The World of Parliaments
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TheThe WorldWorld ofof ParliamentsParliaments Quarterly Review of the Inter-Parliamentary Union April 2001 N°1 Special guest : Mr. Raymond Forni, President of the French National Assembly IPU could become “parliamentary arm”of UN Q : In an era of globalisation, is policy still made intervene in the phase prior to the drafting in Parliament? of EU texts and now that the most impor- tant questions may be settled in public sit- Raymond Forni : Globalisation does not con- tings, after close scrutiny by each assembly’s cern parliaments specifically; rather, it delegation to the European Union. affects all national institutions alike, exec- Moreover, the European Union is a good utive, parliamentary or judicial, as very few example of the crucial role of parliaments, questions today are exclusively national. because the founding treaties introduced a Yet even before the pace of globalisation procedure providing for joint decision-mak- began to pick up in recent years, France ing between the European Parliament and was grappling with this problem as part of the Council with respect to all major com- the building of Europe, which it was mon policies. involved in from the start and which has led it gradually to adjust the functioning of Q : How can we increase awareness of its institutions. Mr. Raymond Forni, parliaments and their work? I myself am firmly convinced that the role President of the French National Assembly and influence of parliaments are not going R.F. : This is a major concern for our Assem- to recede when decisions are taken at an international level because bly. Although individual MPs are always known to constituents the people, acting through their elected representatives, can and for their work on the local level, citizens are still not sufficiently must be involved with creating legal standards and overseeing gov- familiar with all facets ernments. The Nation remains the essential framework for dem- of the day-to-day activ- In this issue ocratic expression. Peoples exercise a choice in their own countries ities of Parliament. by voting in free elections. More than the sovereignty of States, We should bear in sovereignty above all belongs to the people. mind the fact that the Message of the President of IPU Council, In addition, globalisation helps to awaken fresh understand- influence exerted by Dr. Najma Heptulla . 3 ing. The speed at which information spreads, its transparency parliaments does not and its proliferation all guarantee better knowledge of the eco- derive solely from their IPU and WTO . 4-5 nomic, social or political changes taking place throughout the power but also and world. World political opinion now exists and is becoming more above all from the val- Technical Cooperation . 6 structured. It influences major decisions and generates its own ues they embody, from form of status quo. the role they play in the Parliamentary Developments . 8 In a world that is becoming more unified, national parliaments drafting of legislation, cannot merely “rubber stamp” standards adopted within a supra- from their capacity to Historical focus . 10 national framework. As far as the building of Europe is con- sensitize and mobilize cerned, this risk may be ruled out now that our assemblies public opinion and from Read in the press . 12 (Cont’d page 2) The World of Parliaments - April 2001 1 the trust generated by the steps they take up specialized bodies for European affairs Q : The IPU plans to give a parliamentary to improve the people’s welfare. or commissioned members of existing bod- dimension to international cooperation. What Accordingly, we have simultaneously ies to follow the Union’s activities. We can means can it employ to achieve this goal and strengthened oversight of the Executive and institute more such bodies, for example on in what fields can the IPU become a key beefed up Parliament’s systems for gather- multilateral trade negotiations. player? ing information on societal problems of And since our planet is called on to direct concern to citizens: the number of “network”, why not link these specialized R.F. : The determination of the French fact-finding committees and information bodies up with each other? Bringing National Assembly to strengthen its activ- missions dealing with such extremely together MPs from different countries who ities in the field of international coopera- diverse subjects as food security, safety at have acquired such skills is an essential tion can only benefit from the IPU’s sea, money laundering, the state and man- function of parliamentary diplomacy. It involvement and dynamism in the same agement of prisons or business tribunals, enables them to compare the way in which area. problems relating to town and country public opinion in each country assesses the As I have already proposed, the Inter- planning and so forth has risen sharply. negotiations and to compare their own Parliamentary Union could over the long We have also given higher priority to appreciations. Little by little, this run become a true Parliamentary Assem- legislative texts sponsored by Parliament approach will give rise to a global vision bly of the United Nations, be consulted by that focus on societal issues. To mention of problems that have themselves become the General Assembly, the Security Coun- two recent examples, both the laws on rela- global. cil and the Economic and Social Council tions in unmarried couples – what we call Globalization upsets the patterns under- and make proposals to those bodies. the Civil Solidarity Pact - and the ongoing lying our daily democratic life. In a way, Moreover, the IPU, in its efforts to ensure debate on the legal system for passing on everything is international now, and the that parliaments are represented in spe- a family name to children originated in international dimension affects policies cialized UN agencies, could over time such bills. implemented nationally. As a result, we become the “parliamentary arm” of the Lastly, we have developed a modern and must rethink the very notion of represen- UN. Here, it has gained credibility by diversified communication policy. Each tative democracy. Because NGOs are showing that it could also help to achieve year, the National Children’s Parliament often at the vanguard of civil society, major international breakthroughs: among contributes to the civic education of future because many of our citizens feel that poli- many other examples I could mention, it citizens. The organization of workshops cies today fail to represent their aspira- played a pioneering role in efforts to ban on topical issues, the launching of a par- tions forcefully or truthfully enough, we anti-personnel mines. liamentary TV channel and the develop- must find new ways of representing civil I would also like to pay a tribute to the ment of our Internet site, where each and society. many inter-parliamentary cooperation pro- every one can follow the drafting of a law, grammes run by the IPU, particularly in consult records of public or committee Q : Can parliaments act as relays or mediators the furtherance of the rule of law. Indeed, debates, access minutes of hearings and between decision-makers and civil society, there are many more parliamentary democ- information reports or contact an MP or both nationally and internationally? racies today than a decade ago. The tran- a political group all serve to heighten sition from dictatorship to democracy is awareness of the wide-ranging activities R.F. : This question comes as a bit of a sur- not always easy. It is a moral obligation performed by Parliament. prise, because acting as mediators is in my for the young democracies to make sure view the minimum expression of the nat- that the first elections are democratic and Q : How can we strengthen the role of ural role of parliaments: ever since they properly conducted; it is also in their inter- parliaments on the international scene? came into being, parliaments have not con- ests to do so. Subsequently, the establish- tented themselves with merely being con- ment of parliamentary institutions may also R.F. : First of all, there is a need to work sulted; if only through popular consent to give rise to all sorts of difficulties – juridi- towards the establishment of international taxation (which is often their origin, his- cal, material or technical. An organization assemblies. The UN, WTO and the other torically speaking), they have also been as old and deeply rooted as the IPU is in a international organizations must open up associated with the decisions taken and position to provide the input required to more to the people, to world public opin- have overseen their application. ensure that young democracies function ion, to international civil society. The Moreover, as we can see, international properly. This is precisely what it has done cooperation agreement which the Union organizations are increasingly feeling the whenever such help has been sought from and the UN signed in 1986 was an need to establish parliamentary bodies, it, and our Assembly actively supports its extremely positive first step aimed at asso- deriving from national parliaments, along- efforts. ciating our parliaments with the United side their ministerial ones, which emanate By focusing on fundamental rights in Nations. In the same spirit, the MPs pres- from governments. Up until the end of the international relations, the IPU intends ent at the Seattle Conference adopted a 90s, only States were fully-fledged partners to move away from an overly restrictive resolution calling for the establishment in international negotiations. Negotiators conception of State prerogatives which of a WTO Parliamentary Assembly. I are now subject to manifold pressures, and sometimes limits national diplomatic support these initiatives, which in my it is not uncommon for them to hold fora activity and to ensure that the freedom view are an essential step in the right attended by NGOs on the fringe of official of speech enjoyed by MPs serves the direction.