OSCE/ODIHR event focuses on measures to enhance lawmaking process in Georgia

The lawmaking process in Georgia should be more flexible, transparent and inclusive, said an assessment report prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and presented at a meeting organized jointly with the Parliament of Georgia in Tbilisi, on 9 June 2015.

During the meeting, some 45 representatives from the Parliament, Government, Presidential Administration and other state institutions, civil society and international organizations discussed the findings of ODIHR’s Comprehensive Assessment of the Legislative Procedure in Georgia. The report, prepared on the request of the Speaker of Parliament and released in January 2015, analyzed the legislative framework and practice of the legislative process in Georgia. It also included numerous recommendations for reform.    

“Laws are only as good as the processes by which they are developed,” said Alice Thomas, Chief of ODIHR’s Legislative Support Unit. “Key stakeholders need to be involved at the early stages of developing legislation to ensure that it corresponds to the actual situation on the ground.”

The recommendations in the report focus on enhancing the Government’s policy-development process, as well as the conduct of regulatory impact assessments of draft laws. The report also encourages the Government and the Parliament to develop a regulatory framework for public consultations, and recommends that the Parliament introduce a comprehensive electronic information system, to increase the transparency and inclusiveness of the legislative process.

“The last years have already seen quite extensive reforms of the legislative process in Georgia,” said Davit Usupashvili, Speaker of the Parliament. “At the same time, ODIHR’s report highlights a number of important issues that still need to be addressed in order to increase the efficiency of our lawmaking process.”

The assessment is part of ODIHR’s ongoing activities to assist Georgia in its efforts to implement key OSCE commitments, including that to formulate and adopt legislation through an open, transparent and inclusive process.