ustavne rasprave i uloga parlamenata, ustavne teme i ustavne procedure, kapaciteti za dijalog,

1. Legitimacy through Participation: the Role
of National Parliaments
Gordana Čomić
Serbia

2. • Institutional „memory“ - is there any? (openness and
communication)
• Procedures – can there be „copy / paste“ process? (never
been there, never done that)
• Constitutional dialogue – is it possible? (the tragedy of
the commons)
• Timeline – managing „time“ & reforming? (what you
need you have to make)
• Coping with multitasking (changing the constitution is
just one more item on “to do” list)
Context (joining EU)

3. issue procedures
• Who decides about it? • How to create it?
• Where is the list? • How to implement?
• Where to start?
• “Self-made” issues?
• Should there be
• EU instructions? parliament “ownership”
• Following others? or not?
Changing

4. DEBATE (DIALOGUE)
How to ensure “voice of minority”?
How to get all “in one room”?

5. • Similarities and differences between companies and
parliaments (sometimes, it is hard to say)
• Is it about fundamental human rights or is it about
efficiency for efficiency sake? (sharing with people)
• Do we take important things for granted? (someone died
for constitutional freedoms, once upon a time)
• What about common social will – reached, understood?
“corporative democracy”

6. • Fundamental freedoms and rights
• Basic principles of democracy (that we know and love)
• Laws and regulations directly implemented
• Fiscal and monetary policies (agreed and harmonized)
• Solidarity and accountability
National vs EU (or not vs)

7. • Freedom
• Rule of law
• Equity
• Equality
• Citizens and basic human rights
Rule by law or Rule by the law?
What is the purpose?

8. TIMELINE
~300 years ago French
revolution, • Taking the role and power of the
~200 years ago another parliaments BACK, where
different revolutions, „power of the people” should be
~100 years ago
revolutions and World • Taking the leading role in the
Wars, process of changing
~50 years ago UN
Declaration on human • Taking the responsibility for
rights and freedom, representation
~30 years ago EU started
to “mean business”, • If not now, than - when?
now what?
History happens again?

9. • How to “cook” a good, “tasty” Constitution (changed) of
the material available?
• Take the most of political parties (as they are)
• Take the most of institutional capacities (as they are, not
as they should be)
• When society reach the obstacle that can not be removed,
take the “reverse question”: => what happens if we do
not reach the agreement?
• Remember – there is no bad example that can not serve as
good example for “do not do that”
EU taken as a recipe…

10. National Assembly Republic of Serbia
Thank you!