Inter-parliamentary Cooperation Research Articles

Analiza porównawcza zaangażowania parlamentów narodowych w reformę polityki imigracyjnej, azylowej i kontroli granic zewnętrznych UE między 2015 a 2020 r.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE INVOLVEMENT OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS IN THE REFORM OF EU MIGRATION, ASYLUM AND EXTERNAL BORDER CONTROL POLICIES IN 2015-2020 The article tries to describe and explain the change in the involvement of national parliaments in the process of reforming the EU’s migration, asylum and bord control policies in the years 2015-2020. The research continues the threads that author have presented in the article entitled The involvement of national parliaments in 2015–2017 in actions to overcome the immigration crisis in the EU published in 2018. However, this analysis was mainly exploratory and descriptive. Therefore, by using a hypothetico-deductive method and drawing from observations about the activity of parliaments in using the treaty and non-treaty tools available to them, as well as from the conclusions about their involvement in the reform of migration, asylum and border control policies in 2015-2016, two hypotheses are tested: H1. The instrument of political dialogue was used more frequently by national parliaments during the 2020 reform than during the 2015-2016 reform; H2. Those parliaments that actively used treaty-based instruments in 2015-2016 were more likely to submit opinions on documents regarding the reform of asylum and migration policy after 2020. The results obtained show a decline in the involvement of parliaments measured by the number of political dialogue opinions sent to the EU institutions and the intensity of discussions in interparliamentary cooperation bodies. Nevertheless, the relatively large number of reasoned opinions under the subsidiarity control procedures, as well as the fact that new parliaments, which were not involved in issuing opinions on solutions regarding migration, asylum and border control policies in 2015-2016, allow us to ask new interesting research questions requiring further analysis.

On Historical Relationship between Parliamentary and Humanitarian Diplomacy

The paper analyzes approaches to defining parliamentary and humanitarian venues of diplomatic cooperation. It is shown that institutionalized inter-parliamentary cooperation began to develop in the last quarter of the 19th century, while examples of the influence of parliamentarians on the foreign policy process in their nation-states can be traced back even earlier, at least since the time of the Great French Revolution. It has been revealed that the early forms of parliamentarian influence on foreign policy were based on humanistic arguments and appealed to a sense of humanity. The humanistic orientation of the emerging parliamentary diplomacy in the last third of the 19th century is explained by focusing on factors such as the development of the media and the growing influence of public opinion on the domestic and foreign policies of European nation-states. The similarity of the initial organizational forms of parliamentary and humanitarian diplomacy illustrates the example of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Both types of diplomatic interaction emerged via multilateral conferences. The final section of the paper is devoted to an analysis of the origins of Russian parliamentary and humanitarian diplomacy. It is shown that Russia played an active role in the development of these forms of diplomatic interaction. The paper concludes by arguing that a thorough definition of parliamentary diplomacy is only possible when both the actor and organizational dimensions of parliamentary diplomacy are taken into account. It argues further that the more or less common paths of development of parliamentary and humanitarian diplomacy result in their thematic affinity. The third conclusion is that the parliamentary methods accepted by diplomatic agents profoundly affected the development of cooperation between nation-states during the 20th century.

MODEL LEGISLATION OF THE CIS MEMBER STATES ON JURY TRIALS

The article considers the issue of inter-parliamentary cooperation of the member states of theCommonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formed in 1991. The main form of inter-parliamentarycooperation of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States is model lawmaking. As aresult of a comparative legal study, it was concluded that the model legislation of the Commonwealth ofIndependent States and the national legislation of the CIS member states, in particular the legislation ontrial with the participation of jurors, are interrelated and mutually influenced. The subject of the study wasthe norms of the “Model Criminal Procedure Code for the CIS Member States” in 1996 and the norms ofthe “Model Code on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges for the CIS Member States” in 2011. Thegeneral tendency to improve the judicial systems of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, theKyrgyz Republic was revealed — the legislative consolidation of the possibility of considering criminal casesby a court with the participation of jurors. In the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan, thecourt with the participation of jurors is successfully functioning, in the Kyrgyz Republic it will be introducedin January 2025.

