OSCE/ODIHR assessment report recommends introducing greater flexibility and transparency in Armenian legislative process

The legislative process in the Republic of Armenia should be made more flexible and participatory, says an assessment report presented by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Yerevan on 30 October 2014.

The presentation, co-organized with the OSCE Office in Yerevan, was held for representatives from the Armenian National Assembly, the Government, state institutions, and international and civil society organizations.

Prepared upon an official request by the Ministry of Justice, the “Comprehensive Assessment of the Legislative Procedure in the Republic of Armenia” notes the large amount of legislation passed annually and, as a result, the heavy workload created for the Government and, in particular, the National Assembly. The assessment report recommends that more in-depth policy discussions, stakeholder consultations and impact assessments should be held at the initial stages and throughout the legislative process.

Hovhannes Manukyan, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, said that he appreciated the professional and expert approaches contained in the report.

"I largely agree with the assessments, and especially the one related to the time limitation of the legislative process, which can cause problems," Manukyan said. "We should find a way to make sure that haste in the process does not harm the quality of the adopted legislation."

“In order for laws to be effective and implementable, it is essential that the process by which they are made is transparent and inclusive, and that this process is preceded by in-depth policy discussions,” said Nathalie Tagwerker, the Deputy Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department. “ODIHR is ready to continue its support to Armenia’s attempts to reform its legislative process in the future.”

The assessment report builds on a preliminary ODIHR assessment of the Armenian legislative procedure, completed in November 2013, which focused only on the legislative framework surrounding the law-making process.