Recommendations for improving law-making process presented at OSCE-led meeting in Skopje

SKOPJE, 4 May 2010 - A set of recommendations on how to make the process of drafting and adopting legislation more transparent and efficient were presented at an OSCE-organized conference in Skopje today.

The recommendations were developed by an inter-institutional board with the assistance from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Spillover Mission to Skopje.

Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, the Director of ODIHR, said: "The way laws are made has significant impact on how they will be implemented and enforced. If those who will have to observe or enforce these laws do not feel included and do not get a chance to voice their opinion it can result in difficulties in implementation."

He added that an efficient and democratic law-making process will contribute to fulfilling the country's European perspective: "The European Union accession process involves an unprecedented legislative effort. The complete overhaul of the existing legal structures and mechanisms puts a huge strain on all elements of the legislative system."

Justice Minister Mihajlo Manevski said: "The Government and the Ministry of Justice are focused on improving all aspects of the law-making process, especially when it comes to policy making and evaluation of the adopted legislation."

The inter-institutional board is composed of officials representing the Assembly, the Ministry of Justice and other state bodies. It was set up in 2008 to develop home-grown solutions to the challenges identified in an ODIHR assessment report published in November 2007.