Interparliamentary Associations of the Subjects of the Russian Federation in the 1990s: the formation of the institutional foundations of "horizontal federalism"

The article is devoted to the analysis of the formation of the organizational foundations of interparliamentary associations established by the parliaments of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the 1990s. The object of the study is interparliamentary cooperation developing between the legislative authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and the subject is the interparliamentary associations formed by them. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the organization of interregional associations of legislative authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation, which are the basis for the formation of horizontal federal relations in the 1990s. Historical-genetic, problem-analytical and historical-comparative methods, as well as the method of structural-functional analysis are used as the methodological basis of the work. Attention is drawn to the fact that at the first stage of the formation of inter–parliamentary associations in 1994, the association became the most popular form of organizational cooperation, and at the second stage, since 1997, the council. The associations were created as consultative and advisory bodies implementing the function of coordinating legislative activities within their own jurisdiction and authority in order to create a single legislative space of the subjects of the Federation of one macro-region. The formation of councils was carried out with the aim of developing legislative initiatives within the joint jurisdiction of the center and the regions concerning the implementation of economic reform. It was concluded that the organizational structure of associations, in general, correlates with the generally accepted standard of activity of the corresponding form of interparliamentary association, defining and streamlining the content and dynamics of the processes of its legislative activity and ensuring the implementation of the goals. Whereas the constituent entities of the Federation – members of the soviets, defining the status of associations as organizations, thereby formally positioned their significance and weight, but in fact focused on building individual relations with the federal center "vertically". Thus, only the association model in the 1990s ensured the formation of the institutional foundations of "horizontal federalism" in Russia.

The Eurasian Vector as a Priority of Russia’s Parliamentary Diplomacy

The article discusses certain special aspects of Russia’s parliamentary diplomacy in the context of global confrontation with the West. It demonstrates that the Eurasian vector of the parliamentary dimension should become the priority thereof. The article researches multilateral and bilateral inter-parliamentary relations aimed at the formation of Eurasian law and the creation of conditions for functioning of Eurasian courts and arbitration tribunals. Certain features of the work of Eurasian parliamentary institutions are revealed, such as: the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, IPA CIS, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia on economic, political, military, humanitarian integration in the post-Soviet territory.Aim. Disclosure of the content of the Eurasian vector of Russia’s parliamentary diplomacy as a priority dimension in the context of global confrontation with the West.Tasks. Analyze features of the Western and Eurasian vectors of parliamentary diplomacy of Russia; explore forms and methods of parliamentary diplomacy in the post-Soviet territory; determine ways to strengthen the role of the parliamentary dimension in the processes of Eurasian integration.Methods. Systematic approach, comparative analysis, compilation of the best practices.Results. The study showed the need for a transition to bilateral forms of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Russia and unfriendly countries of the West and the effectiveness of multilateral cooperation with the countries of the East in order to develop Eurasian integration. The relevance of creating a parliamentary dimension in the EAEU and completing the formation of parliamentary institutions in the CSTO and the Union State has been substantiated.

The integrationnal potential of inter-parliamentary cooperation of the regions of the Russian Federation in the 1990s.

The article is devoted to the study of the practical experience of the activities of the associations of inter-parliamentary cooperation of the regions of the Russian Federation in the 1990s and the implementation of strategies for using their integrative potential. The object of the study is inter–parliamentary associations, the subject is the strategies of integration cooperation formed by them. The purpose of the work is to analyze the use of the integration potential of the activities of the associations of interparliamentary cooperation of the regions of the Russian Federation in the 1990s. Attention is drawn to the fact that inter–parliamentary associations - associations and councils formed various integration strategies, which were formed depending on the goals and objectives of interaction declared by the associations. The organization of the activities of interparliamentary cooperation associations was aimed at developing joint solutions, the form and content of which depended on whether the issue belonged to the appropriate level of competence – the exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and its regions, as well as the exclusive jurisdiction of the regions of the Federation. It is established that the implementation of the strategies of the associations was carried out by resolving common problems for the participants, such as: the development of model laws and legislative initiatives, generalization of law enforcement practice, as well as support for individual initiatives that are key for the regions of the Federation – a member of the association. The content of the cooperation of the councils was mainly related to the coordination by the subjects of the Federation of legislative support for the implementation of socio-economic development programs of the regions of the Federation. A feature of the activities of interparliamentary cooperation associations was the formation of a consolidated position on rule-making, which falls within the competence of the exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, as well as the development of unified positions on the socio-political events taking place in the country.

The International Parliament Conference “Russia – Africa”

On March 19–20, 2023 an International Parliament Conference “Russia – Africa” was held in Moscow. Members of parliaments of over 40 African countries as well as deputies of the State Duma, members of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and representatives of the business and academic community participated in this conference. Within the Conference, several round tables were organized on March 19 where the most crucial issues were discussed on the inter-parliamentary cooperation in the field of science and education, the search of the joint solution on economic challenges, different security issues and the resistance to the Western neocolonialism. On March 20, the plenary session entitled “Russia – Africa in the Multipolar World” took place with the participation of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. The Conference not only identified major problems that impede the further sustainable social and economic growth of African countries but also proposed possible ways to solve them. Representatives of the business and academic community expressed their readiness to work together with their African partners to solve common tasks.

