The true test of a strong democracy is the extent to which a country’s parliament can keep the government responsive to the people. The new Rules of Procedure in Kosovo, which took effect on August 9, do just this by strengthening the Kosovo Assembly’s legislative, oversight and representative functions.
USAID supported Kosovo stakeholders in drafting The Rules of Procedure document, which will improve transparency and enable citizens to hold Members of Parliament (MP) in the Assembly accountable to its promises. The Rules of Procedure provide the public with greater access to MPs, for example, through public hearings, which will help educate citizens and foster greater participation and investment in the Assembly’s work. By overseeing the actions of the executive branch, the Assembly will be better able to speak on behalf of Kosovans, and require that they deliver on the issues that impact citizens’ quality of life.
The new rules will also equip the Assembly with more power to detect wrongdoing or unconstitutional conduct committed by the government and public agencies, and provide greater transparency for citizens to see how taxpayers’ money is used.
The Rules of Procedure had not been updated since 2010. Previous legislatures tried to update them but without success due to a combination of a lack of political will, inability for inter-party cooperation, and frequent changes in government. Passage of the new rules will also pave the way for the Assembly to adopt a new Code of Ethics, which will significantly enhance the institutional integrity of the Assembly by strengthening accountability and professional conduct.
National Democratic Institute (NDI) for USAIDKosovo