As the countries of the Western Balkans move forward in their democratic transitions and pursue membership in the European Union (EU), the need to strengthen the parliament – the institution constitutionally charged with representing the electorate, creating laws that respond to the needs of society, and overseeing the executive branch – is critical to both democratic transitions and EU membership
prospects. Although at different stages in their quests for EU membership, aligning the parliament with European standards is a key priority for all of the Western Balkan countries. With EU aspirations defining the process of their development, Western Balkan parliaments have much to learn from Central European counterparts as the latter offer important lessons on strengthening institutional capacities in preparation for EU accession. However, the parliaments of the region have much to share among themselves as they seek to overcome common challenges, including rigid partisan and ethnic divisions that thwart development; cumbersome bureaucratic procedures and structures, relics of their shared pasts; and insufficient resources to support minimum parliamentary operations. To support the state-level parliaments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia as they seek to address similar organizational and legislative hurdles, the National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) launched a regional parliamentary initiative in 2008, with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Through this initiative, NDI advances collaborative relationships among the Western Balkan parliaments, together with legislatures in Central Europe, to enhance their institutional, legislative, representative, and oversight capacities. The first phase of the initiative centered on parliamentary capacity development by targeting staffing development and structural reform, creating independent research services, and securing independent budgets to determine institutional priorities. In the second phase of this initiative, started in 2010, NDI has focused on strengthening oversight mechanisms, particularly within the context of committee operations, as rules reform within the region has devolved greater legislative and oversight authority to standing committees. These changes have increased committees’ responsibilities for scrutinizing draft legislation, reviewing the state budget in areas of their competence, overseeing respective government ministries and summoning government ministers to provide reports and testimony, and assessing the impact of approved laws. Committee reports based on these activities are then offered to the plenary for debate and vote, requiring committees to conduct substantial work in these areas to create informed, detailed recommendations. Through the initiative, parliaments have clarified the legal frameworks – from the constitution to state legislation and parliamentary rules of procedure – to permit oversight of the executive, and have supported committees to address organizational issues that inhibit their effectiveness. While the parliaments have secured the basic framework for oversight and members of parliament (MPs) have demonstrated increasing understanding of democratic practices for parliamentary oversight, committees have struggled to utilize the full array of oversight tools, including public hearings, investigations and field hearings, and government and external expert testimony. Program participants have spoken of unclear or inconsistent procedures, insufficient preparation and disorganized agendas, and inadequate resources, among others, as issues preventing successful implementation of these tools and corresponding follow-through. Thus, the Institute proposes to build upon the work started in the two previous phases, and as a next step, identify common impediments that arise and find recommendations, both within the region and among other European models, for putting oversight tools to regular use in committee operations.