The Evolution of Parliamentarism in Africa in the Context of Social Transformation and the Formation of a Multipolar World

The Evolution of Parliamentarism in Africa in the Context of Social Transformation and the Formation of a Multipolar World

Beyond national boundaries in the study of digital public engagement: Interparliamentary institutions and cooperation in the Austrian and Portuguese national parliaments

AbstractThis study assesses the role of interparliamentary institutions (IPIs) and networks in the diffusion of new ideas and solutions of (digital) public engagement in national parliaments by using elite semistructured interviews from two case studies, Austria and Portugal. Evidence collected shows that both parliaments are strongly relying on IPIs to develop and implement digital public engagement activities to stay informed, eliminate the possibility of failure, reduce the administrative costs and uncertainty of IT planning and new experiences, and comply with standards of what is perceived to be a legitimate parliament. By showing that IPIs are vehicles of (digital) public engagement diffusion—parliaments learn from and emulate other parliaments perceived as successful through these institutions—this study has significant implications for our understanding of public engagement as well as of interparliamentary cooperation.

Parliamentary diplomacy and its importance in the conditions of martial law

The dynamic constitutional process since the proclamation of independence, taking into account the domestic experience of state-building and law-making, the results of constitutional, parliamentary and other reforms, has contributed to the expansion of functions and powers of parliament, forms of activity. In recent years, parliamentary diplomacy has become more important, structured, and new formats of parliamentary interaction have emerged. The importance of international parliamentary organizations and interparliamentary cooperation has grown due to the importance of developing and protecting universal norms of international law, establishing peace and security, protecting democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the world. Therefore, the current evolution of inter-parliamentary relations is characterized by the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy, although classical international law did not recognize such cooperation as an institution of diplomatic and consular law. In modern conditions in times of armed conflict, such tools are effective, sometimes the only acceptable compromise ways to resolve conflicts between states, with the participation of interparliamentary organizations, parliamentary assemblies of international organizations. The importance of parliamentary diplomacy as an element of multisectoral foreign military-political development in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the effects of martial law, of course, is growing and its available results are obvious. This leads to further scientific research in this area, broadening horizons and strengthening parliamentary democratic culture. Key words: parliamentary diplomacy, international interparliamentary cooperation, parliamentarism, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, martial law

The place of the international parliamentary union in the process of evolution of parliamentarism

The article examines the formation of the institution of parliamentarism in the world, establishes the factors that influenced the process of evolution. Examples of legislative bodies of different countries are given, their structure is compared, normative legal acts that influenced the development and establishment of parliamentarism are analyzed. The article confirms the importance of the parliament in the process of functioning of the state, taking into account the historical aspect and the future perspective and direction of the institute's activity, considering the decision-making of this institute depends on the legal system of the entire country, and sometimes the foreign policy course. This body clearly follows the norms of the basic law of the state, and is the guarantor of human rights and freedoms. Parliament is the highest legislative and representative body in the states, it includes representatives who are elected from the entire population and all regions. In modern times, the parliament is a legislative body, that is, it is empowered to pass laws, as well as to form and control the executive power and establish inter-parliamentary cooperation. This scientific work clarifies the place and role of international organizations in the process of evolution of the institution of parliamentarism through the prism of the activities of the international parliamentary union, analyzes its legal framework, and considers the structure of the organization. The main directions of the Union's activity, the result of rule-making activities in the organization of adopted resolutions, are being worked out. The article examines the main declarations of the International Parliamentary Union, namely the Declaration on the Criteria of Free and Fair Voters and the General Declaration on Democracy. The genesis of the union is revealed, taking into account the historical component, influencing factors, and the future perspective is outlined with the help of further parliamentary dialogue on the basis of a unique forum. The created multilateral parliamentary dialogue projects the experience and perspective on the solution of the crisis situation, develops new ways of resolving and preventing conflicts. On the basis of the International Parliamentary Union, a large program for the promotion of democracy has been created, and the organization itself is a powerful and effective source for parliaments.

