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Following the joint resolution on European integration, the Socialists and Democrats have reached another political agreement in the Assembly. With 100 votes in favor and only 1 against, amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly were approved, which increase the role of parliamentary committees and give more weight to the Committee for Civic Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight, known as the “Xhafaj” Committee.
Thursday's marathon session ended with another pact between the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party. After initially agreeing on the European integration resolution, the parties also joined forces on the changes to the Assembly's Rules of Procedure, approving the package with 100 votes in favor and 1 against.
The changes affect the way the Assembly will function in relation to the integration process, parliamentary control, reporting by independent institutions, and the discipline of MPs.
The most important point relates to the strengthening of the Committee for Civic Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight, known politically as the “Xhafaj” Committee. This committee now takes on a central role in monitoring independent institutions, following up on Assembly resolutions, implementing strategies and action plans, and post-legislative control.
According to the changes, independent institutions will continue to report to the responsible parliamentary committees. These committees will draft a draft resolution with assessments and recommendations for the following year, which will then be forwarded to the “Xhafaj” Committee. The latter will review the draft resolution, verify the implementation of the previous year’s recommendations, and then bring the document to the plenary session.
This was one of the points where the Socialists withdrew from the initial proposal. The Socialist Party had requested the complete avoidance of reports in plenary sessions by independent institutions, but after negotiations with the opposition, it was agreed that constitutional institutions would continue to appear in the Assembly.
The Ombudsman, the Prosecutor General, the Head of the KLP, the Head of the KLGJ, the High Inspector of Justice and the Chairman of the High State Audit Office shall have the right to present a summary of the report at the session for no more than 10 minutes and then answer questions from the deputies. Questions must be submitted in writing at least 24 hours before the session.
Another important point is related to European integration laws. The Socialists withdrew the proposal that any draft law requested by the European Union be reviewed within a week through an accelerated procedure. In the final version, integration laws will be passed through the normal procedure, except in cases where the government requests an accelerated procedure with special arguments.
For draft laws related to the approximation of legislation with the EU, the Stabilization and Association Agreement or the obligations of the negotiations, a special “EU” card will also be required. It should indicate which act of the European acquis the draft law relates to, the degree of approximation and the specific obligation arising from the integration process.
The amendments also strengthen the right of deputies to information. Every deputy will have the right to request information from central and local institutions, while the heads will be obliged to respond within 15 days. If this does not happen, the Speaker of the Assembly can request a response from the institution within 5 days and then address the superior body to take administrative measures.
The SP also withdrew from the proposal to halve the discussion time in the plenary session. The speaking time for MPs will remain 10 minutes, as it was before, and not 5 minutes as was initially proposed.
Another opposition request that was accepted relates to disciplinary measures. If a deputy appeals a measure of exclusion to the Bureau of the Assembly, the measure is automatically suspended until the Bureau makes a final decision.
There is also a change for long plenary sessions. If the session extends beyond 10:00 PM, any parliamentary group leader may request its interruption and resumption the next day. The interruption will be done by open vote in the Assembly.
The new regulation also reorganizes the parliamentary committees. The Assembly will have 11 permanent committees, including the Committee on Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Public Administration, the Committee on Economy, Employment and Finance, and the Committee on Civic Initiatives, Cooperation and Institutional Oversight.
In this way, the approved package is seen as the second political pact between the SP and the DP within a short time, after the resolution on European integration. The majority and the opposition have agreed on a new model of functioning of the Assembly, where the European integration process, reporting of institutions and parliamentary control are transferred to a more centralized structure, with an increased role for the “Xhafaj” Commission.
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