Committee on Coordination between Two Houses of Parliament Holds Meeting on Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

The Committee on Coordination between the two Houses of the Parliament held a meeting on Wednesday, July 15^th, 2020, under the chairmanship of Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki and Speaker of House of Councilors Hakim Benchamach.

At the start of the meeting, the Speakers of the two Houses noted the importance of the work of the Coordination Committee. They highlighted the necessity to ensure the regularity of its meetings, which would constitute a framework for coordination on several matters related to the Parliament's constitutional competences and powers.

The meeting also tackled several questions related to coordination between the two Houses, including the project of the parliamentary channel and parliamentary diplomacy. The participants also discussed several upcoming events that concern joint parliamentary activities.

In its discussion on the parliamentary channel, the Coordination Committee highlighted the channel's role in advancing communication between the legislative institution and the public opinion and stimulating the citizens’ interest and follow-up of parliamentary action in its different aspects.

Considering the importance of this parliamentary project, the participants stressed the importance of the participatory aspect in drafting a legal document that regulates the parliamentary channel, in conformity with the aspirations of the two Houses. In this respect, the Committee has decided on creating a joint subcommittee between the two Houses to accelerate the debate and come to an agreement on the different provisions of the law, so that it comes into being during the current session.

As for parliamentary diplomacy, and considering its importance in supporting the great causes of our country including its territorial integrity, and in advancing the country’s image on the international level, the Coordination Committee has decided to create a joint working subcommittee. The latter will prepare a common vision on the matter and present before the Coordination Committee at the onset of the next legislative year. The vision should review the record of work in parliamentary diplomacy since the start of the current legislature, focus on its challenges, and foresee its prospects. It should also prepare a work plan organized according to priorities to ensure further cooperation, complementarity, and harmony between the two institutions. It should also work on advancing the parliamentary efficiency and governance on the diplomatic level.

During the same meeting, the Coordination Committee examined a set of questions relating to the parliamentary work of the two Houses. In this respect, the participants concerted on the closure of the second session of the current legislative year, and the joint meeting between the two finance committees attached to the two Houses, which will be devoted to a presentation by the Minister of Economy, Finance, and Administration Reform on the general guidelines of the 2021 Finance Bill. The meeting will be held before July 31^st, following the provisions of Article 47 of Organic Law 130.13 on the Finance Act.