National opposition parties within the inter-parliamentary conference on stability, economic coordination and governance in the EU

ABSTRACT While the institutional dimension of inter-parliamentary cooperation has been the subject of intense research, much less is known about the involvement of partisan actors, and more specifically of members of opposition parties. This article aims to bridge this gap by looking at the composition of parliamentary delegations to the meetings of the inter-parliamentary conference on stability, economic coordination and governance in the EU (so-called ‘Article 13 Conference’, established by Art. 13 of the Fiscal Compact in 2012). It focuses on the involvement and attitude of opposition parties, in order to verify whether they take part to inter-parliamentary cooperation and with which approach.

Parliaments’ involvement in the Recovery and Resilience Facility

ABSTRACT The article analyses the national parliaments’ role in assessing and following up on national Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRP) as a proxy for their further involvement in Economic Governance. It also highlights the scope available for the European Parliament in RRP scrutiny, and possible ways forward for a common parliamentary approach to upcoming challenges. The article proposes to deepen interparliamentary (national and at the EU level) cooperation and interaction with other EU stakeholders, like the EU Court of Auditors, the national fiscal boards, and the European Commission. Furthermore, COSAC is recognised and suggested as one of the appropriate platforms for such cooperation. Considerations on parliaments’ overall role in Economic Governance underlie the analysis.

The European Parliament in the Economic and Monetary Union after COVID: towards a slow empowerment?

ABSTRACT The European Parliament (EP)’s role in the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) has always been rather limited. Its prerogatives were somewhat reinforced after the Euro crisis, but its role in policy implementation remained minimal. However, because of the pandemic, the level of integration at the supranational level has significantly increased as a result of, among others, the adoption of unique instruments such as the SURE instrument, Next Generation EU and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RFF). This article considers to what extent the EP’s role in EMU has been reinforced as a result of these measures. It finds that the EP was regrettably reserved only a limited role in the operationalisation of the RRF and an even lesser role in other instruments, but that legal and political constraints made any other outcome unlikely. This article argues in favour of an increased use of the existing instruments by both the EP and national parliaments, as well as a reinforcement of interparliamentary cooperation. A far more extensive empowerment of the EP would be required if temporary and exceptional developments that occurred in the EMU during the pandemic were to become more entrenched.

The inter-parliamentary cooperation as a solution to mitigate the democratic deficit within the European Union

1979년 유럽의회(European Parliament)가 직접보통 선거를 도입한 결과로 발생한, 유럽의회와 회원국 의회 간의 단절이 유럽의회와 회원국 의회 간 협력의 필요성을 낳아, 그 협력이 꾸준히 증가해왔다. 유럽의회가 유럽연합이사회(Council of the European Union)와 동등한 정책결정기구로서 참여하는 공동체 방식(Community method)이 아닌, 회원국 간 지속적인 정치적 타협과 이해조정을 요구하는 정부 간 협의 방식(Intergovernmental method)에 의해 채택된 유럽 정책이 증가함으로써, 유럽연합의 활동들에 관한 의회 통제의 사각지대가 확장되고 있는 것이 현실이다. 본 연구는 유럽의회와 회원국 의회 사이에 존재하는 상호보완성(complementarity) 덕분에, 의회 간 협력이 유럽연합의 활동들에 대한 민주적 정당성을 강화하는 장치가 될 수 있음을 보여 준다. 본 연구는 유럽연합 내 다양한 의회 간 협력회의들을 EU회원국 의회 내 EU담당위원회 간 회의인 COSAC (Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union) 그리고 EU회원국 의회의장 간 회의인 EUSC(Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments)와 같은 모든 종류의 유럽연합 이슈들을 전방위적으로 다루는 의회 간 협력회의들과, 특정 분야에 집중된 분야별 의회 간 협력회의들(유럽연합 공동외교안보/공동안보방위 정책을 위한 의회 간 협력회의인 IPC for CFSP/CSDP, 유럽연합 내 안정, 경제적 조정 및 거버넌스에 관한 의회 간 협력 회의인 IPC on SECG 그리고 유로폴에 관한 공동의회조사 그룹인 JPSG on Europol)로 나누어서 검토하고, 강점(Strengths), 약점(Weaknesses), 기회(Opportunities) 및 위기(Threats)를 검토하는 SWOT 분석을 통해, 유럽연합 내 의회 간 협력을 종합적으로 검토함으로써, 유럽연합 내 의회 간 협력의 한계와 가능성에 대한 이해를 제고한다. 또한 본 연구는 유럽연합 내 의회 간 협력에 관한 연구를 통하여, 한·중·일 동아시아 3국 의회 간 협력의 발전가능성 및 한국에 주는 함의를 도출한다.Resulting to a large extent from the gap between the European Parliament and the national parliaments as a result of the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage introduced in 1979, the necessity of the inter-parliamentary cooperation (IPC) has progressively increased. In the context where the blind angle of the parliamentary control on the EU expands, resulting from the development of the European politics taken by the intergovernmental method instead of by the community method, this study shows that the IPC can be a device which could lead to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the EU’s acts thanks to the complementarity between the European Parliament and the national parliaments. This article examines the IPC by dividing it into two types of IPC: on the one hand, IPCs dealing with subjects related to general EU affairs (*COSAC and *EUSC); on the other hand, IPCs dealing with subjects which are focused on a certain sector (*IPC for CFSP/CSDP, *IPC on SECG and *JPSG on Europol). In assessing the IPC through a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, this study leads us to understand the limits and the potential benefits of the IPC. In addition, through a study on the IPC within the EU, this article seeks to extend possibilities for the development of the IPC in three East Asia countries (South Korea, China and Japan) and makes us to learn a lesson for South Korea. COSAC: Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union * EUSC: Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments * IPC for CFSP/CSDP: Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defense Policy * IPC on SECG: Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the EU * JPSG on Europol: Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol

