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Ms. Doris Pack, MEP and Mr. Vladimir Šeks,
Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, at the Troika
Seminar on judicial reform held on 16 October 2006in Zagreb
Source: European Parliament
In 2001, following an invitation from Bodo Hombach, the former Special Coordinator, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly decided to actively participate to the parliamentary dimension of the Stability Pact. Activities were mainly consisting of Conferences co-organized by the Parliamentary institution holding the Chair[1]of the Troika during its term in office and the Stability Pact.
The format of the Conferences underwent an evolution over time. In fact in the first period (2001-2004), five events had been organised, focusing mainly on regionally shared concerns such as economy and economic reconstruction, security and fight against organized time, EU enlargement. However, through time it became evident that Conferences had amounted to “solemn happenings for the delivery of statements[2], although (adopted)recommendations and conclusions gave real guidance for activities to be implemented under the Pact”. [3]
SEE Parliaments seemed to gradually loose interest in such a format, and several proposals were put forward to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of such meetings.
Following close consultations and findings and conclusions contained in the Toshev Report[4], the format of the Conference was altered, and become more focussed and target-oriented. In fact it was decided that “instead of concentrating at a one time major event in the form of an annual conference, work should be decentralised and diversified, and be carried out at Committee or sub-Committees level”.[5]Such a framework was bound to produce more tangible and concrete results.
Since then, six Conferences have taken place. The first two workshops, organized under the PACE Chairmanship in 2005, gathered together Committees dealing respectively with Migration issues and with Education. The latter, held in Serbia on 7-8 November 2005 was particularly important as it coincided with the European Year of Citizenship through Education as well as with the 50th anniversary of the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe and gave the organizers the opportunity to review the proposed SP core objective “Fostering and Building Human Capital”[6].
Following these positive experiences, and taking into consideration the needs and priorities expressed by the SEE Parliaments at the Parliamentary Cooperation Task Force meetings, in 2006 the European Parliament and the Stability Pact co-organized two rounds of seminars. The first round, composed by two parallel seminars, took place in Brussels on 8 June 2006 and focused on a) freedomof the media and the monitoring function of parliaments and b) European standards of auditing and budgetary control and role of parliaments in overseeing budgetary spending. Participants debated lively over the two themes, that are somehow connected as independent media have a key role in establishing and keeping accountable systems and a truly democratic society cannot function without them, while an independent Supreme Auditing Institution helps ensure a good use of public funds, keeping responsible people accountable.[7]
The second round of seminars was organized in Zagreb on 16 October 2006. The first seminar focused on Parliamentary control of the security sector in South East Europe, a priority when seeking for accountable armed forces and security services. The second seminar tackled the judicial reforms in South East Europe, a fundamental feature of any modern democratic state, as already underlined, and a cornerstone of the Stabilization and Association Process as well as of the accession negotiations. MPs have debated on the importance of having an independent, accountable and efficient judiciary and on the need to establish measures to guarantee personal and institutional independence of judges and the judicial branch. They also agreed on the need to ensure that laws comply with these principles. At the same time overseeing implementation is essential in guaranteeing that only the judiciary branch interprets the law and adjudicates legal disputes. At the closure, participants of each seminar adopted a Declaration, committing on the promotion of regular exchanges of experiences and calling on relevant institutions for the development of specific capacity building programs.[8]
This new approach has proven very successful, as the more focussed and targeted format has favoured a real exchange between the relevant Committees, with a clear commitment for further action. Indeed, in order to build upon the latest efforts, it has been decided to continue to focus on parliamentary oversight capacities (in particular over the budget). In this regard, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Chairmanship and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe will organize two workshops on this issue, which will take place in Belgrade on 11 June 2007.
