Report on National Assembly's Work in the Parliamentary Term 2011 - 2014
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REPORT ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S WORK IN THE PARLIAMENTARY TERM 2011 - 2014 REPORT ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S WORK IN THE PARLIAMENTARY TERM 2011–2014 October 2014 REPORT ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S WORK IN THE PARLIAMENTARY TERM 2011 - 2014 Collection: Library collection of the National Assembly published by the Public Relations Office Editor: Karmen Uglešić Data gathering and processing: Staff of the Research and Documentation Division (edited by Igor Zobavnik and Andrej Eror) Front cover photo: Borut Peršolja Front cover design: Martina Čuk Translation: Nina Barlič, Sandra Kos Cerar Publisher: National Assembly, Ljubljana, Šubičeva 4 Phone: +386 1 478 94 00 Production: Public Relations Office UDC: http://www.dz-rs.si/wps/portal/Home/deloDZ/Publikacije/PorocilaDZ The first page of the publication features the sculpture of Wrestling Boys, work by sculptor France Kralj dating from 1942, which is on display in the lobby of the Large Hall of the National Assembly. 2 INTRODUCTORY WORDS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY JANKO VEBER Ladies and gentlemen, As I look back at this term and try to roughly evaluate it, I could say that this was an indeed challenging and certainly a varied period which, just like its predecessor, unfortunately came to an early end. I see the main reasons for such in the different views and attempts to serve individual interests as regards privatisation, in the consequences of the global economic and financial crisis and the related adoption of several unpopular measures which touched upon us all, in certain findings in the field of the prevention of corruption, as well as in the frictions within the largest coalition party and its recent break-up. Also the statistics of activities show that the past, i.e. 6th parliamentary term of the National Assembly, was indeed a varied one. Let me just mention a few: the National Assembly held 95 sessions, 25 regular and 70 extraordinary, which together lasted 194 days. Regular sessions lasted 104 days and extraordinary sessions 90 days. Numerous parliamentary questions and motions were presented and deputies diligently tabled them all until the expiry of the term. 702 agenda items were discussed and 345 laws were adopted, with laws amending other laws being the most frequent. There were only 46 new or, so to speak, renewed laws. I would like to highlight that, compared to the previous terms, this last term was particularly marked by the adoption of two important amendments to the Constitution and the ratification of Croatia's accession agreement with the European Union. Undoubtedly, the procedure to adopt those three acts was highly challenging – after all, a two-third majority of all deputies was required for these acts to be adopted. The adopted constitutional amendments – the inclusion of the fiscal rule in the Constitution and the changed referendum arrangement – should also be followed by two implementing acts for the adoption of which a two-third majority is required as well, but sadly they have not been prepared so far, nor submitted to the National Assembly for discussion. Nevertheless, the objectives of the fiscal rule are being pursued in practice and the constitutional amendment concerning the referendum is also already in force: on 8 June 2014, at the request of 4,000 voters, the first referendum was held in line with the adopted amendments (the only one so far) which, in comparison to the previous arrangement, bring significantly stringent requirements as regards the initiative, the admissibility of the referendum, and the conditions for the success of the referendum. A particular feature of this National Assembly's term was also a strong public interest to tackle the situation in Slovenia. Thus, a total of 15 proposals of popular initiative to adopt a law were submitted; based thereon, seven draft laws were tabled. It might be interesting to read that in the previous term there was no such case. The turbulence of the 2011–2014 parliamentary term also reflects the perspective on the submitted interpellations, resignations, votes of confidence and no confidence in the Government, dismissals of ministers and the announced impeachments. Seven interpellations concerning the work and accountability of ministers were filed: none of them was successful, but as many as six ministers resigned for various reasons. Mention needs to be made also of the several rounds of voting for the President of the National Assembly, with which we started this parliamentary term, and the numerous attempts at forming a Government. The unsuccessful attempt of forming a Government by the relative winner of the early elections of 4 December 2011 later reflected in the Government being formed by the party which only received the second highest number of votes in the elections. 3 Later on, Gregor Virant resigned in protest from the office of President of the National Assembly as a result of the report of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption weighing upon the President of the two largest parties. This was followed by a constructive vote of no confidence in the then President of the Government Janez Janša in February 2013 and the consequent appointment of Alenka Bratušek as the new President, marking also the first time a woman was elected to such high-level position. At the end of the year, Alenka Bratušek requested that a vote of confidence in the Government which she tied on the adoption of the budgets for 2014 and 2015 be held at the National Assembly. And in May 2014, as the National Assembly took note of her resignation, it was already clear that we were heading to yet another early election. Personally, I regret that the legally provided possibilities and procedures as regards drafting the proposal for a new formateur in such situations were not thought through and coincided with the summer recess. Moreover, the Council of the President of the National Assembly met a total of 105 times and three commissions of inquiry were established. Unfortunately, despite my efforts and the consensus of all deputy groups, we were not able to establish a Committee on Future which, following the model and practice of other countries and in cooperation with experts in individual fields, would discuss issues and views of the modern development of Slovenia and give concrete proposals to parliamentary working bodies. However, I hope that this initiative will come to life in the future. Let me conclude by stressing that there was very good cooperation between the National Assembly and the President of the Republic and other state bodies. Likewise, I believe that the cooperation between the National Assembly and the Government was at the level of previous parliamentary terms. Let me also mention that during this term I wished to open a discussion also on how to improve the communication on issues concerning the functioning of Slovenia within the European Union, since the current Act on Cooperation between the National Assembly and the Government regarding affairs pertaining to the functioning of Slovenia within the EU, does not provide for the National Assembly to adopt or co-create the reform programme which the Government submits to Brussels. Therefore, I believe this to be one of the subjects that ought to be open in the future, giving more power to the National Assembly. I wish the new, already seventh National Assembly, much wisdom and well-considered decisions. Janko Veber President of the National Assembly 4 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION – EXPLANATION OF METHOD AND CONTENTS .......................................... 8 2 GENERAL INFORMATION .........................................................................................................10 2.1 Deputies of the National Assembly in the parliamentary term 2011–2014 ....................... 10 2.2 Deputy groups ...................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 The structure of deputies ..................................................................................................... 16 2.4 Leading officials of the National Assembly ........................................................................ 18 2.5 Deputy offices ....................................................................................................................... 18 2.6 Ratio coalition–opposition, deputies of the Italian and Hungarian national communities, unaffiliated deputies ................................................................................................................... 18 3 SESSIONS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY .............................................................................20 3.1 Sessions of the National Assembly ..................................................................................... 20 3.2 Adjournments and obstructions .......................................................................................... 22 3.3 Draft and adopted laws and other acts ............................................................................... 23 3.3.1 Adopted laws and other acts .........................................................................................23 3.3.2 Draft and adopted laws by proposer ..............................................................................25 3.3.3 Adopted laws by type of legislative procedure ...............................................................26 3.3.4 Details concerning the regular legislative procedure .....................................................28 3.4 Amendments ........................................................................................................................