The passage of the budget is the supreme legislative act. The Parliament as the leading independent institution of this state has been hurt in the eyes and consciousness of the Cypriot people in recent years for reasons that are well known and cannot be analysed here.
The aim and vision, however, is to restore the authority and credibility of the House, to highlight its importance in the rule of law and to remind citizens on a daily basis that the Parliament is the custodian of the fundamental values of the rule of law.
We are approaching the third year since the constitutional guarantee of the financial autonomy of the House of Representatives and the establishment of the House's budget by the Parliament itself as an outgrowth of its general independence as a distinct constitutional power. In this direction, the drafting and passing of the relevant law, which, I must say, is already in the process of being drafted and, in accordance with the relevant constitutional requirement, will regulate budget execution issues, establish internal control mechanisms and provide for the codification and operation of the services of the Parliament on the basis of the relevant law.
2021 was an admittedly difficult year as a consequence of the pandemic that has affected and continues to affect all and sundry in various ways. However, the House demonstrated the necessary spirit of adaptability and flexibility and was able to function smoothly and, despite adversity, produce significant legislative work. As you know, the House will continue to function until July 2022 in the Conference Hall, with the hope that by the start of the second session and by next September at the latest, it will have returned to its base. However, I consider it appropriate to take this opportunity to highlight the need to collectively take the next steps in relation to the housing of the Parliament in a modern and functional building, which will meet the needs of the legislative power of the state in the long term, and for this purpose I have already taken the initiative to reassess the whole situation.
A most important issue, ladies and gentlemen, is the regular functioning of the parliamentary committees and also the plenary of the House. From time to time, many of us have unfortunately witnessed practices that either constitute a departure from the procedures laid down in the Rules of the House or are generally inconsistent with parliamentary institutions, without, of course, in any way overshadowing the admittedly important parliamentary work that is carried out on a daily basis. I do not, of course, intend to go into the individual aspects of the matter now, given that the relevant issues have already been the subject of reflection and discussion both at the Conference of Chiefs and at a meeting with the chairmen of the parliamentary committees, following written comments. I hope and trust, however, that with the positive will of everyone to respect the Constitution and the Rules of the House, as well as with the necessary spirit of cooperation and consensus, the level of operation of both the parliamentary committees and the plenary will assume its proper dimensions, in such a way that the legislative work produced will be upgraded in all its aspects.
Referring to the Rules of the House, I take this opportunity to highlight the need for such amendments to be made to them as have been found necessary to simplify the process and course of consideration of draft legislation and to make it more functional and efficient. As has become apparent from experience to date, the procedural amendments that characterize the Rules following their last amendment in 2019 do not provide the necessary flexibility for committees and the House to operate satisfactorily with flexible and simplified procedures, without ignoring the need for detailed and thorough study and consideration of bills and without the delays or termination of legislative work on the basis of procedural considerations alone, which is inconsistent with the The recently adopted Code of Conduct was, by all accounts, an absolute necessity for the College, since a modern European Parliament must operate on the basis of the principles of accountability and transparency. It is also known that this code was also a GRECO recommendation and that it is complementary to the Parliament's Rules of Procedure. It is precisely in the direction of ensuring that it is implemented consistently, as I believe we all want it to be, that I consider it imperative to make certain improvements and adjustments to this code in order to overcome procedural glitches, so that the whole process does not ultimately come at the expense of its substance and its smooth - and therefore effective - implementation.
There is also a need to reform the existing procedure for the election of the President of the House of Representatives and to move from an outdated procedure, which, let us not forget, dates back to 1985, to a modern, democratic procedure for the election of the President of the House, reflecting the best practices in force in parliaments with a strong parliamentary tradition. A study is already underway and the issue will be tabled for debate in early 2022. I expect that both with this initiative and with several other legislative initiatives to follow, we will regain citizens' confidence in our democratic constitutional institutions and contribute to improving the image of Parliament.
