141st IPU Assembly
Belgrade, 13-17 October 2019

General debate

Strengthening international law: parliamentary roles and mechanisms, and the contribution of regional cooperation


Address by Senator Silvia DINICA
Romanian IPU Group


Mister President,
Dear colleagues,

It is a great pleasure and an honor for me to speak before this distinguished assembly. Allow me, on behalf of the Romanian delegation, to thank our Serbian hosts for their hospitality and warm welcome. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Trust in international law is indispensable in today's world where peace, security, stability, prosperity and respect for the fundamental human rights face unprecedented challenges.

The principle of the primacy of law in international relations lies at the heart of Romania's foreign policy. Respect for international law is a value in itself, and the Romanian Parliament is fully committed to promote and defend it.

According to our Constitution, the Senate is the decision-making Chamber for the draft laws for the ratification of treaties and other international agreements. Our special law of the treaties guarantees a strong parliamentary involvement throughout the life-cycle of a treaty, while the law on the cooperation between Parliament and Government in the field of European affairs ensures the effective participation of Parliament in the European decision-making process, and the legislative follow-up at national level.

I should also mention that in 2015, following a comprehensive process of inter-institutional and multi-stakeholder consultation, we adopted the law accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, thus reconfirming our confidence in the international justice.

There are many parliamentary mechanisms that we use in Romania in order to promote the principles and norms of international law:
- the contribution to the work of international parliamentary organizations, such as the IPU;
- the political statements of Parliament reaffirming the strong commitment to advance international and regional cooperation strategies to the benefit of peace, democracy and sustainable development;
- the parliamentary exchanges and field visits focusing on the observance - in accordance with the relevant European and international instruments - of the rights of our citizens living abroad, including those of Romanian minorities living in neighboring countries;
- the rotating presidencies of regional parliamentary assemblies (Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Central European Initiative, Cooperation in South-East Europe), which aim at strengthening the role of parliaments in the implementation of regional agreements;
- the participation in electoral observation missions, having as reference the international standards for free and fair elections;
- the parliamentary involvement in the monitoring processes established under international agreements;
- the multi-stakeholder dialogue initiated by Parliament in order to assess the impact of international provisions once translated into national law.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On 24 April 2019, the United Nations celebrated the first International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, thus emphasizing, once more, the crucial role of international cooperation as pillar of the common well-being of humanity.

It is our responsibility, as the most legitimate representatives of our peoples, to ensure that today's multilateralism, faced with so many challenges, upholds the fundamental principles of international law and is fully engaged in advancing our common global projects, such as the 2030 Agenda, thus ensuring that they respond in a fully democratic way to the concerns and interests of our citizens.

Dear colleagues,

The Parliament of Romania proudly celebrates the 130th anniversary of the IPU. 

We have had the privilege to be part of IPU's life since 1981, and throughout time many Romanian personalities left their mark on the history of the organization, such as Vespasian V. Pella, who laid the foundation of international criminal law.

IPU's 130^th anniversary is a milestone in the history of parliamentarianism and parliamentary diplomacy. Let us take this opportunity to look with ambition into the future and decide on the way forward to enhance the role of our organization as driving force of parliamentary democracy and sustainable development worldwide.

Thank you for your attention.