Related documents
Seminar for SEE Parliamentarians in the frame of the Parliamentary Troika on Freedom of the Media held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 8 June 2006
Draft agenda
Conclusions and recommendations of the Regional Seminar on “the programme monitoring functions of national regulatory authorities from South Eastern Europe and their powers to impose sanctions” held in Warsaw on 3-4 October 2003
OSCE “ Recent trends in libel legislation and practice in South Eastern Europe”, May 2006
Speech by Commissioner Viviane Reading “ EU-Balkans: the need for reinforcing the dialogue on an audiovisual policy based on freedom of the media and shared values” delivered at the 4th seminar on European Audiovisual policy in the Western Balkans held in Brussels on 17 May 2006
Declaration at the 4th seminar on European Audiovisual policy in the Western Balkans “ The future of European Audiovisual policy and regional cooperation in the Western Balkans”- Brussels, 17 May 2006
Conclusions and recommendations of the regional conference on “concentration of media ownership and its impact on media freedom and pluralism” organised by the Council of Europe and the SEE Network for Professionalisation of the media in Bled on 11-12 June 2004
“Safeguarding free speech and the right to information: media in times of crisis” Conclusions and recommendations of the Conference on the application of Council of Europe Standards with a focus on South Eastern Europe held in Strasbourg on 13-14 October 2005
Conclusions of the regional conference on “defamation and freedom of expression” organised by the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 17-18 October 2002
Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Media Task Force “ Support to Media in SEE- Strategy 2005-2007”
Council of Europe Recommendation No. R (2000)23 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the independence and functions of regulatory authorities for the broadcasting sector
Council of Europe Committee of the Ministers Declaration on freedom of political debate on the media (12/02/2004)
Council of Europe Committee of the Ministers Declaration on freedom of expression and information in the media in the context of the fight against terrorism (2/3/2005)
Council of Europe Recommendation No. R(96)10 of the Committee of the Ministers to Member States on the guarantee of the independence of public service broadcasting (11/09/1996)
Council of Europe Recommendation No.R (2000)7 of the Committee of the Ministers on the right of journalists not to disclose their sources of information (8/03/2000)
Seminar for SEE Parliamentarians in the frame of the Parliamentary Troika on Parliamentary oversight of the budgetary sector held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 8 June 2006
Draft agenda
“The Supreme Audit Institution and Parliament: How Can Their Relationship Support Implementation of the Audit Recommendations?”, presentation by Mr. François-Roger Cazala at the INTOSAI 2nd International Conference on Internal Control held on 10 May 2000
Relations between Supreme Audit Institutions and Parliamentary Committees, SIGMA Paper n.33, 9December 2002
European Parliament Directorate General for External Policies of the Union- Directorate B policy department “Parliament and Public Finance”, policy paper prepared by Mr. Franz Wascotte on 24 May 2006
CONCLUSIONS to both seminars by Mr. Goran Svilanović, SP WT I Chair
Seminars for SEE Parliamentarians in the frame of the Parliamentary Troika on Judiciary Reform and Parliamentary Control of the Security Sector held at the Croatian Parliament in Zagreb on 16 October 2006(See link to documents)
[1]At the beginning the Chairmanship was running for six months, but later on, in order to increase its efficiency it was decided for a twelve months period instead. The decision was taken at the Third Troika Conference organised in Tirana in October 2002.
[2]Moreover, according to Mr. Tony Lloyd, PACE, the first conferences amounted to “speaking about countries directly affected by the Pact, not with them”. Cf. Statement given at the Conference on the fight against organized crime in South Eastern Europe held in Sofia on 11-12 November 2004.
[3]Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (2005) “Assembly’s Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Troika on the Stability Pact in South Eastern Europe- Memorandum prepared by the Secretariat”, Strasbourg, 20 January 2005.
[4]Cf. Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Resolution n. 1049 (2004) on the “Parliamentary contribution to the implementation of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe”, Rapporteur Mr. Toshev.
[5]Cf. Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (2005) “Assembly’s Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Troika on the Stability Pact in South Eastern Europe- Memorandum prepared by the Secretariat” , Strasbourg, 20 January 2005.
[6]The core objective Fostering and Building Human Capital incorporates both education, research and vocational training in order to tackle the specific challenges faced in the reform process of both. Moreover, it actively promotes regional co-operation in order to foster the development of a learning society, democratic and accessible to all. Equally, growth and development of the labour market is directly related to the development of education, research and innovation, which is interlinked with the development of the region’s economy and social capital. This new initiative was officially launched at the Regional Table and Working Table I meeting held in Belgrade on 29-30 May 2006.
[7]Cf. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2002) “ Relations between Supreme Audit Institutions and Parliamentary Committees”, Sigma Paper n.33, Paris, 9 December 2002.
[8]In particular participants “call(ed) the international community and our (SEE) governments to strive to achieve greater and more targeted use of international, and, most particularly, EU financial support in the area of the rule of law so as to establish modern, efficient and effective judiciaries in our (SEE) countries.” Moreover, they “ engage to promote regular exchanges of experience and expertise between the different actors and guarantors of the judicial role, notably the judicial councils of the SEE countries and the relevant parliamentary committees.”
Cf. Declaration at the Seminar on Judicial Reform in the Countries of South Eastern Europe held by the European Parliament and the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe on 16 October 2006.
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