After all, dear colleagues, we must never forget that the House of Representatives is and must be the vehicle of the democratic will of Cypriot citizens and in this context it must listen to their voice on an ongoing basis. For this very reason and with the aim of bridging any distance between citizens and the eminently democratic body that represents them, the budget for next year provides for the establishment of a new institution, the
Foundation for Parliamentarism and Participatory Democracy, which is expected to operate from the building called "Citizen's House". This initiative consists in the creation of an institutional body of effective communication with citizens, since through the joint actions and research that will be developed with a focus on them, it will be possible to further strengthen democratic dialogue and cultivate the consciousness of active citizenship. It is my sincere conviction that the effective representation of citizens, especially of the younger generation, necessarily passes through their familiarity with democratic and parliamentary institutions, but also through the respect we show for their positions in the decision-making process. It is for this reason that the Press Office in the Parliament will operate in order to enhance the accurate and direct information of citizens and media workers, initially through the daily publication of press releases by the secretaries of the parliamentary committees, which will provide information on the work of the committees in accordance with the standards of European parliaments. In the same denominator of the need to upgrade the presence of the Parliament in the modern environment is the
strengthening of the presence of our Parliament in European affairsand its
effective participation in the decision-making process in the European Union,in accordance with the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty. We thus aim to strengthen this essential aspect, despite the fact that our Parliament, as a small parliament in comparison with other EU parliaments, has limited resources, which, objectively, differentiates the possibilities. However, to the extent of its own possibilities, the House of Representatives must make use of every possible scope for effective and efficient participation in European affairs. A necessary component for the effective exercise of this role is, of course, that the House of Representatives be informed by the executive power, especially with regard to the most important issues discussed at the level of the Council of the European Union, and, of course, always respecting the constitutional framework in relation to the Council of the European Union.
In order for this role to be exercised effectively, the House of Representatives must be informed by the executive power, especially with regard to the most important issues discussed at the level of the Council of the European Union, and, of course, always respecting the constitutional framework in relation to the Council of the European Union. At this point I would like to emphasise in particular the contacts of the Parliament with the parliaments of our neighbouring states as well as with the parliaments of states in the wider region, since through the strengthening of our ties, whether at bilateral, trilateral or multilateral inter-parliamentary level, we will highlight even more the role that the Parliament can and must play in the efforts that the Republic of Cyprus is making to strengthen security, peace and prosperity in the region.
I would also like to briefly refer to the effort for the technological and digital upgrading of the Parliament. In particular, we are proceeding with a number of actions, such as, among others, the substantial upgrade of our website, in terms of the aspect of the interactive relationship and communication of citizens with the Parliament, as well as the enrichment with modern working tools, such as the introduction of the "Active Directory", which will modernize the way of working both within the Parliament and remotely. We need more direct and meaningful engagement from and to citizens.
In concluding my speech, I would be remiss if I did not refer to fixed policy objectives that we have personally and institutionally prioritised as a high priority and which we must collectively promote and contribute to with all our efforts. And such objectives are none other than the promotion of legislation to combat gender violence, the achievement of real equality between women and men in all areas, the protection of human rights, as well as the rights of all those of our fellow citizens who suffer from social exclusion, and legislation to combat corruption at all levels. I sincerely hope and trust that the initiatives and reform efforts that necessarily need to be translated into action will be accepted by the members of the House in order to work together to strengthen the role, authority and autonomy of the House of Representatives as a modern participatory parliament, which develops actions on the basis of democratic and ethical standards, but above all a parliament that respects the human being and his or her value, the citizen of this country, and which with all its strengths will contribute daily through its work to regaining the lost trust of the citizen in the institution. And we need to change our image, the image of the institution we serve, with solidarity, a convergence of views and determination.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all my colleagues for their cooperation, especially the Chairperson and members of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Budget for the admittedly arduous work they have done during the period of consideration of this year's budget, as well as the officials of the Committee's Secretariat, the staff of the House of Representatives for the work they have done during the period of consideration of this year's budget.
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