Measures to promote transparency, public participation in lawmaking in focus at ODIHR-supported workshop in Tbilisi

Measures to increase transparency and public participation in the lawmaking process were the focus of a workshop organised by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi on 16 July 2013.

During the workshop, more than 50 representatives of the Parliament of Georgia, the Government, civil society and international organizations discussed how law-making procedures in Georgia can be brought in line with OSCE commitments on transparency and inclusiveness in the legislative process.

Participants shared views and experiences with experts from Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom on the role of public consultations, effective co-ordination between different actors and processes for reviewing legislation as essential aspects of democratic law-making.

“Transparency and inclusiveness in the lawmaking process are essential preconditions for having laws which are good not only on paper, but also in practice,” said David Usupashvili, the Chair of the Parliament of Georgia. “In Georgia, we need to adopt a more systematic approach to consistently improve the quality of legislation.”

Alice Thomas, the Chief of ODIHR’s Legislative Support Unit, said: “Many countries in the OSCE region are revising their legal framework to ensure law-making processes lead to good legislation. However, there are still concerns directly related to the way in which legislation is prepared, consulted and enacted.”

Thomas added the workshop was part of the efforts to address these concerns, and that ODIHR stands ready, upon request, to further support Georgia in strengthening and consolidating its democratic institutions, and in improving the lawmaking process as a whole.