Macedonian Parliament adopts Code of Ethics

Macedonian MPs unanimously adopted Monday the Code of Ethics in the parliament by 84 votes in favor. The goal of the document is to strengthen the ethics of lawmakers and to increase the confidence in the parliament as representative body of citizens and holder of legislative power.

Ruling majority and opposition lawmakers agreed the final drafting of Code of Ethics at the first meeting under Jean Monnet process in Ohrid in May 2017.

During the debate in the parliament, lawmaker Ilija Dimovski of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party said that the text of the Code of Ethics is a good basis for upgrade of the ethic rules in the future but it is also one of the future steps of more kilometers long track.

SDSM coordinator Tomislav Tuntev said that this is a festive day in the parliament because such document is being adopted for the first time as a first step towards regulating the behavior of the lawmakers in the parliament toward themselves, toward their colleagues, toward the public and toward the institutions.

According to the Code of Ethics, the lawmakers while carrying out their function should adhere to the basic ethical principles, to perform their function without discrimination, to be guided by the public interest and to respect the personality of each individual.

Decision to send a member of the Army of Republic of Macedonia to participate in a peacekeeping operation of the United Nations, UNIFIL in Lebanon and law on ratification of the agreement between the government of the Republic of Macedonia and Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina were also adopted at today’s 47th parliament’s session.