Transparency in Parliament’s work and the communication with citizens are key for bringing the quality laws to adoption and implementing them, the “Broadcasting Parliament” conference was told. The conference was organised in cooperation with the Greek Parliament within the EU Twinning project “Strengthening capacities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the EU integration process”.
Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oskar Benedikt said that by opening the accession negotiations Serbia has made a new step and enhanced Parliament’s engagement, adding that it was highly important to strengthen its controlling function as well.
The transparency in Parliament’s work has increased, with public debates organised, the work of Parliamentary bodies made public, whereas the relation with independent bodies enhanced, Benedikt said.
Serbia is about to adopt media laws and although plenary sessions are being broadcast by RTS, introducing a Parliamentary channel should be considered, because much of the Parliament’s work is still unavailable to public, he said.
Seen from the perspective of the EU integration process, this is not only about adopting the laws, it is about practicing democracy, Benedikt said.
Serbian Government should develop a plan when adopting laws, given the worrying trend of holding sessions under urgent procedure very frequently, Benedikt said. Strengthening the control of Serbian Government’s work represents another challenge for the Parliament.
Benedikt said that the European Union financed the “Strengthening capacities of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia in the EU integration process” project with EUR1,5 million.
The National Assembly is an important factor on the EU path, Greek Ambassador in Belgrade Konstantinos Economidis said, adding that the Parliament’s work needed to be transparent in order to keep citizens updated on the EU integration process.
