groups of the National Convention on the EU" (Prepare to Participate – P2P), implemented by the European Policy Center, NALED and the portal European Western Balkans, public discussions about the Draft Law on State Aid Control have been organized in Niš, Novi Sad and Belgrade.

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia has organized these discussions with the aim to inform the expert public, businesses and other interested parties about the content of the Draft Law currently being prepared, and to provide their contribution in improving the Draft Law.

As part of the project "Prepare to Participate – P2P", NALED, European Policy Center and the portal European Western Balkans have analyzed the current situation in the Commission for Control of State Aid and provided a set of recommendations for improving its work, which have been acknowledged and included by the Ministry of Finance in the working version of the Draft, upon public advocacy by our three organizations. This document was also presented within the public discussion organized in Niš on Thursday, 15 August.

The analysis that has been developed within the project Prepare to Participate, supported by the European Union, indicates that the current model of the Commission for Control of State Aid leaves room for influencing the (lack of) reactions by the Commission, while the European Commission has also highlighted a concern regarding the current model of work in the latest Serbia Progress Update.