SECOND SESSION OF THE NATIONAL MINORITIES COUNCIL: 21.8 MILLION DINARS FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION IN THE LANGUAGES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES

19. February 2018.

Bujanovac, Belgrade – Providing information in the languages of national minorities remains a priority area for funding in 2018, it was decided at the second session of the National Minorities Council, which is headed by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

21.8 million dinars will be provided from the budgetary fund for that purpose, which is 12 times more than in the previous years, it was stated by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

“The thus-far funds were very small and I'm proud that we have activated the fund after 15 years, and then significantly increased it, "Prime Minister Brnabic said, adding that the Serbian government would continue to put efforts and resources into improving the position and rights of national minorities, which, as she pointed out, were an important resource of Serbia.

The Prime Minister stressed that she expected many more projects and programs that would promote the values of national minorities.

At the same session of the Council, the draft law on amendments to the Law on National Councils was presented, which would, among other things, improve the transparency of financing the national councils.

The Prime Minister also said that the elections for national minority councils would be held in the course of the year.

The second session of the National Minorities Council, held during the mandate of Prime Minister Brnabic, was attended by the Presidents and representatives of 21 national councils, the Acting Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights Suzana Paunovic, State Secretaries of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development and the Ministry of Culture and Information, as well as by representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities.

The role of the National Minorities Council is to keep an eye on and to reconsider the exercising of the rights of national minorities and interethnic relations in the Republic of Serbia.

Source: “Tanjug” news agency, Serbian Broadcasting Corporation, Bujanovac News and Coordination Body