Report: Parliament adopted 246 laws in 2018, significant increase compared to 2017

North Macedonia’s Parliament adopted 246 laws in 2018, which is a significant increase compared to 2017, the year when the institution was inactive in the first five months due to the prolonged constitutive session. However, this number marks an improvement compared to the 339 laws adopted in 2016, since hyperinflation of laws does not always mean improvement of the system, reads a report by civil association Most.

The report was developed within project “Index of Accountability, Transparency and Productivity of the Parliament 2017-2018”.

Most executive director Darko Aleksov told Tuesday’s presentation of the report there is a positive trend of MPs’ participation in the policy creation process. In addition, about 70 percent of the laws adopted in 2016 and 2017 went through an expedited procedure, whereas the number of adopted laws using this procedure in 2018 dropped to 28.9 percent.

Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi said transparency creates the parliamentary democracy, including a concrete normative framework, sense of responsibility, and political culture.

“If we look at the situation in our country, I believe that the Constitution, the Rules of Procedures and the Law on Parliament provide good grounds for transparency, but we should admit there is insufficient degree of responsibility, while political culture is something we should work on,” said Xhaferi.

He added that the Parliament is moving in the right direction in bringing back the spirit of parliamentary democracy, and highlighted the processes of electing the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption and public debates within different committees that involved NGOs and experts.

British Ambassador Rachel Galloway said the Parliament is the mirror of the society, and its diversity reflects the society’s diversity.

Ambassador Galloway said Great Britain’s support is focused on the reform agenda and strengthening of institutions, including the Parliament, while transparency and accountability are in the core of their work.

“This is an important year for North Macedonia, especially with the NATO membership in sight. We are leaving the EU but we will continue to be your partners and show commitment to your future EU membership,” noted Galloway.