Newsroom
OSCE Mission to Yugoslavia welcomes increased transparency of Serbian Parliament
BELGRADE 23 January 2002
BELGRADE, 23 January 2002 - The OSCE Mission to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has welcomed the invitation of the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, Natasa Micic, to representatives of non-governmental organizations to attend sessions of the Serbian Parliament.
"The presence of members of such organizations or movements, especially those that have contributed to the democratic changes in the country, at the Parliamentary session today shows that the Serbian Parliament is making progress in improving the accessibility of its sessions to the general public. This is important in order to make the work of Serbian Members of Parliament more transparent and more accountable to the people who have elected them", said the Head of the OSCE Mission to the FRY, Stefano Sannino.
Since the beginning of its engagement in the country, the OSCE Mission has had a programme of activities aimed at the reform of the Serbian Parliament, based on the belief that the democratization of the country cannot be fully achieved without an efficient Parliament that controls the work of the Government.
"Parliamentary control of the Government's work is at the heart of a democratic society", said Mr. Sannino. He explained that OSCE staff members have been monitoring sessions of Parliament in order to identify what changes could be introduced in this body's work in order to improve its efficiency and transparency.
In recent months, a programme of activities has been developed on technical issues such as the reform of the Parliament's rules of procedure, working with parliamentary committees in order to enable them to make better use of their competencies as well as the training of parliamentary staff. Efforts have also been made to develop the Serbian Parliament's website (www.parlament.sr.gov.yu) and its e-mail facility in order to better respond to the information needs of the Serbian public.
"The presence of members of such organizations or movements, especially those that have contributed to the democratic changes in the country, at the Parliamentary session today shows that the Serbian Parliament is making progress in improving the accessibility of its sessions to the general public. This is important in order to make the work of Serbian Members of Parliament more transparent and more accountable to the people who have elected them", said the Head of the OSCE Mission to the FRY, Stefano Sannino.
Since the beginning of its engagement in the country, the OSCE Mission has had a programme of activities aimed at the reform of the Serbian Parliament, based on the belief that the democratization of the country cannot be fully achieved without an efficient Parliament that controls the work of the Government.
"Parliamentary control of the Government's work is at the heart of a democratic society", said Mr. Sannino. He explained that OSCE staff members have been monitoring sessions of Parliament in order to identify what changes could be introduced in this body's work in order to improve its efficiency and transparency.
In recent months, a programme of activities has been developed on technical issues such as the reform of the Parliament's rules of procedure, working with parliamentary committees in order to enable them to make better use of their competencies as well as the training of parliamentary staff. Efforts have also been made to develop the Serbian Parliament's website (www.parlament.sr.gov.yu) and its e-mail facility in order to better respond to the information needs of the Serbian public.