Interparliamentary Cooperation at the Political and Administrative Levels, in the Euro-National Parliamentary System

Interparliamentary Cooperation at the Political and Administrative Levels, in the Euro-National Parliamentary System

INTERNATIONAL INTER-PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION OF THE FEDERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND PARTICIPATION IN INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATIONS

The purpose of the research. The article analyzes the place and role of the legislative bodies of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in the system of international inter-parliamentary cooperation. The article examines the political and legal mechanism of interaction between states within the framework of inter-parliamentary institutions at the present stage. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively consider the importance of parliamentary diplomacy of the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in the system of international relations of the Russian Federation. This is essential for determining the vector of state policy on the implementation of cooperation between the legislative bodies of different countries, as much attention is paid to the activities of the legislative bodies of Russia in international inter-parliamentary organizations and their participation in the international integration process. Results. Based on the results of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that inter-parliamentary international cooperation is an important factor in the development of interstate relations, performing the functions of representative diplomacy. This policy is being successfully implemented by the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, not only within the framework of bilateral contacts, but also in the context of the development of interactions between states within the framework of inter-parliamentary associations of a regional and international format, which are of no small importance.

The European and national parliaments in the area of freedom, security and justice: does interparliamentary cooperation lead to joint oversight?

ABSTRACT To what extent does the cooperation of national parliaments and the European Parliament strengthen the oversight of EU executive actors in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice? The article provides an ideal-typical conceptualisation of individual and joint parliamentary oversight in the EU’s multi-level system. Legislative scrutiny is examined for the case of the General Data Protection Regulation and agency oversight is analysed for the case of Europol. In both cases, the article demonstrates that the interparliamentary cooperation has not led to a joint oversight. Legislative scrutiny was badly timed, characterised by diverging interests, and a high fluctuation of the participating parliamentarians. The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group over Europol has turned out to become a primarily symbolic layer to the ‘individual oversight’ exercised by the European Parliament’s LIBE committee.

Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation: The Next Frontier in Global Politics

National parliaments have become significantly active in international arena particularly in advancing democracy and national interests within a globalized context. This report assesses the role that inter-parliamentary organizations play in regional and global political scenes under the umbrella of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The article views these regional institutions in the context of their relations to the IPU through content analysis of available literature. Three of the regional bodies of interest in the report are the Arab Parliament, Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and the European Union Parliament. The findings drawn from available literature shows that these organizations have become the new frontier for political movements as they take center stage in global affairs. The objectives of these regional bodies are largely aligned with those of the IPU, and it is not surprising that they frequently collaborate or agree on several issues. The article concludes that the Inter-parliamentary diplomacy and the pursuit of democracy through collective efforts of regional parliamentary bodies have made it possible for IPU to have a higher political currency in different jurisdictions.

Parliamentary Diplomacy: A Review Article

Abstract There is growing academic interest in parliamentary diplomacy. This is a welcome development because for many years only parliamentary practitioners themselves paid much attention to the parliamentarization of international affairs, and then mainly from a technical interparliamentary cooperation perspective. This presently consolidating academic literature still requires a fresh impetus if only because there still remain numerous important and problematic issues that need to be addressed. This article will first set the study of parliamentary diplomacy in its wider context, offering examples and definitions. It will then review its main findings to date – before suggesting a number of important research questions that deserve further attention. It is argued that future studies will need to examine them in more detail in order to strengthen academic research into this ever-expanding worldwide phenomenon. The conclusions will also include a practical suggestion for developing this important new dimension in diplomatic studies even further.