Establishment and Authorities

National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, on its Eight meeting of the First regular session in 2004, on 19 April 2004, enacted the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interests in Discharge of Public Office (hereinafter: Law), published in the Official Journal of the Republic of Serbia LX/43 of 20 April 2004.

The Republic Committee for Resolving Conflict of Interests (hereinafter: Republic Committee) is established to implement the Law, as prescribed by the Article 3 of the Law.

The Republic Committee is an autonomous and independent body and the funds for its work are provided from the budget of the Republic of Serbia.

The Republic Committee issues instructions, prescribes forms and renders opinions necessary for implementing the Law, maintain the Register of public officials' property, decides whether an action or a failure to act by an official constitutes a violation of the Law, and if so, pronounces measures and performs other tasks defined by the Law.

The Republic Committee consists of nine members. Three members are elected by the justices of the Supreme Court of Serbia from the graduated lawyers with notable expertise in criminal, civil, commercial and administrative law and not working as attorneys at law, and one member is elected by the Bar Association of Serbia among attorneys at law. The remaining five members are elected by the National Parliament, on the proposal of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts and from the list of ten candidates.

The Republic Committee has a president elected among and by the members, for the period of one year.

The election of all members of the Republic Committee (hereinafter: Committee) by the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, at the end of 2004, provided all conditions for establishment of this body and beginning of the Law implementation.

The president of the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia convened all members of the Republic Committee to the first, constitution session on 18 January 2005.

In the first session, attended by all members of the Committee, the president was elected and the Republic Committee was established, thus providing conditions for implementing the Law.

In the following sessions, the Republic Committee prepared necessary legal documents describing its authorities and published them in the "Official Journal RS", no. 50 for 2005:

• Instruction for Implementation of the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interests in Discharge of Public Office;
• Rules of Procedure of the Republic Committee;
• Disclosure Report of Public Officials (form)

The Republic Committee may pronounce a measure of non-public caution and a measure of public announcement of the decision that the Law has been violated to an official elected to a public office directly by public elections, and a measure of public announcement of the recommendation to resign, instead of the measure of public announcement of the decision that the Law has been violated, to an official appointed to public office by a body directly elected by the citizens.

A public official violating the Law after the end of his/her term in office can be pronounced only the measure of public announcement of the decision that the Law has been violated.

If a public official was not able to decline acceptance or return to a giver, a gift which, he/she must not accept according to the Law, he/she is obliged to hand over the gift to the appointing or nominating body or, if elected to a public office - to the Republic Committee. Gifts handed over become the property of the Republic of Serbia as of the moment of handing over and the Republic Committee keeps a special Register of declared gifts.

The Republic Committee monthly informs the public of irregularities it determines in the course of its work.

The Republic Committee submits an annual report of its work to the National Parliament by 1 March of the current year and for the preceding year.

The Republic Committee has a secretary and an administrative service of 12 employees consisting of 5 lawyers, officers for data processing, public relations officer and others. The secretary of the Republic Committee is Gordana Stevanovic, lawyer.