At the first regional meeting of the Working Table on Democratisation and Human
Rights in October 1999 in Geneva several Task Forces were set up. The Task
Force on Parliamentary Cooperation was one of them.
The aim of the Task Force is to promote democracy by strengthening the role
of parliaments in South Eastern Europe and their contribution to stability in
the region through enhancing cooperation among them. In particular, it was considered
necessary to encourage and improve activities of parliaments in the procedure
of introducing legislation necessary for the creation of strong democratic institutions,
the protection of human and minority rights and the establishment of a solid
legal basis for a sound economy.
Within the Stability Pact Working Table on Democratisation and Human Rights,
the Task Force on Parliamentary Cooperation has, therefore, the following objectives:
- strengthening the democratic efficiency and effectiveness of the parliaments
in South Eastern Europe;
- promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation among parliaments in South
Eastern Europe;
- contributing to bringing closer to the European Union the countries of the
region, which are not yet candidates for accession;
Participation in the Task Force on Parliamentary Cooperation comprised international
parliamentary assemblies and national parliaments as well as the four NGOs,
which secured adequate funding in the Quick Start Package agreed by the Regional
Funding Conference in Brussels, 29-30 March 2000 (see Appendix
II).
B. FROM TASK FORCE TO PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION
Since September 1998, several inter-parliamentary meetings brought together
parliamentarians from South Eastern Europe with their colleagues of the European
Parliament and of the national parliaments in greater Europe. The first two
meetings took place under the auspices of the Royaumont Process. The
others were organised within the framework of the Stability Pact.
Since the integration in June 2000 of the Task Force's initial sponsor, the
Royaumont Process, into the structures of the Stability Pact, the need to establish
a framework for the parliamentary dimension of the Stability Pact was emphasised.
Interest for parliamentary cooperation in the framework of the Stability Pact
had spontaneously originated from the very international assemblies, i.e. the
European Parliament, and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe
and the OSCE. In Sofia in November 1999, they affirmed the importance of parliamentary
debates, both at national and international level, on the implementation of
the Stability Pact. This declaration was reaffirmed almost one year later in
September 2000, in Zagreb. Furthermore, they encouraged South-eastern European
national parliaments to establish specific parliamentary sub-committees or ad-hoc
groups for Stability Pact related matters.
In response to the conclusions of the various parliamentary meetings, in particular
of the Parliamentary Conference in Sofia and the Parliamentary Summit of in
Zagreb (see Appendix
I), the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact proposed, in late September
2000, that the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council
of Europe and the OSCE become jointly sponsors of the Task Force on Parliamentary
Cooperation. The three assemblies had engaged in such a troika cooperation on
several, earlier occasions. Together they represent the European Union dimension
and the national parliaments of greater Europe.
In order to ensure that the Task Force implements a strategy compliant with
the overall Stability Pact objectives, a Troika sponsorship system was
established in June 2001. This development marked the beginning of genuine institutional
parliamentary links between the Stability Pact, international parliamentary
institutions and national parliaments in participant countries. The European
Parliament and the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the
OSCE each take the lead on a 6-month rotating basis.
The role of the Troika is to give political guidance to the Task Force and
to help creating a coherent framework for the activities to be organised in
the context of the Task Force. The Troika decides, in consultation with the
Special Coordinator, on major events to be held.
At the Regional Meeting of Working Table 1 in Portoroz (May 2001) it was agreed
that the parliamentary dimension should not be confined to Working Table 1,
but that parliamentarians would be included in the work of all three Stability
Pact Working tables and of the Regional Table.
During his 6 month leadership each Troika leader organises a major parliamentary
event, in cooperation with one or several of the four aforementioned NGOs.
The events sponsored by the Troika serve as a political forum for discussing
Stability Pact issues relevant not only to the Working Table on democratisation
and human rights, but also to those on social and economic infrastructure, and
on defence and security.
As a first initiative, the European Parliament hosted in Brussels in September
2001 a Parliamentary Conference of EU and Stability Pact countries. It proved
that key issues such as the rule of law, economic reconstruction and the fight
against organised crime could find a common platform for debate at regional
and international levels.
Representatives were encouraged to urge their governments to complement political
will with public support for reform. Financial support was also solicited in
such areas as refugee return, trafficking in human beings and the creation of
a favourable investment climate. Members of national parliaments have been invited
to set up ad hoc parliamentary structures, such as working groups or special
committees, and to create regional synergy by co-operating in regional networks.
In 2002 the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE leads the troika until 30
June and organises a Parliamentary Conference on the Stability Pact, dealing
with security issues. The conference will be held in Bucharest on 6-7 June
2002, following the meeting of Working Table III on 5-6 June. The
conference will consider three aspects of security:
- cultural aspects, including the role and rights of minorities,
- economic aspects
- political aspects.
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly will take over the leading role
as from 7 July and considers to host a Parliamentary Conference on the
economic aspects of the Stability Pact in the autumn.
C. EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
An Executive Secretariat, assumed by the Strasbourg-based International Institute
for Democracy (IID), assists the Troika with the implementation of the Stability
Pact strategy. Its task is to collect and disseminate information on relevant
activities carried out by national parliaments, be they bi-lateral or multilateral,
and international parliamentary assemblies in the framework of the Stability
Pact. A database was created for this purpose in order to keep track of the
activities including events organised by NGOs and foundations, and with a view
to contribute to avoiding duplication.
The Task Force produces a quarterly electronic newsletter for exchanging information
and opinions on past, ongoing and forthcoming events and activities related
to its work area. Participants are invited to contribute reports, and links
are established from the web site (http://www.iidemocracy.coe.int)
to other Internet resources relevant for the work of the Task Force and its
participants.
