ODIHR highlights role of parliamentary oversight in lawmaking at Belgrade workshop

The role of the parliament in better regulating the lawmaking process was the focus of a workshop in Belgrade on 19 and 20 November 2012, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Constitution and Legislative Issues Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia.

Participants from the National Assembly, the Government, the Ombudsperson’s Office, the Commission for the Protection of Equality, and civil society in Serbia discussed ways to enhance the capacity of the National Assembly to substantively review draft legislation submitted for its approval.

The participants, including experts from Austria, Latvia and the United Kingdom, examined the role of the National Assembly in overseeing not only the Government’s legislative initiatives, but also the work of independent institutions. They also spoke about the role parliamentary committees can play in overseeing government’s programmes and the budget.

“A strong parliament with effective oversight mechanisms and bodies is key to a democratic system of checks and balances,” said Alice Thomas, Acting Chief of ODIHR’s Legislative Support Unit.

“The National Assembly is committed to strengthening its oversight tools and mechanisms,” said Vladimir Cvijan, the Chairperson of the Constitution and Legislative Issues Committee of the National Assembly. “We are confident that the recommendations made at this workshop will help us reach this goal, and enhance the role of the Assembly in general.”

The workshop is the second of its kind organized in co-operation with the National Assembly of Serbia and supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia, to address the recommendations contained in the “Assessment of the Law Drafting and Legislative Process of the Republic of Serbia” published by ODIHR in February 2012.