The importance of civil society and its interplay with parliaments

and other democratically elected assemblies for the maturing

and development of democracy

 

                                               

Deputy Doina Micşunica DREŢCANU

Inter-Parliamentary Group of ROMANIA

 

 

Mr. President,

Dear colleagues,

 

 

At the outset, allow me to express my appreciation for the quality of the documents prepared by our distinguished rapporteurs. The Romanian delegation fully endorses the draft resolution before us.

For each and every country, an effective governance means a responsible exercise by public authorities of their economic, political and administrative prerogatives, supported by mechanisms, processes and institutions enabling citizens and the various groups within the society to voice their interests, exercise their rights and observe their obligations according to the law. An effective governance means, among others, participation, transparency, effectiveness and equity in the broader framework of the rule of law.

 

Parliaments have a key role in promoting the development and sustainability of civil society, through the adoption of enabling legislation, and the setting up of mechanisms allowing for effective input of civil society in the parliamentary work. Therefore, I believe that our debate today is most timely, including from the perspective of the necessary follow-up to the relevant findings of the recent IPU preliminary report entitled Parliament and democracy in the 21^st Century, launched on the occasion of the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.

 

In the emerging European democracies, like Romania, faced with the challenges of transition to market economy and the integration into the Euro-Atlantic and European structures, the strengthening of civil society is vital for a successful institutional rebuilding and the development of democratic practices. Neither democracy, nor market economy or democratic implementation of the new legislation in line with the acquis communautaire could have been achieved in the absence of a strong involvement of civil society.

 

The Romanian Parliament interacts with the civil society under a variety of forms, but mainly at the level of the Specialised Standing Committees, where the legislative process is concentrated. The relevant legal framework has been developed within the past few years to include normative acts on the registration procedure for the NGOs, as well as their organization, functioning and relations with the public administration (2000); the free access to the information of public interest (2003), the transparency of the decision-making process (2003).

 

Specialised offices within Parliament ensure systematic provision of information of public interest to and an interactive communication with the civil society represented by NGOs, foundations, professional and other types of associations. In the Chamber of Deputies, this activity is supported by the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, which, for example, distributes the Deputies’ Electronic Agenda, a weekly electronic bulletin containing information on the parliamentary work, the daily order of business and the legislative issues under debate.  

 

Drawing also from our recent experience, an interesting formula of international cooperation, which I could mention, is the three year program Parliamentarians and citizens, aimed at developing an active and dynamic working relation between parliaments and the civil society in the countries of South-East Europe, including through the elaboration of regional standards of conduct.

 

Dear colleagues,

 

When approaching the topic of the interplay of civil societies with parliaments and parliamentary assemblies, we need to focus also on the ways and means to rise awareness of the global objectives that parliaments and civil society share and pursue, in particular the Millennium Development Goals. In this area, the UN Millennium Campaign has put forward important recommendations for parliamentary action, which we should capitalize on, with the support and enabling mechanisms provided by the IPU.

 

Thank you for your kind attention.